Q&A with Casey Floyd ’15L

With his company NOCAP Sports, Casey Floyd ’15L helps athletes and agents negotiate and transact NIL deals.

on legislative proposals such as NIL.

Did you know coming into law school that you wanted to work in Sports and Entertainment Law?

Since that moment, I knew I wanted to be part of fixing the system and advocating for athlete rights. What have you done since graduation to lead up to your current job?

After starting his legal career in college athletics compliance, Casey Floyd ’15L recently co-founded NOCAP Sports, a comprehensive NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) technology platform that unites athletes, agents, universities, and brands, providing each with the tools to interact, negotiate and transact compliantly on NIL deals. Floyd is originally from Los Angeles, and currently resides in Dallas, Texas, with his wife. He has nearly a decade of experience in NCAA compliance and governance, including stops at “Power Five” institutions, mid-majors, and a conference office. Floyd was the director of compliance at the University of Michigan and served on the NAAC Legislation & Governance Committee that provides feedback to the NCAA

1989L

Robin McCabe was promoted to chief, Civil Litigation Unit, Office of the General Counsel at the New York County District Attorney’s Office in New York, New York.

90s

1990L

Tom Smith, executive director and secretary of the American Society of Civil Engineers, was elected to the National Academy of Construction’s class of 2022. In electing Smith, NAC cited him for “demonstrated leadership in fostering a culture of safety, integrity, innovation, and collaboration within the engineering, design, and construction industry with major influence in infrastructure investment.”

1992L

Charmaine Betty-Singleton received the Roy Wilkins Civilian Service Award from the NAACP for her outstanding accomplishments in supporting civil rights in the armed services and civilian workforce. A retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, Betty-Singleton is currently serving as deputy general counsel for the California Military Department in Sacramento.

First, some context about me is necessary because I am a nontraditional law student that had unique motivations for being there. I am a first-generation college student, and I grew up in a blue-collar area an hour outside of Los Angeles. My dad remarried while I was in high school, and I was blessed with three younger siblings that changed the trajectory of my life because they gave me a sense of purpose and responsibility as a teenager. I went to law school because I believed becoming a lawyer was the best option available to me to make a lot of money and help provide a better life for my siblings and family.

It was not until I was at W&L that I decided to work in college athletics. Sports had always been my outlet growing up (shoutout to W&L for having the #1 ranked Law School Football League), and I was a die-hard UCLA fan along with my dad. Ed O’Bannon was a star of the 1995 UCLA championship team, and I idolized him as a little kid. O’Bannon sued the NCAA while I was at W&L, and I became obsessed with the case. That lawsuit was the next pivotal moment in my life because that is when I realized that college athletes were the only American citizens that did not have the rights to their own name, image, and likeness (i.e., publicity rights). I remember talking to a professor and he basically said, it is definitely illegal, but some things take time to work through the system.

Charmayne Sugars Clark joined Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office in La Plata, Maryland, as assistant state’s attorney.

1993L

Margaret Oertling Cupples has been named the Mississippi Bar Association’s 2022 Susie Buchanan award recipient. The annual award, named for the first female lawyer to practice before the Mississippi Supreme Court, honors a woman lawyer who has achieved professional excellence in her field and paved the way for other woman lawyers to achieve success. Cupples was presented with the award at the 23rd annual Price-Prather Luncheon at the MBA’s annual meeting in July.

1994L

Kevin Pomfret was named Geospatial Ambassador of the Year by Geospatial World at its annual Geospatial World Forum. Pomfret, a corporate transactional attorney at Williams Mullen in McLean, Virginia, is chair of the firm’s Unmanned Systems Team

I worked in college athletics, specifically compliance and governance. My first stop was at The Summit League’s Conference Office in Illinois. Next, I moved to Salt Lake City, where I worked on-campus at the University of Utah, and most recently I spent four years as director of compliance at the University of Michigan. At Michigan I would help coaches and athletes by educating them on NCAA rules, filing waivers to get flexibility from rules, and if anyone got in trouble with the NCAA, I would represent them to try and mitigate the penalty or get them off completely (NCAA has its own quasi-judicial system).

Additionally, as an athlete rights advocate inside the system, I learned a lot about the NCAA bureaucratic walls that are put up to resist change. However, I always knew the legal changes were coming, and recently state laws and federal courts started to force the NCAA to evolve. Ahead of the legal changes, I serendipitously met my two co-founders while helping a Michigan athlete that was interning for their start-up company. A short introduction call turned into a multiple hour meeting where I learned the three of us were all on the same vibration about what athletes really needed. After our initial call, I was immediately interested in being a part of this movement to give every athlete, regardless of school, sport, and is a co-chair of its Data Protection & Cybersecurity Team.

1997L

Tina Clark Beamon was included in SAVOY Magazine’s 2022 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America edition.

Caprice Roberts joined the LSU Law Center in Baton Rouge as a tenured full professor. She will teach courses in constitutional law, federal courts, remedies, and contracts.

Matthew Weidner joined MN8Energy in New York as assistant general counsel.

1999L level or background, equal access to the best technology and resources to maximize their NIL. I jumped in and from that point we started building NOCAP Sports. I’m proud to say that today we help thousands of athletes, businesses, and universities navigate the everchanging waters of the modern era of college athletics.

Kelly Horan Florio was promoted to senior civil rights counsel at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey in Newark, New Jersey.

Have you always been interested in starting your own company?

I have always wanted to start my own business, mainly to control where my attention and energy was spent. I am very blessed that my wife supported me quitting my job at the University of Michigan, so I could follow my business goals and passion for athlete advocacy.

What sort of legal issues do you handle on a day to day basis?

We have a general counsel, but here are some legal issues that are most common in college athletics: NCAA compliance and governance, Title IX, contracts, state NIL laws, F-1 Visas for international athletes, and everyone tracks on federal NIL proposals, pending NCAA lawsuits (House v. NCAA and Johnson v. NCAA), and employment law (unionization).

What do you like about your current job?

I love the people I work with, and I am really proud of the company that we are building. I get immense fulfillment seeing the impact we are making and thinking about the lives we are helping change.

2000L

Devon Munro and Ben Byrd ’08L formed Munro Byrd in Roanoke, Virginia. The firm represents injured people in the areas of medical malpractice, auto accidents, personal injury, and premises liability.

2001L

Sue Heisinger Moritz joined The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson as senior counsel – Patient Engagement & Customer Solutions in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

2002L

Hillary Coombs Jarvis joined R&Q Insurance Holdings in Richmond, Virginia, as chief claims officer for North America.

Pranita Raghavan joined the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C., as assistant chair for planning and operations.

Russell Rigby was promoted to chief counsel, litigation, at Intellectual Ventures in Bellevue, Washington.

Jonathan Wasden joined Wasden Bless & Forney in Washington, D.C., as a partner. His practice focuses on employment-based immigration and Administrative Procedures Act litigation.

2003L

Susan Healey was named deputy general counsel at Dorilton in New York.

Julie Smith Palmer, a partner at Harman Claytor Corrigan & Wellman in Richmond, was named president of the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys.

Job Seese joined Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP’s Denver office as a partner in their Litigation Practice Group.

2004L

Leah Garabedian was promoted to director at KPMG US in Houston.

Dan Wolf joined Venable in Washington, D.C., as director of Cybersecurity Services. He also serves as the director of State Programs for the Alliance for Digital Innovation.

Tyler Wood was promoted to deputy chief, National Security Division, U.S. Department of Justice, in Washington, D.C.

2005L

Leslie Wood Bradenham joined Ivins, Phillips, & Barker, where she focuses on estate planning, estate administration, and charitable giving with the tax firm.

Olubunmi Kusimo-Frazier joined Thomas Combs & Spann in Charleston, West Virginia, as senior associate.

Matt Gatewood opened his own firm Gatewood PLLC in Washington, D.C. He counsels organizations by resolving commercial and employment-related disputes and by representing them in arbitration and litigation.

Virginia Robinson was promoted to general counsel and chief ethics and compliance officer at Tlingit Haida Tribal Business Corporation in Washington, D.C.

2006L

Janssen Evelyn was appointed as Anne Arundel County’s first executive director of the state-mandated Police Accountability Board.

Will Fagan joined Baker Donelson as Of Counsel in Atlanta. His practice focuses on serving in the role of de facto in-house counsel for business owners, as well as counseling clients on mergers and acquisitions and traditional and nontraditional lending/financing transactions.

2008L

Jane Ledlie Batcheller was promoted to associate general counsel, M&A, at WestRock in Atlanta.

Ben Byrd and Devon Munro ’00L formed Munro Byrd in Roanoke, Virginia. The firm represents injured people in the areas of medical malpractice, auto accidents, personal injury, and premises liability.

Chace Daley joined Farmers National Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma as senior vice president of energy.

Marie Trimble Holvick has been elevated to the role of managing partner of the San Francisco and Oakland offices of Gordon & Rees.

2009L

Kathleen Blaszak was named partner with King & Spalding’s

Corporate, Finance and Investments Practice Group. She is based in the Northern Virginia office. Blaszak’s practice covers M&A, joint ventures and new venture formations, investments, strategic partnerships, and complex commercial transactions, as well as the negotiation of complex commercial contracts and general corporate matters. She represents clients across multiple sectors, including technology, media, telecommunications and automotive.

Travis Cushman was promoted to deputy general counsel, Litigation & Public Policy at American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington, D.C.

Bart Gengler joined as general counsel to the Agency of Human Services for the State of Vermont. He will be working directly with the secretary and deputy secretary to advise on the operations of the Department of Health, Department of Mental Health, Department of Aging and Independent Living, Department of Corrections, Department for Children and Families, and the department that administers Medicaid.

Chris Henry was promoted to partner at Latham & Watkins. Thad McElroy joined Blackstone in New York as senior vice president.

Robert Reed was elected shareholder with Allen, Allen, Allen, and Allen in Richmond. His practice focuses exclusively on protecting the interests of seriously injured clients and their families in personal injury cases, including tractor-trailer collisions, car crashes, premises liability cases, and product liability cases.

Katy Shurin joined Sheppard Mullin in Houston as a partner. She is a member of the Energy, Infrastructure and Project Finance industry team. 10s

2011L

Christopher Hirsch joined the Nassau County Attorney’s Office in Westbury, New York, as deputy bureau chief, Family Court Bureau.

After a multi-year year stint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Joe Toner returned to Wilmer Hale