Sports & Entertainment
Based in the Twin Cities, Fafinski Mark & Johnson is recognized throughout the state of Minnesota and around the country as a trusted leader in sports and entertainment law. FMJ serves as outside counsel to a broad and diverse group of clients in these dynamic industries, and our client roster includes the largest collegiate athletic conference in the country, a national flag football organization, and a professional women’s basketball league. We also represent golf courses and country clubs, soccer organizations including a pre-professional women’s team, and sports agents and agencies that support elite talent. Our entertainment law practice includes advising video and audio production companies, media and technology firms, and a growing network of athletes, entertainers, content creators, influencers, media personalities, and other creatives, along with their business ventures and brand partners. This depth and variety of experience allow us to deliver practical, strategic legal counsel tailored to the unique challenges of the sports and entertainment sectors.
What is Sports and Entertainment Law?
Sports and entertainment law encompasses the contracts, intellectual property, employment, corporate, regulatory, licensing and dispute-resolution issues affecting athletes, teams, leagues, entertainers, creators, media companies and related businesses. FMJ’s attorneys help athletes, entrepreneurs, teams, leagues, agents, and other organizations negotiate contracts, address Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and intellectual property issues, manage employment relationships, structure businesses, handle sponsorships, and resolve disputes.
FMJ takes a hands-on approach to client service, working closely with each client to understand their business model, brand, and long-term goals. Our attorneys are deeply familiar with the operational and strategic issues facing teams, leagues, athletes, entertainers, and media companies. That insight comes from years of experience guiding clients through contract negotiations, regulatory developments, and growth opportunities in a fast-changing legal environment. Clients value FMJ for our industry knowledge, responsiveness, and sound judgment. As one Chief Legal Officer of a national sports organization put it, “If [we] didn’t have the security of [the FMJ] team handling the volume and variety of needed legal issues for [us], we wouldn’t have the luxury of being able to tackle these [other] strategic opportunities.”
Our attorneys advise on a full spectrum of legal services in sports and entertainment law. These include commercial contracts, athlete representation, sponsorship, and endorsement deals, and comprehensive NIL compliance and monetization strategies. We also handle licensing and media rights agreements, production and distribution deals, influencer partnerships, and content monetization. FMJ provides end-to-end intellectual property protection, including trademark registration, copyright enforcement, and brand licensing. We support creators and media companies in structuring platform agreements, managing digital assets, and addressing social media legal risks. Our work often intersects with emerging technologies, data privacy regulations, streaming rights, and software licensing. FMJ handles these types of sports and entertainment law issues daily.
In addition to industry-specific matters, our attorneys regularly advise clients on corporate, commercial, and general business issues. We assist with entity formation, governance, contract negotiation, regulatory compliance, and mergers and acquisitions. Whether serving as a partner to in-house legal departments or as outside general counsel, FMJ supports startups, individuals, and organizations of all sizes and structures.
Who Does FMJ Represent?
- Athletes (Professional, College, High School, Amateur)
- Teams
- Leagues
- Conferences
- Youth Sports Organizations
- Community Sports Organizations
- Agents
- Entertainers
- Creators
- Media Company
- Sports and Entertainment Businesses
- Talent
- Influencers
Legal Services
FMJ’s experience and knowledge has uniquely positioned us to handle a wide range of corporate, business, and commercial issues arising for your sports and entertainment organization. While our attorneys regularly work with in-house counsel for sports and entertainment organizations, we also work with startups, individuals, and organizations of all sizes and structures. Our broad range of “outside general counsel” services include the following (and more):
Organization and Governance
Compliance and Government Relations
Commercial Contracts
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Intellectual Property
Personnel
Real Estate
Aviation
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Like the best sports organizations, FMJ utilizes a team-based approach to ensure that your matters are handled efficiently and by the attorney most-suited to address your particular legal needs. The firm has 18 full-service legal practice groups, including corporate and business, commercial litigation, trust and estates, and aviation, each of whom have experience working with and supporting sports and entertainment businesses, organizations, and personalities.
FMJ is the correct size to be flexible and agile. Our service model allows us to provide individualized, tailored service and prompt response times, all at the value our clients appreciate and need to function effectively. Whether you are an individual athlete or entertainer, or a world-class sports and entertainment organization, FMJ can meet your legal needs. We hope to become a part of your team soon.
