Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman shareholder presents on domestic violence in professional sports
Alan Fertel, shareholder with Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman, recently addressed the attendees of the 27th North American Sports Entertainment IP Law Summit held in Cancun, Mexico. Hundreds of attorneys participated in a full weekend of seminars and workshops, delving into the most relevant and impactful issues of Sports and Entertainment law. Fertel presented on two critical subjects – domestic violence in sports, with a focus on the NFL and MLB, and the powers of the commissioner in the big 3 sports.
“It is imperative that today’s sports attorneys recognize the deep concern that the public has about domestic abuse, and to use whatever powers and influence they can to reduce and hopefully eliminate this terrible trend,” said Fertel, about his first presentation. He noted players like Greg Hardy in football and Jose Reyes in baseball as a troubling sign of the times. He has consulted with eight first round draft picks in the NFL draft and has been featured on the NFL League Security Video filmed by NFL Films, shown to every NFL player as counsel on how to avoid the problems and pitfalls of being a celebrity professional athlete.
For his second session, where he was a last minute substitute, Fertel used “Deflate-gate” as a central theme when discussing the power of the commissioners. Both presentations generated positive response by the participants for their insight and perspective.
He is the acting Chair and a member of the Board of Directors of the Miami-Dade Sports Commission, a member of the Executive Committee of The Miami-Dade County Special Olympics, a member of The Deans Advisory Board of the St. Thomas University School of Business and a member of the Board of Directors of the South Florida Touchdown Club. He was re-elected to the Executive Counsel of the Florida Bar Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section following a six year hiatus.
Fertel is a senior member of the firm’s Litigation Division and accomplished trial attorney. He focuses his practice on civil litigation, commercial law, family law, sports and entertainment law and personal injury. He is also a member of the Council for Educational Change Lawyers Alliance program, an organization which partners attorneys and public schools, and was the coordinator of these speaking engagements.
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About Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman
Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman P.L. is a prominent South Florida law firm serving corporate, governmental and individual clients with an integrated array of professional services including commercial litigation, land-use and real estate law, communications and cable law, labor and employment law, government law and governmental relations. The firm has offices in Coral Gables and Ft. Lauderdale. For more information, visit www.wsh-law.com.
