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House v. NCAA and the Potential Future of Name, Image and Likeness

Date: October 17 Time: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Program

Cost: This event is being offered as a free education session.

Location 300 TradeCenter, Suite 7600
Woburn, MA 01801

On May 23, 2024, the NCAA and the power-five NCAA athletic conferences reached a groundbreaking settlement in what’s being called the House v. NCAA antitrust class action lawsuit. However, on September 5, 2024, Judge Claudia Wilken declined to grant preliminary approval to the settlement.

Join us for a panel discussion on the current Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) landscape, the proposed House v. NCAA settlement, the judge’s failure to grant preliminary approval of the settlement, and what the future of the NIL will look like.

Panelists include:

  • Kimberly Kramer – Moderator – Corporate Director & Managing Director of the firm’s Woburn Office
  • John DeWispelaere – Corporate attorney and Vice Chair of McLane Middleton’s Sports Law Practice Group
  • Michael McCann – Founding Director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law
  • Frances Reimers – Founder and CEO of Firestarter, an athlete brand and NIL consultancy

Presenters

Kimberly Kramer
Director, McLane Middleton

Kim represents entrepreneurs, closely held and family owned businesses in transactional matters ranging from entity selection and formation to drafting and negotiation of shareholder and operating agreements and other complex contracts including distribution, joint venture and licensing agreements. She is experienced in asset and stock sales including the successful transfer of ownership to third parties, the next generation and key employees. She also represents companies in convertible debt, private equity and venture financing transactions.

John DeWispelaere headshot
John DeWispelaere
Associate, McLane Middleton

John is a corporate transactional attorney who advises businesses and business owners on a range of transactional matters. In addition, he is also the Vice-Chair of the Sports Practice Group, a practice group that assists individuals, businesses, schools, non-profit organizations, and other individuals involved in the sporting landscape. John is a subject matter expert on Name, Image and Likeness matters for both academic institutions and student-athletes. In addition to assisting schools and student-athletes in Name, Image and Likeness agreement transactions, John works with professional athletes in reviewing contracts and prospective business opportunities, and counsels’ businesses in the sports landscape on governance and mergers and acquisition matters.

Frances Reimers
Founder & CEO, Firestarter

Frances Reimers is the founder and CEO of Firestarter, a premier personal brand consultancy based in Alexandria, VA, specializing in developing, managing, and protecting the brands of some of the nation’s most prominent high school, collegiate, and professional athletes, coaches, and sports executives. Under Frances’ leadership, Firestarter has built a distinguished client roster that includes the Denver Nuggets, Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Commanders, and the University of Pittsburgh’s Alliance 412. Her agency has also worked numerous collegiate athletic programs, and many individual high school, college, and professional athletes, coaches, and professional service providers.

Michael McCann
Professor, University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law

Professor Michael McCann is the Founding Director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law and is one of the nation’s leading experts in sports law. In 2021, he testified before the United States Senate in a Commerce Committee hearing that included NCAA president Mark Emmert and centered on name, image and likeness and other reforms. Michael is also an award-winning journalist and a best-selling author – he and former NBA player Ed O’Bannon co-authored “Court Justice: The Inside Story of My Battle Against the NCAA” (Diversion Books, 2018), and he is additionally the Editor and co-author of “The Oxford Handbook of American Sports Law.” He frequently appears as a legal expert on national TV programs, and is currently on the staff of Sportico while also teaching numerous courses focusing on sports law at UNH Law.”