Naima capitalizes on her 20 years of in-house counsel experience in the sports and entertainment industry to make winning plays for her clients as outside counsel.
Overview
Naima is a strategic legal thought partner who values building collaborative relationships with her clients. She is experienced in advising on matters involving employment laws and practices, investigations and crisis communication, compliance, privacy considerations, enterprise risk management and governance, complex litigation and transactional matters across a variety of industries, including higher education, sports and entertainment, and apparel.
Naima is the C0-Chair of Stinson's Sports & Recreation Industry Group and has a specialty practice representing professional and collegiate athletes in Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) sponsorship, marketing, and agency deals. Naima also works closely with Stinson trusts and estates partners to represent an athlete’s long-term interests. This collaborative approach ensures that wealth and assets are protected.
Prior to joining Stinson, Naima's in-house experience included leadership roles with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Varsity Brands. Early in her career, Naima was a corporate and securities attorney for a global, full-service law firm where she advised and represented public and private corporations in transactional matters involving securities regulations, private equity and mergers and acquisitions.
Experience
Sports & Entertainment
- Represents sports entities, including national and international governing bodies, in litigation and transactional matters
- Provides legal guidance related to the administration and operation of large scale live events
- Represents collegiate athletic conferences
- Monitors and advises on federal and state regulations related to a myriad of issues, including Name, Image, Likeness (NIL), sports wagering and athlete health and safety issues
- Represents professional and collegiate athletes in NIL sponsorship, marketing, and agency deals
- Advises clients on ambush marketing and intellectual property protection
Labor and Employment
- Advises clients on employment practices and compliance with state and federal laws as well including policy development, implementation and training
- Represents clients before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
- Conducts employee relations investigations
- Represents clients in Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) wage and hour litigation
Higher Education
- Advises clients on privacy considerations, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other federal and state privacy laws)
- Represents clients related to Title IX and other education compliance investigations
- Advises clients related to the NCAA infractions process
Enterprise Risk Management and Governance
- Advises clients on enterprise risk management, including risk identification, prioritization and mitigation.
- Advises clients on Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) compliance and reporting obligations
- Advises corporate and nonprofit boards and governance committees, including audit committees
News & Insights
News
Speaking Engagements
Naima is an experienced and frequent speaker on topics ranging from sports law to diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession. She has served as a panelist for the National Association of College and University Attorneys, Sports Lawyer Association, Association of Corporate Counsel, several bar associations, and for colleges and universities across the country.
Publications
Co-author, "The New NCAA Independent Accountability Resolution Process for Infractions Cases: An Overview," LawInSport, July 2020
Professional & Civic Activities
Professional & Civic Activities
Sports Lawyers Association
National Association of College and University Attorneys
Corporate Counsel Women of Color
Arizona State University Sports Law Business Program
Dallas Urban Debate Alliance
Practices & Industries
Admissions
- New York
- District of Columbia
Education
Harvard University, J.D., 2001
University of Maryland, B.A., 1998