Gregg E. Clifton is Managing Partner of the Phoenix, Arizona office of Jackson Lewis LLP. He is Co-chair of the firm’s Collegiate and Professional Sports Industry Group and serves as one of the editors of the firm’s sports law blog, www.collegeandprosportslaw.com.
| Focus On Collegiate and Professional Sports December 2012 |
Mr. Clifton has extensive experience in the collegiate and professional sports world. He has advised numerous professional franchises on general labor and employment issues, including Title III ADA regulatory compliance and wage and hour issues. He serves as lead counsel for several Major League Baseball teams in their salary arbitration matters and has represented NCAA and NAIA collegiate clients regarding rules compliance, investigatory matters and in disciplinary hearings. In addition, Mr. Clifton has worked extensively in the area of agent regulation and enforcement in professional and college sports and regularly provides counsel on issues relating to NCAA and NAIA amateurism issues and athlete eligibility questions.
Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, he spent six years as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Team Sports for Gaylord Sports Management. He also served as President of the Athlete and Entertainment Division for famed sports attorney Bob Woolf’s firm, Woolf Associates, in Boston.
Mr. Clifton began his career as an Associate at Jackson Lewis where he focused his practice on traditional labor law. He continues to counsel clients in the areas of collective bargaining negotiations, representation cases, arbitrations and National Labor Relations Board matters.
Mr. Clifton frequently serves as an expert speaker to law schools, including Harvard University, Boston College, Hofstra University and Arizona State University, and bar associations regarding sports law issues, including agent regulation and salary arbitration. He is also often cited as an expert source in national news media for his commentary and opinion on legal issues in sports.
Mr. Clifton is a member of the Arizona, New York and New Jersey Bars. He is also a member of the the Sports Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association and its Section on Labor and Employment Law and its Forum on Entertainment and Sports Industries. He is a past Chairperson of the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Sports Law Committee.
Mr. Clifton received his A.B. in History, cum laude in General Studies, from Harvard University. While at Harvard, he was the recipient of the John Harvard Scholarship for Academic Excellence. He earned his J.D. from the Hofstra University School of Law.
Publications
- “Sexual Harassment and Professional Sports Organizations” Professional Sports and the Law, Volume 1, Issue 6, January-February 2011, Co-Author
- “U.S. Department of Education Eliminates Title IV Safe Harbors: Questions Remain On Compensation for Athletic Personnel Legal Issues In College Athletics, Volume 12, Issue 3, January 2011, Co-Author
- “MLBPA Issues New Sweeping Regulations Governing Agents” Professional Sports and the Law, Volume 1, Issue 5, November-December 2010, Co-Author
