November 2025 — Cathy Hampton, partner at Greenspoon Marder’s Entertainment and Sports and Corporate practice groups, sheds light on the dramatic transformations sweeping through the sports, entertainment, and corporate sectors, with a particular focus on Atlanta’s unique role. Hampton told Focus: that legal shifts have redefined entire industries, pointing to the “rapid-fire change” in collegiate sports driven by name, image, and likeness (NIL) policies. This fundamental shift has not only transformed the lives of athletes but has also sparked an explosion of economic opportunities and global events across the country.
What are some of the biggest changes you have seen in the sports, entertainment and corporate legal industries?
In sports, the NIL changes in amateur athletics have completely transformed how we view amateur versus professional athletes. Years ago, no one would have imagined that college athletes would have an opportunity to participate in the fruits of their labor.
The NIL changes are a significant departure from where we were not long ago. The Alston case and other antitrust cases marked a pivotal moment in weakening the NCAA’s control over athlete compensation, paving the way for the rapid adoption of NIL policies.
Many scholars wrote think-tank papers, but no one really thought that just a few years later we would be in the current space. So, in sports, I would say the biggest changes are in collegiate athletics. Atlanta has also been an excellent host for major events — from the Super Bowl to the Final Four, and the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Part of the story in sports is the evolving landscape of collegiate athletics, but also Atlanta’s strong track record of hosting global events. The city first stepped onto the world stage with the 1996 Olympics, and since then has been an explosion of global sports activity, with all the accompanying economic development.
I take great pride in having worked on the construction of Mercedes-Benz Stadium during my tenure as Atlanta’s City Attorney, when we successfully led the legal aspects of building a new stadium — taxes, commercial paper, winning litigation defending the issuance of that commercial paper.
What we accomplished with the Atlanta Falcons and the city’s sports community contributed to the growth of the sports ecosystem and all of the economic advantages, incentives, jobs and businesses that have flourished as a result.
On the entertainment side, Atlanta has been a center of music, but we cannot overlook the growth of the film and TV industries. Thanks to our partnership with the state of Georgia, the city’s film office helped drive that expansion. We worked on the legal issues to establish and develop the Atlanta Film Office, securing tax credits and streamlining the permitting process to attract major film productions with years of economic ripple effects.
This boom has drawn not only productions, but also businesses and people who often decide to stay, raise families, and contribute to our communities. The explosion in film and TV, combined with Atlanta’s established music industry and growing sports presence, has made the city a hub for cultural creation.
On the corporate side, visitors are sometimes surprised at just how many Fortune 100 companies are headquartered here. Most people know about the big ones — Delta Air Lines, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, and UPS, but many others — such as Newell, NCR and Global Payments — are here too.
The growth of Fortune 100 companies based in Atlanta offers more opportunities for law firms to expand from local to regional, national and even global practices. Atlanta has shifted from being “the center of the South” to one of the key business centers of the country — and the world.
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What differentiates your firm from others in the market?
There’s a special place for professional services, and lawyers play a key role in ensuring that clients remain compliant. Of course, there are risks when you’re entering new business areas, but I see our role as partnering with our clients, so the answer isn’t “no,” or the old adage, “it depends,” but rather “yes, and.”
Having that mentality is what distinguishes the Greenspoon Marder family of lawyers; we see ourselves as true partners, working with clients to navigate risks and reach solutions together.
To solve problems effectively, there’s no substitute for knowing a client’s business. The more ingrained you are in a client’s operations, the easier it becomes to proactively spot risks and prevent or mitigate them.
What I’m seeing is more of a partnership with clients, sometimes even through secondments, where firms loan lawyers to work directly with clients. The more you learn about a client’s business, the more effective you become at balancing creativity and innovation with compliance and risk management.
Where do you see the most promising opportunities emerging right now?
One area that has grown in surprising ways is video games. What began as entertainment has now been expanded into E-sports, with Atlanta emerging as a center for E-sports and gaming.
This wasn’t something many could have foreseen. Today, esports is a massive business, especially with virtual play enabling global competition. Another area is content creation. Social media platforms continue to dominate daily life, helping people connect with family and friends, but also play a massive role in branding and business. Sponsors are investing heavily in growing their social media footprint, and influencers have turned influence into an industry of its own. Advising creatives now means thinking not only about what to capture on film, but also how it ismarketed. It’s not just about producing a TV show — it’s about securing streaming rights, managing distribution and product placement.
Do you remember when you’d see something on TV and think, “I wish I could buy that?” Now, with streaming services, you can click and buy instantly. That convergence of entertainment, sports, and retail is an enormous shift, and it’s only going to expand.
How do you protect brand value in an era of remix culture, fan content and marketplaces that move faster than traditional enforcement?
The fundamentals are still the same: trademarks, patents, copyrights, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the U.S. Copyright Office. Everything you learned in law school about intellectual property hasn’t changed.
What has changed is execution and speed. Online registrations, protections, and social media, now require much faster action.
There used to be a window of opportunity to decide whether to protect your brand. That window no longer exists. The moment you post something, it’s exposed. Ideas, products, and processes all must be protected much sooner. It’s crucial to utilize monitoring tools, platform-specific takedown strategies and NIL contract clauses to ensure brand protection.
The advice we give our intellectual property clients is simple: the steps remain the same, but the urgency has changed. You move faster to protect your brand in today’s fast-paced environment.
What are your top priorities for your practice areas over the next three to five years?
We are focused on managing growth strategically. At Greenspoon Marder, we’ve been having thoughtful conversations about opportunistic hires — whether individuals or groups — who can strengthen our existing practices while bringing fresh approaches to client service and outreach.
That requires a clear understanding of what our clients need and what they are asking of us, ensuring our growth aligns with theirs. For that reason, you will see continued expansion in our Atlanta office.
As the city grows and our client base broadens, we will need additional lawyers to grow alongside our clients and serve them in a thoughtful, comprehensive way.
Want more? Read the Focus: Atlanta report.
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