Shawn D. Stuckey, Attorney at Law
Shawn Stuckey is a "Top Rated Entertainment & Sports Attorney" in California ranked in the top 5% of California lawyers according to the highly respected lawyer rating service - Super Lawyers. Shawn is a retired football player (NFL: New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Bucs), (NFL Europe: Amsterdam Admirals, and (XFL: Los Angeles Xtreme). Shawn is also an experienced complex litigation and worker’s compensation attorney, and a former NFL agent. As a complex litigation and sports workers compensation attorney, Shawn has been counsel of record in over 88 United States federal court cases and decisions and over 100 workers compensation trials and decisions. These decisions have significantly benefited current and former professional athletes. Shawn has worked on some of the most complex antitrust, sports law, and insurance coverage cases in the country including, inter alia:
EDUCATION
BAR AND COURT ADMISSIONS
Awards
Shawn was selected to “Best Attorneys of America,” (an honor limited to only 100 attorneys in each state); “National Black Lawyers 40 Under 40”, a Super Lawyers Rising Star in Minnesota (an honor only given to the top 2.5% of attorneys in the state), and was a featured speaker at the 2017 American Bar Association (ABA) Litigation Section’s Annual Conference on a panel program entitled “Litigating the Concussion Crisis”.
In 2020, 2021, & 2022, Shawn was selected as a Top 100 National Black Lawyer.
Shawn, an award-winning author, published two law review articles while in law school attending the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis (one with UCLA Law School and one with UST Law School). Additionally, in law school, Shawn held the positions of Circulation Editor for the Midwest BLSA Law Journal and Associate Editor for the University of St. Thomas School of Law Law Review; received three Dean’s Awards (highest grade in a course), and was selected to the dean’s list.
Shawn was UST’s Amnesty International’s 2008 Human Rights Award recipient given by the UST-Law Chapter of Amnesty International and was selected as the 2008 winner of the University of St. Thomas Scholarly Engagement and Societal Reform Award.
Shawn was asked to give testimony at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland regarding the United States’ treaty compliance obligations.
ATHLETE REPRESENTATION
In addition to legal services, Shawn was a certified NFL Agent/NFLPA Contract Advisor.
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
SPORTS LAW REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS OF NOTE:
O’Bannon v. NCAA (N.D. Cal. Fed. Ct.) (Sports Illustrated: “Most important trial in sports history”; called by SB Nation: “The biggest trial in the history of college sports”) Represented former NCAA basketball and football players in a case seeking to obtain licensing revenues to which they were entitled in a class action against the NCAA. This case had been heralded by some to be the landmark case that will change whether college football players are compensated.
NCAA Athletic Grant-In-Aid Cap Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Cal. Fed. Ct.) (antitrust attack on the NCAA’s scholarship amounts to give every athlete “full scholarship” athlete an actual full scholarship that covers the costs of all costs of college – including all meals, books, etc. instead of what currently exists – which is a “grant-in-aid” scholarship that is capped and does not cover certain critical costs for athletes)
Dryer v. NFL – (Minn. Fed. Ct.) Represented former NFL players – including Jim Brown – in a suit arising out of the misappropriation of NFL players publicity rights. Suit resulted in a $50 million dollar settlement and the creation of a licensing agency for retired NFL players.
Eller et al., v. NFL (Minn. Fed. Ct.) (Consolidated as Brady et. al, v. National Football League) (represented retired NFL players against the NFL during the 2011 NFL Lockout)
Eller et al., (Minn. Fed. Ct.) (represented 26 NFL Hall of Famers and other notable players)
Walker v. NCAA (Minn. Fed. Ct.) (concussions/medical monitoring/CTE case on behalf of all former NCAA players)
Floyd v. NCAA (Minn. Fed. Ct.) (antitrust attack on the NCAA’s scholarship amounts)
Walker v. NCAA (D. Tenn.) (concussions/medical monitoring/CTE case on behalf of all former NCAA players)
Murphy v. NHL (former National Hockey League players in a medical monitoring/concussion case against the NHL)
SAMPLE WORKERS COMPENSATION MATTERS OF NOTE:
Smith v. Los Angeles Lakers - (Shawn D. Stuckey)
CA Court of Appeals denying writ and finding for former professional athlete that applicant is entitled to the higher rates in effect when claim was filed; payments begin accruing at the end of career; and life pension payments must be increased every year for the remainder of the applicant's life.
Webster v. Montreal Expos, et al. – (Shawn D. Stuckey)
Jurisdiction found where professional athlete employed by minor league professional baseball team based in California - even though Major League employer based outside of California.
KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS:
2008 National Black Pre-law Admissions Conference, keynote speaker
CLE PRESENTATIONS:
LAW REVIEW ARTICLES:
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION AND OTHER SCHOLARLY ARTICLES:
INTERVIEWS, QUOTED ARTICLES, ETC.
PROFESSIONALS AFFILIATIONS:
PRO BONO ACTIVITIES:
Shawn is extremely dedicated to pro bono work – amassing over 400 hours of public service between his second and third years of law school.
NOTEWORTHY:
Minnesota Women Lawyer’s Equal Justice Award, recipient
2007 Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers’ Academic Achievement Scholarship, recipient
NEWS:
PRACTICE AREAS
