Changing the Game

From the courtroom to the C-suite, Fordham Law alumni are making their mark as MVPs. Whether crafting winning legal strategies as general counsel, driving business growth as team executives and owners, or representing star athletes as agents, Fordham’s legal minds are shaping the future of professional and amateur athletics.

By Anna Currell, Josh Friedland, and Sejla Rizvic

Illustration by Cut It Out Design Studio

A collage of 14 people on a yellow background. The central figure wears hockey skates and gloves while holding a stick. Others hold a basketball, trophy, or cap. Blue playbook diagrams and athlete silhouettes are visible in the background.

Changing the Game

From the courtroom to the C-suite, Fordham Law alumni are making their mark as MVPs. Whether crafting winning legal strategies as general counsel, driving business growth as team executives and owners, or representing star athletes as agents, Fordham’s legal minds are shaping the future of professional and amateur athletics.

By Anna Currell, Josh Friedland, and Sejla Rizvic

Illustration by Cut It Out Design Studio

Howie Roseman, wearing a suit, smiles while hugging Saquon Barkley on a football field. Barkley wears a green Philadelphia Eagles jersey with the number 26 visible on the shoulder. Stadium lights are blurred in the background.

Howie Roseman ’00 JD

Executive Vice President and General Manager, Philadelphia Eagles

Roseman celebrates with running back Saquon Barkley in the final minutes of the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX win against the Kansas City Chiefs at Caesars Superdome on February 9, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Kara Durrette/Getty Images

Howie Roseman ’00 JD

Executive Vice President and General Manager, Philadelphia Eagles

Quarterback Jalen Hurts may have taken home the MVP award in the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, but Howie Roseman is widely hailed as the mastermind behind the team’s championship roster. His journey with the franchise began in 2000 when, fresh out of Fordham Law School, he joined as an unpaid 24-year-old intern. Rising through the ranks, he ultimately became the team’s executive vice president and general manager. A two-time NFL Executive of the Year, Roseman has earned a reputation as a “wizard” for his savvy dealmaking and strategic vision, which proved instrumental in assembling the Eagles’ title-winning squad.

John Gerba ’06 JD

Deputy General Counsel, National Hockey League Players’ Association

John Gerba, deputy general counsel of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), says that he’s loved sports “as far back as I can remember.” After graduating from Fordham Law, Gerba worked for over 10 years at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where he served as a member of the firm’s complex commercial litigation and sport litigation practice groups, representing the NHLPA as well as players’ associations in the NFL and NBA, in addition to other clients in the entertainment and sports industries. He joined the NHLPA in 2017 as an attorney and in 2021 was promoted to deputy general counsel.

“Sports show what’s possible when a group of individuals work together towards a common goal and sacrifice for each other. It’s inspirational and I count myself lucky to work in the sports industry and represent the dedicated members of the NHLPA.” —John Gerba

Jessica Berman holds a silver trophy and speaks into a CBS Sports microphone. Behind her, a group of soccer players wearing "NWSL Champions" t-shirts and gold medals celebrate on the field.

Jessica Berman ’02 JD

Commissioner, National Women’s Soccer League

Berman speaks to the media after the 2025 NWSL Championship Final between Washington Spirit and NJ/NY Gotham FC at PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

NWSL/Getty Images

Jessica Berman ’02 JD

Commissioner, National Women’s Soccer League

After breaking barriers as a woman executive in the world of men’s professional sports in leadership roles at the National Hockey League and the National Lacrosse League, Jessica Berman is bringing her business savvy—grounded in emotional intelligence and a deep commitment to ethics and integrity—to shape the future of women’s soccer. As commissioner of the top U.S. professional women’s soccer league, Berman oversees all league operations, including working on behalf of and in partnership with players and National Women’s Soccer League clubs. She also strategizes new ways to increase the league’s visibility and support its tremendous growth.

Andrew Lee stands with hands in his pockets on a green turf field next to a red path. He wears a light blue button-down shirt and grey slacks. A glass building on the left reflects the field and surrounding athletic facility.

MLB Photos/Getty Image

Andrew Lee ’97 JD

Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, NEW YORK JETS

Andrew Lee describes the start of his relationship with the New York Jets as “serendipitous,” tracing it to his time as an associate at Proskauer Rose LLP, when he handled a dispute involving the team’s lease at the Meadowlands Sports Complex.

“That case gave me a backstage pass to the legal and business realities of a franchise, and I was hooked,” he says. Lee joined the Jets in 2005 as general counsel, left in 2009 to practice sports law and launch a boutique firm, and recently returned in 2025 as executive vice president and chief legal officer. In this role, he oversees all legal matters for the Jets, from sponsorships and licensing to broadcasting, disputes, and compliance.

“Sports is where teamwork, pressure, and purpose meet, and that mix brings out the best in people. Whether it’s negotiating a complex deal or preparing for game day, it’s about collaboration, resilience, and performance. Those values are why I love this work.” —Andrew Lee

Elizabeth Maringer sits wearing a black blazer and rests her hand on an NBA basketball. The background features a series of circular, illuminated NBA team logos against a black wall.

NBAE/Getty Images

Elizabeth Maringer ’94 JD

Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, Integrity and Investigations, National Basketball Association

Before stepping into her role at the National Basketball Association, Elizabeth Maringer built an impressive career as a federal prosecutor. A cum laude graduate and former editor of the Fordham Law Review, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York for over 12 years, including three years as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division. She later headed the Intelligence and Investigations division at an investigative consulting firm. Maringer joined the NBA to handle player conduct and other investigations for the league and has spent the past decade expanding her role and helping to shape league policies.

Lara Pitaro Wisch ’98 JD

Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Major League Baseball

In 2019, Lara Pitaro Wisch became the first woman to ever serve as general counsel of Major League Baseball. From an early age, sports were everything—she and her brother, ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro, were raised in a family that she says “lived and breathed all things sports-related.” Over more than two decades, Wisch has developed a trailblazing legal career in baseball, serving as a key legal advisor in a variety of capacities. Starting as counsel for the interactive media arm of MLB (MLBAM), Wisch helped lead legal strategy on many of the industry’s formative digital media transactions, culminating with the spin-off and sale of MLBAM’s third-party streaming business to Disney. “Baseball is the greatest sport in the world, and I am well aware how fortunate I am to be able to call it my job,” she says.

“The world of sports can be one of loud celebrations surrounding wins and milestone accomplishments. When you compare that to the often-unsung legal stars who labor to support those efforts behind the scenes, I am all the more proud of how much our legal team has accomplished in my 21+ years working in baseball.” —Lara Pitaro Wisch

Marianne Adams, Jessica Saks, and Julia Vogel stand in an office setting with the gold Commissioner’s Trophy on a pedestal. Large windows behind them overlook a city building.

Marianne Adams (left), Jessica Saks (center), and Julia Vogel (right) with the Commissioner’s Trophy, presented each year to the World Series champion.

MLB Photos/Getty Images

Marianne Adams ’11 JD

Senior Counsel, Major League Baseball

A classically trained professional ballet dancer before law school, Marianne Adams was drawn to intellectual property law through her performing arts background, where issues of creative rights and brand protection are key. At Major League Baseball, her work focuses on trademark prosecution, litigation, clearances, and overall brand protection as part of the league’s global IP strategy. Apart from the uniqueness of safeguarding trademarks of extraordinary historical and cultural weight in an increasingly international landscape, Adams finds special fulfillment in the tangible, real-world impacts of her work. “One moment you’re working on a clearance of a new logo or mascot for a team, or branding for a marquee event, and the next you see those trademarks in iconic TV spots, or on apparel being worn by excited fans, and part of lifelong memories being made for millions of people,” she says.

Jessica Saks ’12 JD

Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, Major League Baseball

For Jessica Saks, a lifelong athlete, sports is central to her identity. “Growing up playing competitive athletics shaped not only how I approach challenges but also how I collaborate, lead, and problem-solve,” she says. At Major League Baseball, she oversees a wide array of commercial matters for the league, notably having led the legal negotiations for MLB’s first-ever title sponsorship of a postseason series and assisted with MLB’s spin-off of its technology streaming service business and subsequent acquisition by Disney. Saks was also instrumental as MLB’s legal lead for its investment in and partnership with the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.

“Being able to help advance opportunities for women in softball, while contributing to a landmark moment for MLB, remains the highlight of my career.” —Jessica Saks

Julia Vogel ’09 JD

Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Corporate and Finance, Major League Baseball

Growing up in Chappaqua, New York, Julia Vogel was drawn to the community and camaraderie of sports. She says she’s always been a fan of America’s favorite pastime, and as a senior executive at Major League Baseball, she gets to experience the dynamic, collaborative atmosphere of the game on a daily basis. She played a key role in helping to manage the process of the relocation of the Athletics to Las Vegas—the first relocation of an MLB Club in 20 years, and what she describes as “a novel, complex, and intellectually challenging project.” “I feel very lucky to work for a company whose product is positive, unifying, and a storied part of American culture,” she says.

Matt Higgins ’02 JD

Co-Founder, Relevent Sports

Matt Higgins is a co-founder of Relevent Sports, a global sports and media rights organization representing major international soccer properties. Relevent holds commercial rights for leading European football competitions, including UEFA men’s club competitions globally, the English Football League in the Americas, La Liga across North America, and the Bundesliga across the Americas. Higgins spent 17 years as a football executive within the National Football League, first as executive vice president of the New York Jets and then as vice chairman of the Miami Dolphins, overseeing business operations for the team.

Matt Higgins ’02 JD

Co-Founder, Relevent Sports

Matt Higgins is a co-founder of Relevent Sports, a global sports and media rights organization representing major international soccer properties. Relevent holds commercial rights for leading European football competitions, including UEFA men’s club competitions globally, the English Football League in the Americas, La Liga across North America, and the Bundesliga across the Americas. Higgins spent 17 years as a football executive within the National Football League, first as executive vice president of the New York Jets and then as vice chairman of the Miami Dolphins, overseeing business operations for the team.

Osei-Tutu stands on an ice rink wearing a suit and red hockey gloves. He holds a hockey stick upright in his right hand and leans his left arm on a hockey net. An American flag is mounted on the wall in the background.

John Osei-Tutu ’15 JD

President, The OT Sports Group, LLC

Between meetings with clients, Osei-Tutu suits up for a photo shoot at the LIC ICE skating facility in Long Island City, New York.

Chris Taggart

John Osei-Tutu ’15 JD

President, The OT Sports Group, LLC

John Osei-Tutu’s lifelong passion for ice hockey began as a child. Though he was forced to quit playing in his late teen years due to health issues, he continued to be involved in the sport, working his way through law school as a skills and skating coach. Today, as a National Hockey League Players’ Association registered agent and the founder of New York–based The OT Sports Group, LLC, he is at the forefront of name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, serving as an advocate for individual players and as counsel for international brands and small businesses in their endorsement engagements with athletes, entertainers, and influencers.

“The skills I learned at Fordham helped me achieve my childhood dream of making the NHL, only now as an agent, negotiating contracts and managing business affairs for NHL players.” —John Osei-Tutu

Ford stands with arms crossed next to Blessaun Austin on a practice field. Austin wears a grey Broncos practice shirt. A large athletic training facility and stadium tower are visible in the background.

Ford, wearing a floral hat, takes a selfie with Christian Izien. Izien wears a white Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey and black eye grease on a football field with red stadium seating in the background.

Ford stands between Trill Williams and Deon Jackson on a football field. Williams wears a teal Dolphins hat and Jackson wears a grey Colts t-shirt. Ford wears a green "Death Row Records" shirt.

Ford stands on a football field next to Devin Grant. Grant wears a blue and orange Syracuse University jersey with the number 23 and orange shorts. Blue stadium seating is visible behind them.

Ford stands on a sunny football field with Jalen Wydermyer. Wydermyer wears a blue Buffalo Bills jersey with the number 84 and white pants. A large crowd and stadium seating are in the background.

Ford stands with Jalen Milroe on a football field. Both wear red tops, with Milroe in a red University of Alabama jersey with the number 4. Coiled cables and stadium equipment are on the turf behind them.

Ford on the gridiron with current and past clients, including (clockwise from top left) Blessaun Austin, formerly a cornerback for the Denver Broncos, now retired; Christian Izien, previously with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, now a defensive back for the Detroit Lions; Devin Grant, previously a defensive lineman for Syracuse University, now with the West Virginia Mountaineers; Jalen Milroe, formerly of the University of Alabama and now a quarterback with the Seattle Seahawks; Jalen Wydermyer, formerly of the Buffalo Bills and now a tight end with the UFL’s Louisville Kings; Trill Williams, formerly with the Miami Dolphins, and now a wrestler for the WWE; and Deon Jackson, a running back with the Indianapolis Colts.

MLB Photos/Getty Images

Jumaane Ford ’14 JD

National Football League Contract Advisor

“I fell in love with sports as a child growing up in Brooklyn,” says Jumaane Ford, a sports agent and contract advisor. “Going to games with my father and hearing the roar of the crowd made me want to be part of it.” Ford went on to play defensive back at Stony Brook University before attending Fordham Law. Soon after graduating, he became certified with the National Football League Players Association as an agent and contract advisor. He has also worked actively in issues related to the National Collegiate Athletic Association name, image, and likeness rule change in 2021, which made it possible for student athletes to earn money using their names and images.

Lisa Lazarus, in a black blazer and orange top, shakes hands with jockey Tyler Gaffalione at the Saratoga Race Course. Jockey Joel Rosario stands to the right. Both jockeys wear colorful racing silks, helmets, and goggles.

Lazarus meets with jockeys Tyler Gaffalione (left) and Joel Rosario (right) at the Saratoga Race Course.

Provided by Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority

Lisa Lazarus ’94 JD

Chief Executive Officer, Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority

As chief executive officer of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, Lisa Lazarus oversees all operations, including implementation of the Racetrack Safety Program and the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program. She works closely with stakeholders across the racing industry to continuously evaluate and strengthen these initiatives. “My biggest accomplishment,” she says, “is helping to dramatically reduce the equine fatality rate in horse racing alongside my talented team at HISA.” Before joining HISA, she founded the equestrian practice at Morgan Sports Law, representing athletes, owners, and trainers, and previously served as general counsel and chief of business development and strategy at the Fédération Équestre Internationale.

“My father was a sports agent while I was growing up, so the business of sports was always part of my world. I love sports because they are the ultimate equalizer and the ultimate unifier.” —Lisa Lazarus

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