Top 100 U.S. law firm Akerman LLP is pleased to announce that Partner LaKeisha Marsh has been honored among National Law Journal’s Sports/Gaming/Entertainment Law Trailblazers.
"At the root of both my professional and personal life is a passion for both sports and taking on a challenge," Marsh is quoted saying in the publication. "These intersected for the first time in elementary school, when a friend challenged me to try out for the boys' basketball team. I accepted, gave it my all, and made the team! A girl had never tried out for the boys' team, much less made the roster…I realized my personal goal also moved the needle for sports and girls at my school."
"My work shapes a new future for collegiate athletics," Marsh added, "where both the institutions of higher learning and student-athletes will enjoy a safer, more just, and more sustainable business model for the coming decades."
Marsh serves as the chair of Akerman’s Higher Education and Collegiate Athletics Practice. She leads a bipartisan team of professionals providing strategic counsel on policy and regulatory issues in the United States. With a comprehensive legal background serving the higher education sector, including as an NCAA staff member, she represents colleges, universities, and related institutions on federal and state regulatory compliance, accreditation, state licensure, institutional governance, and collegiate sports and NCAA compliance-related matters. She has structured and executed a broad range of transactional, restructuring, finance, and corporate governance matters for educational institutions.
She regularly advises clients on issues such as Title IV and Title IX compliance (including complaints and investigations), student discipline, student accommodations, and collegiate athletic issues, including name, image, and likeness. She brings vast working experience and knowledge of the laws, regulations, and informal guidance that together govern institutional participation in Title IV federal student aid programs.
She frequently speaks on higher education topics including Title IX, sexual misconduct and student-athletes, collegiate athletics, and transgender issues. As a former member of the NCAA staff, in the Academic and Membership Affairs department (formerly Membership Services), LaKeisha has firsthand knowledge of the NCAA bylaws and rules for Division I, II, and III athletics. She has handled NCAA certification, compliance reviews, infractions and appeals, student-athlete eligibility and waivers, and Title IX and gender equality matters.
The National Law Journal is one of the ALM (American Lawyer Media) 18 media outlets covering various aspects of the legal industry across the United States and internationally.
About Akerman
Akerman LLP is a top 100 U.S. law firm recognized among the most forward-thinking firms in the industry by Financial Times. Its more than 700 lawyers and business professionals collaborate with the world’s most successful enterprises and entrepreneurs to navigate change, seize opportunities, and help drive innovation and growth.