--- title: "When should an athlete have a lawyer review a contract? | Jacobs Counsel" description: "Before signing anything that controls your name, image, likeness, or time — endorsement/NIL deals, representation agreements, collective agreements with..." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": [ "Organization", "LegalService" ], "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/#organization", "name": "Jacobs Counsel LLC", "alternateName": "Jacobs Counsel", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/#logo", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/logo-dark.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/logo-dark.jpg", "caption": "Jacobs Counsel LLC" }, "image": { "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/#logo" }, "description": "Jacobs Counsel primarily serves gaming and regulated-product companies and provides ongoing outside counsel to growing startups; sports, NIL, creators, entertainment, media, consumer brands, and hospitality are selective adjacent transactional work. Andrew R. Jacobs is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey and Ohio.", "foundingDate": "2022", "address": [ { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "135 Madison Ave., Floor 4", "addressLocality": "New York", "addressRegion": "NY", "postalCode": "10016", "addressCountry": "US" }, { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "221 River Street, Floor 9", "addressLocality": "Hoboken", "addressRegion": "NJ", "postalCode": "07030", "addressCountry": "US" }, { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "127 Willow Ave., Floor 2", "addressLocality": "Cincinnati", "addressRegion": "OH", "postalCode": "45215", "addressCountry": "US" } ], "telephone": "+1-646-343-7227", "email": "intake@jacobscounsellaw.com", "areaServed": [ { "@type": "State", "name": "New York" }, { "@type": "State", "name": "New Jersey" }, { "@type": "State", "name": "Ohio" } ], "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/jacobs-counsel-law", "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/jacobs-counsel-llc" ], "knowsAbout": [ "Outside Counsel for Companies", "Corporate Law", "Commercial Contracts", "Business Transactions", "Employment Law", "Intellectual Property", "Gaming Law", "Skill-based Gaming", "Sports Betting Regulation", "Sweepstakes and Promotional Gaming", "Multi-state Gaming Compliance", "AI Commercial Contracts", "SaaS Commercial Contracts", "Outside General Counsel", "Fractional General Counsel", "Technology Transactions", "Sports Law", "NIL Law", "Name Image and Likeness", "NCAA House v. NCAA Settlement", "College Athlete Representation", "Hospitality Law", "Liquor Licensing" ], "founder": { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about/drew-jacobs#person", "name": "Andrew R. Jacobs, Esq.", "alternateName": "Drew Jacobs", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about/drew-jacobs", "jobTitle": "Founder & Managing Attorney", "image": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/assets/drew-jacobs-headshot.jpg", "worksFor": { "@type": "LegalService", "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/#organization", "name": "Jacobs Counsel LLC", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com" }, "knowsAbout": [ "Gaming law", "Sweepstakes and social casino compliance", "Skill-based gaming and predominance testing", "Sports betting and fantasy sports regulation", "Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) law", "College athlete revenue sharing", "Outside general counsel for technology and AI companies", "SaaS and commercial contracts" ], "hasOccupation": { "@type": "Occupation", "name": "Attorney", "occupationLocation": [ { "@type": "State", "name": "New York" }, { "@type": "State", "name": "New Jersey" }, { "@type": "State", "name": "Ohio" } ] }, "memberOf": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Seton Hall University School of Law", "url": "https://law.shu.edu/" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-jacobs-dj32/", "https://profiles.superlawyers.com/new-york/new-york/lawyer/drew-jacobs/22a7b48c-b198-47ac-a0db-4aa37ec85144.html", "https://profiles.superlawyers.com/new-jersey/hoboken/lawyer/drew-jacobs/ae1c15fc-79e2-4448-bb03-2f16bd4549e8.html", "https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/07030-nj-andrew-jacobs-5765bbd8.html", "https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/attorneyservices/search?lastName=jacobs&firstName=andrew", "https://law.shu.edu/documents/drew-jacobs-bio.pdf", "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about", "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about/drew-jacobs" ] }, "employee": [ { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about/drew-jacobs#person", "name": "Andrew R. Jacobs, Esq.", "alternateName": "Drew Jacobs", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about/drew-jacobs", "jobTitle": "Founder & Managing Attorney", "image": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/assets/drew-jacobs-headshot.jpg", "worksFor": { "@type": "LegalService", "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/#organization", "name": "Jacobs Counsel LLC", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com" }, "knowsAbout": [ "Gaming law", "Sweepstakes and social casino compliance", "Skill-based gaming and predominance testing", "Sports betting and fantasy sports regulation", "Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) law", "College athlete revenue sharing", "Outside general counsel for technology and AI companies", "SaaS and commercial contracts" ], "hasOccupation": { "@type": "Occupation", "name": "Attorney", "occupationLocation": [ { "@type": "State", "name": "New York" }, { "@type": "State", "name": "New Jersey" }, { "@type": "State", "name": "Ohio" } ] }, "memberOf": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Seton Hall University School of Law", "url": "https://law.shu.edu/" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-jacobs-dj32/", "https://profiles.superlawyers.com/new-york/new-york/lawyer/drew-jacobs/22a7b48c-b198-47ac-a0db-4aa37ec85144.html", "https://profiles.superlawyers.com/new-jersey/hoboken/lawyer/drew-jacobs/ae1c15fc-79e2-4448-bb03-2f16bd4549e8.html", "https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/07030-nj-andrew-jacobs-5765bbd8.html", "https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/attorneyservices/search?lastName=jacobs&firstName=andrew", "https://law.shu.edu/documents/drew-jacobs-bio.pdf", "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about", "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about/drew-jacobs" ] } ], "potentialAction": { "@type": "ReserveAction", "target": { "@type": "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/book-consultation", "actionPlatform": [ "https://schema.org/DesktopWebPlatform", "https://schema.org/MobileWebPlatform" ] }, "result": { "@type": "Reservation", "name": "Legal Strategy Call" } } }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/#website", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com", "name": "Jacobs Counsel", "description": "Jacobs Counsel primarily serves gaming and regulated-product companies and provides ongoing outside counsel to growing startups; sports, NIL, creators, entertainment, media, consumer brands, and hospitality are selective adjacent transactional work.", "publisher": { "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/#organization" }, "potentialAction": { "@type": "SearchAction", "target": { "@type": "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/blog?search={search_term_string}" }, "query-input": "required name=search_term_string" }, "inLanguage": "en-US" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "QAPage", "@id": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/answers/when-should-an-athlete-have-a-lawyer-review-a-contract#qapage", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/answers/when-should-an-athlete-have-a-lawyer-review-a-contract", "mainEntity": { "@type": "Question", "name": "When should an athlete have a lawyer review a contract?", "text": "When should an athlete have a lawyer review a contract?", "answerCount": 1, "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Jacobs Counsel LLC", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com" }, "datePublished": "2026-07-02T00:00:00-05:00", "dateCreated": "2026-07-02T00:00:00-05:00", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Before signing anything that controls your name, image, likeness, or time — endorsement/NIL deals, representation agreements, collective agreements with revenue-share terms, and any appearance or licensing deal with exclusivity.\n\nBefore signing anything that controls your name, image, likeness, or time — which in practice means: any endorsement or NIL deal, any agency or representation agreement (these bind you the longest and are hardest to exit), any collective agreement with revenue-share terms, and any appearance or licensing deal that includes exclusivity.\n\nThe most expensive mistakes we see are signed representation agreements with auto-renewal and broad commission clauses, and endorsement deals granting perpetual usage rights for a one-time fee. A review before signing is a scoped, fixed-fee engagement; unwinding a bad deal afterward can cost multiples of that.", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/answers/when-should-an-athlete-have-a-lawyer-review-a-contract", "dateCreated": "2026-07-02T00:00:00-05:00", "datePublished": "2026-07-02T00:00:00-05:00", "upvoteCount": 1, "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Jacobs Counsel LLC", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com" } } } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Answers", "item": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/answers" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "When should an athlete have a lawyer review a contract?", "item": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/answers/when-should-an-athlete-have-a-lawyer-review-a-contract" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "ItemList", "name": "Primary site navigation — Jacobs Counsel LLC", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 1, "name": "Outside Counsel for Companies", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/services/outside-counsel", "description": "Company-wide primary service: ongoing outside counsel for companies across industries—contracts, corporate governance, employment, IP, transactions, and compliance" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 2, "name": "Gaming & Betting Counsel", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/clients/gaming", "description": "Gaming and esports service chooser: regulatory and licensing projects, ongoing gaming counsel, sweepstakes, fantasy, and payments" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 3, "name": "Sports, Athletes & Creators", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/sports-entertainment-attorney", "description": "Athletes, NIL, and sports business matters" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 4, "name": "Resources", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/resources", "description": "Cornerstone guides, answers, comparisons, glossary, and blog" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 5, "name": "About", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about", "description": "The firm, the team, and how we work" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 6, "name": "Contact", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/contact", "description": "Book a 15-Minute Case Assessment" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "ItemList", "name": "Featured destinations — Jacobs Counsel LLC", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 1, "name": "Outside Counsel for Companies", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/services/outside-counsel" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 2, "name": "Gaming & Esports Legal Services (chooser)", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/clients/gaming" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 3, "name": "Gaming Regulatory, Licensing & Launch Projects", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/services/gaming-law" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 4, "name": "Gaming & Esports Outside Counsel", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/services/gaming-outside-counsel" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 5, "name": "50-State Skill Gaming Legal Opinion", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/50-state-gaming-legal-opinion" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 6, "name": "Sweepstakes & Social Casino Compliance", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/services/sweepstakes-gaming-compliance" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 7, "name": "Fantasy Sports & Prediction Markets", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/services/fantasy-sports-prediction-markets" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 8, "name": "Gaming Payments & App Store Review Support", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/services/gaming-payments-app-store-approval" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 9, "name": "International Gaming Counsel", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/services/gaming-law-international" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 10, "name": "AI & Startup Companies (audience hub)", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/clients/startups" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 11, "name": "Fractional General Counsel for AI Startups", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/fractional-general-counsel-ai-startups" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 12, "name": "Outside Counsel for SaaS & Commercial Contracts", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/outside-counsel-saas-commercial-contracts" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 13, "name": "Subscription Legal Services Buyer's Guide", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/subscription-legal-service-ai-startups-guide" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 14, "name": "AI Transition Advisory", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/services/ai-transition-advisory" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 15, "name": "NIL Endorsement Attorney", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/nil-endorsement-attorney" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 16, "name": "House Settlement / NIL Revenue Share Guide", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/nil-revenue-share-guide" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 17, "name": "Full-Stack Counsel for the AI Age", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/full-stack-counsel-ai-age" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 18, "name": "Answers", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/answers" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 19, "name": "Legal Glossary", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/glossary" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 20, "name": "Blog", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/blog" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 21, "name": "Start an Engagement", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/intake" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "ItemList", "name": "Client audiences — Jacobs Counsel LLC", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 1, "name": "Companies Across Industries", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/services/outside-counsel" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 2, "name": "Gaming Operators", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/clients/gaming" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 3, "name": "AI & Startup Companies", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/clients/startups" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 4, "name": "Athletes & NIL", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/clients/athletes" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 5, "name": "Hospitality (adjacent practice)", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/clients/hospitality" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "ItemList", "name": "Team navigation — Jacobs Counsel LLC", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 1, "name": "Our Team", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about#team", "description": "Legal counsel, firm operations, and client support at Jacobs Counsel LLC" }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 2, "name": "Andrew R. Jacobs, Esq.", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about#drew-jacobs", "description": "Founder & Managing Attorney — Legal strategy, substantive counsel, and oversight of the firm's legal work." }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 3, "name": "Kevin Wiramihardja", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about#kevin-wiramihardja", "description": "Chief of Staff — Firm operations, systems, and team coordination." }, { "@type": "SiteNavigationElement", "position": 4, "name": "Jamee Ganal", "url": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/about#jamee-ganal", "description": "Executive Assistant — Client experience, follow-up, and communication." } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Answers", "item": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/answers" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "When Should An Athlete Have A Lawyer Review A Contract", "item": "https://jacobscounsellaw.com/answers/when-should-an-athlete-have-a-lawyer-review-a-contract" } ] } ] --- [Skip to main content](#main-content) [![Jacobs Counsel LLC logo](/assets/logo-header-D2qrDHtH.jpg)](/) Services [Outside Counsel](/services/outside-counsel) [Outside Counsel for Companies](/services/outside-counsel)[AI & Startup Companies](/clients/startups)[Fractional General Counsel](/fractional-general-counsel-ai-startups)[SaaS & Commercial Contracts](/outside-counsel-saas-commercial-contracts)[AI Transition Advisory](/services/ai-transition-advisory)[Deal Support](/services/deal-support)[Business Transactions](/services/business-transactions)[Brand & IP](/services/brand-ip) [Gaming & Betting](/clients/gaming) [Gaming Regulatory & Launch Projects](/services/gaming-law)[50-State Gaming Legal Opinion](/50-state-gaming-legal-opinion)[Gaming & Esports Outside Counsel](/services/gaming-outside-counsel)[Sweepstakes & Social Casino](/services/sweepstakes-gaming-compliance)[Fantasy & Prediction Markets](/services/fantasy-sports-prediction-markets)[Payments & App Store Review Support](/services/gaming-payments-app-store-approval)[International Gaming](/services/gaming-law-international) [Sports, Athletes & Creators](/sports-entertainment-attorney) [NIL & Endorsements](/nil-endorsement-attorney)[Revenue Share Guide](/nil-revenue-share-guide)[NIL Laws by State](/nil-laws-by-state)[Media & NIL Deals](/services/media-nil)[Creator Rights](/services/content-creator-rights) Featured [50-State Gaming Legal Opinion](/50-state-gaming-legal-opinion) Our flagship deliverable — a state-by-state legal analysis of your product's mechanics and legal posture. [All services →](/services) [Free Guides](/resources) Insights [Blog](/blog)[Answers](/answers)[Deal Anatomy](/deal-anatomy)[Compare](/compare)[Guides](/resources)[Court Vision Weekly](/court-vision-weekly) About [Email](mailto:intake@jacobscounsellaw.com)[Schedule a Call](/book-consultation) [Schedule a Call](/book-consultation)[](mailto:intake@jacobscounsellaw.com)Toggle menu 1. [Home](/) 2. [Answers](/answers) 3. When Should An Athlete Have A Lawyer Review A Contract [All answers](/answers) Sports & NIL # When should an athlete have a lawyer review a contract? Short answer: Before signing anything that controls your name, image, likeness, or time — endorsement/NIL deals, representation agreements, collective agreements with revenue-share terms, and any appearance or licensing deal with exclusivity. Before signing anything that controls your name, image, likeness, or time — which in practice means: any endorsement or NIL deal, any agency or representation agreement (these bind you the longest and are hardest to exit), any collective agreement with revenue-share terms, and any appearance or licensing deal that includes exclusivity. The most expensive mistakes we see are signed representation agreements with auto-renewal and broad commission clauses, and endorsement deals granting perpetual usage rights for a one-time fee. A review before signing is a scoped, fixed-fee engagement; unwinding a bad deal afterward can cost multiples of that. ## Related deep-dives - [NIL endorsement attorney](/nil-endorsement-attorney) Updated July 2, 2026. General information only—not legal advice for your specific situation. For advice on your facts, book a 15-minute case assessment. ## Want this answered for your specific situation? A 15-minute case assessment. Fixed-fee pricing, scoped before work begins. [Book a 15-Minute Case Assessment](/book-consultation) ## More on Sports & NIL - [Do NIL deals count as taxable income? ](/answers/do-nil-deals-count-as-taxable-income) - [Can high school athletes sign NIL deals? ](/answers/can-high-school-athletes-sign-nil-deals) - [What does NIL Go actually review? ](/answers/what-does-nil-go-actually-review) - [Who pays taxes on House-settlement revenue share payments? ](/answers/who-pays-taxes-on-house-revenue-share-payments) [![Jacobs Counsel LLC](/assets/logo-footer-N09_u2vs.png)](/) Outside counsel for companies across industries, with deeper experience in gaming and esports, AI and startups, sports and NIL, creators, and hospitality. ## Choose how you’d like to start Begin with a complimentary fit-and-intake call with Jamee, or book a paid legal strategy session with Drew. [View Call Options](/book-consultation)[Start a Matter](/intake) ### Contact - [(646) 343-7227](tel:+16463437227) - [intake@jacobscounsellaw.com](mailto:intake@jacobscounsellaw.com) - [New York: 135 Madison Ave., Floor 4, New York, NY 10016](/locations/new-york) - [New Jersey: 221 River Street, Floor 9, Hoboken, NJ 07030](/locations/new-jersey) - [Ohio: 127 Willow Ave., Floor 2, Cincinnati, OH 45215](/locations/ohio) ### Practice - [Outside Counsel for Companies](/services/outside-counsel) - [Gaming](/services/gaming-law) - [Athletes & Talent](/clients/athletes) - [How We Work](/how-we-work) - [Legacy Counsel by Jacobs Counsel](https://jacobslegacycounsel.com) ### Insights - [Blog](/blog) - [Answers](/answers) - [Deal Anatomy](/deal-anatomy) - [Compare](/compare) - [Guides](/resources) - [Court Vision Weekly](/court-vision-weekly) ### Firm - [About the Firm](/about) - [Drew Jacobs](/about/drew-jacobs) - [Testimonials](/testimonials) - [Media](/media) - [Contact](/contact) - [Locations](/locations) ### Court Vision Weekly Five stories, five minutes, once a month. Legal insights for athletes, creators, founders, and gaming operators. [View archive](/court-vision-weekly) Subscribe Get CourtVision Weekly and a short welcome series from Jacobs Counsel. Unsubscribe anytime. Jacobs Counsel LLC. Andrew R. Jacobs is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey and Ohio. Andrew R. Jacobs is the responsible lawyer for this website. Matters in other jurisdictions are considered only where permitted and may require local counsel or separate admission. This website is Attorney Advertising. The information here is general in nature and is not legal advice. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship, and no such relationship exists until the firm and client sign a written engagement agreement. We do not monitor or protect any filing, appeal, waiver or other deadline unless and until a signed engagement agreement says we do, and no result is guaranteed. © 2026 Jacobs Counsel LLC. All rights reserved. [Privacy](/legal/privacy-policy)[Terms](/legal/terms)[Attorney Advertising](/legal/attorney-advertising)[Disclaimer](/legal/disclaimer)[Accessibility](/legal/accessibility)[Site Index](/sitemap)