David Falk, JD ‘75, the legendary sports agent who represented Michael Jordan, returned to GW Law’s Negotiations in Sports Transactions class on Wednesday, September 16, alongside GW Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Caputo.
Falk, who formerly taught the class, returned to share insights into his career representing some of the top athletes in American history, including Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, and Patrick Ewing, with students. He focused on the importance of preparation ahead of a negotiation, leaning into your own strengths when at the table, and maintaining integrity in your profession. Falk emphasized looking ahead to where the industry they’re in is going, and not necessarily where it is now, when negotiating for a client.
Coach Caputo, who has led GW Men’s Basketball program to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 2015-16 and 2016-17 season provided students with insight on the growing world of NIL and Revenue Sharing in College Sports, and what that looks like competing in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The class is taught by alumnus and Adjunct Professor Ben Chase, JD ‘17, the Head of NIL Sports & Entertainment at Sandberg Phoenix in Gainesville, Florida.
“I told the class on day one that ‘unfortunately, I’m not David Falk,’ but that I would do everything I could to make the one-credit class have as much value to them as possible,” Professor Chase said after being asked to pick up the baton from Falk this summer. “Part of that was to get prominent alumni and industry leaders in front of them for the first half of the semester.”
Coach Caputo and Falk stayed after class for another twenty minutes or so talking with the 14 students present for last week’s class. Negotiations (Sports Transactions) is currently an annual fall class offered to 2Ls and 3Ls that along with introductions to industry leaders, includes in-class negotiation simulations.
In addition to Falk, Chase has brought in GW Law alumni Dillon McConvey and John McGeehan, both JD ‘17, who serve in senior roles at Excel and Athletes First, respectively, and Clark Thompson, the assistant sporting director at the New York City Football Club. The class is also welcoming Morgan Frazier Belvedere, JD ‘21, who is the director of Talent ID and Development at WWE later this month.
Falk is one of many leaders in law that visit GW Law for classes and events held throughout the year. Also last week, the Alvin Bragg, the District Attorney of Manhattan, and Larry Krasner, the District Attorney of Philadelphia, visited GW Law in separate events. And earlier this month, students in the National Security, Cybersecurity, & Foreign Relations Law program heard from Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Brian Baldrate, Vice President and Chief Counsel of BAE Systems at the Veterans Welcome Back Reception.
