Justin received his undergraduate degree in political science from Union College (NY) where he was a four-year starter on the varsity football team and a three-time All-American on the track and field team. He graduated from the University of Miami School of Law and also holds a Master’s in Education from St. Lawrence University.
After graduating from law school, Justin spent time working in college athletics administration before entering private practice with Buckner where he was a member of the firm’s college sports practice group. In 2017, Justin became a founding partner at Sievert Werly LLC, a boutique law firm with offices in Nashville, Tennessee, and Miami, Florida, where he represented professional sports teams, colleges and universities, and sports businesses on selected legal and regulatory issues with a focus on negotiating and drafting a wide range of commercial contracts, navigating legal issues relating to advertising, marketing, and promotional campaigns, NCAA compliance and infractions matters, and Title IX. In addition to his sports practice, Justin served as outside counsel to businesses across a broad spectrum of industries in all aspects of their operations including, entity formation and governance, drafting and negotiating commercial agreements, e-commerce and internet issues, and employment law.
Justin is an active leader in the sports law community. Justin is currently the Vice-Chair for the American Bar Association’s Sports Division, has served as a chair of the Sports Lawyers Association’s outreach efforts in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida, and was recently named the association’s Outreach Captain of the Year. Justin has also served as a sports law professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law and has taught other graduate and undergraduate-level courses on NCAA and NAIA compliance, legal and ethical issues in athletics administration, sports law, labor and employment law, and business law. He is also a frequent sports industry speaker and has presented at national conferences and legal symposiums, has served as a contributing writer on sports law issues for Sporting News, and is regularly quoted by national media outlets, including, The New York Times, the Miami Herald, Forbes, Law 360, and Bloomberg BNA.
Justin resides in Miami Beach, Florida, with his wife Jessica, who is an Assistant United States Attorney and the Deputy Civil Chief for the Southern District of Florida, their two sons, Jackson (7) and Mason (4), and their dog Rowdy.
Fun Facts:
- Justin has homebrewed around 30 craft beers with a focus on stouts, porters, and brown ales, and designs custom labels for each type. His skills have eroded tremendously since the arrival of his second child.
- Has competed twice at World’s Strongest Man in the u90kg weight class, finishing 12th in 2018.
- You can find him on almost any evening on his balcony with a cigar watching sports or reading a book. It’s Miami, after all.
Education:
- University of Miami, J.D.
- St. Lawrence University, M.ED
- Union College (NY), B.A.