Morris, Manning & Martin Launches Sports Law Practice with Hiring of Ricardo Jackman
Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP announced today the launch of its new Sports & Entertainment Practice with the hiring of sports and entertainment attorney Ricardo Jackman. Jackman will join the Washington, D.C. office as partner and will chair the new practice.
With decades of experience serving as counsel in business-related matters for clients in the sports and entertainment sector, Jackman has negotiated contracts and business deals totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. He specializes in representing and advising student-athletes and educational institutions regarding the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) issue, and is a certified NFLPA Contract Advisor. In this capacity, Jackman conducts contract negotiations for players involved in professional football leagues ranging from the National Football League (NFL) to the Canadian Football League (CFL), United States Football League (USFL), Indoor Football League (IFL), and XFL.
Most recently, Jackman served as co-chair of Ballard Spahr’s Sports & Entertainment Practice Group. Prior to that role, Jackman practiced at Shulman Rogers, founded his own firm, and served as assistant general counsel in the D.C. Office of Personnel.
“Given the high-stakes nature of the sports & entertainment industry, prominent athletes and entertainers as well as the companies that enable their work need the best representation possible,” said Jackman. “I am excited to leverage my experience and the expertise of the talented attorneys at MMM to ensure our clients receive the sophisticated counsel they deserve.”
Jackman said the new practice will counsel athletes and entertainers throughout the entire arc of their professional careers, providing legal advice and strategy recommendations on the full spectrum of legal issues that may arise. The practice will also represent educational institutions and professional sports teams to negotiate sales, licensing, sponsorship, service, and exhibit agreements and advise on new legal developments in the industry. The practice will cover a wide range of sports and entertainment matters, including NIL and endorsement deals, contract negotiations, a variety of appearance and performance agreements, and transactional business matters like corporate governance, entity formation and mergers & acquisitions.
“We look forward to integrating this new practice into other areas of focus, and envision significant collaboration opportunities with our intellectual property, M&A and real estate teams,” said MMM managing partner Simon R. Malko. “Ricardo is the ideal attorney to lead the firm’s efforts to serve this exciting, growing industry.”
“Ricardo’s arrival indicates our firm’s investment in D.C.-based growth, and we are delighted to incorporate his experience and skill set into our firm’s offerings,” Carol Weld King, partner and head of the D.C. office. “MMM is known for its entrepreneurial culture and we’re eager to support Ricardo’s efforts to grow this new practice area for the firm.”
Jackman received his undergraduate degree in criminal justice from the University of Maryland and his law degree from New England Law | Boston.