By Michael Fisch
Law community
With the pandemic raging and the largest social justice movement in a generation dominating American newsfeeds in 2020, the New York Jets selected a Suffolk Law graduate with a passion for human rights and advocacy to serve as vice president of legal affairs. Jill Kelley JD’06, the Jets’ top legal officer, is the first woman to serve in the role.
“You could hear the pain in peoples’ voices,” she said of the protests in the summer of 2020 in an interview with CBS analyst and former Jets linebacker Bart Scott. “I asked myself, how am I holding myself accountable and what more could I be doing to make sure that all of these actions didn’t become meaningless because we failed to make any progress in our own backyards.”
She is one of the original members of the Jets’ Social Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion Team, which provided funding for and linked the Jets with four social justice organizations. She actively volunteers with two of those groups: the All Stars Project, which offers professional development and arts training for at-risk youth; and the Innocence Project, which works to exonerate the wrongly convicted.
“When I attended Suffolk Law, I never envisioned a career in sports,” Kelley says. She had worked in community development roles that focused on human rights advocacy and international law.
Her mentor at Suffolk, Professor Lorie Graham, an international human rights and federal Indian law expert, encouraged her to broaden her focus to include additional complex subject areas of law. “Organizations, including tribes, generally understand their own policies and regulations, but need assistance with fields that aren’t necessarily in their area of expertise,” Kelley says. Following that advice, Kelley found tax law interesting—not just the technical complexity of the field, but also how tax policy shaped our global history and behaviors.
The Law School immersed Kelley in widely diverse subject matter, she says, from complex corporate transactions to international human rights. “The school nurtured me into an empathetic, curious, and versatile attorney,” she says.
For nearly a decade after graduation, Kelley worked in private practice as an international tax attorney before moving in-house as counsel for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. There she focused on tribal tax, gaming, and other highly regulated matters. This led to a position at an online and mobile sports betting company following the overturning of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018.
The Suffolk Law years
“I’m proud to be part of a school that has launched so many women trailblazers in sports law,” Kelley says. For example, Kim Miale JD’04, agent and general counsel for Roc Nation Sports, was the first woman to lock down a contract for a No. 2 NFL draft pick, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. Kristen Kuliga JD’94 launched her own company, K Sports & Entertainment LLC, and became the first woman to negotiate a starting NFL quarterback’s contract (Doug Flutie with the then- San Diego Chargers). And Mandy Petrillo JD’06 was promoted to senior club counsel of the Boston Red Sox in 2020 after more than a decade with the team.
“Suffolk was a place where I created lifelong relationships with professional mentors and friends; many of them are talented women blazing paths in social justice, litigation, and human rights law. They remind me of the reasons I chose to go to law school,” Kelley says. “The Suffolk community provided me with the support and relationships to thrive in any situation or opportunity that comes my way.”
Women trailblazers in sports law and beyond
Sports law trailblazers (from left): Kristen Kuliga JD’94, principal and founder of K Sports & Entertainment LLC; Mandy Petrillo JD’06, senior club counsel of the Boston Red Sox; and Kim Miale JD’04, agent and general counsel for Roc Nation Sports
Above: Jill Kelley JD’06 serves as the vice president of legal affairs for the New York Jets.
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Sports law trailblazers (clockwise from top left): Kristen Kuliga JD’94, principal and founder of K Sports & Entertainment LLC; Mandy Petrillo JD’06, senior club counsel of the Boston Red Sox; and Kim Miale JD’04, agent and general counsel for Roc Nation Sports
Law community
By Michael Fisch
With the pandemic raging and the largest social justice movement in a generation dominating American newsfeeds in 2020, the New York Jets selected a Suffolk Law graduate with a passion for human rights and advocacy to serve as vice president of legal affairs. Jill Kelley JD’06, the Jets’ top legal officer, is the first woman to serve in the role.
“You could hear the pain in peoples’ voices,” she said of the protests in the summer of 2020 in an interview with CBS analyst and former Jets linebacker Bart Scott. “I asked myself, how am I holding myself accountable and what more could I be doing to make sure that all of these actions didn’t become meaningless because we failed to make any progress in our own backyards.”
She is one of the original members of the Jets’ Social Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion Team, which provided funding for and linked the Jets with four social justice organizations. She actively volunteers with two of those groups: the All Stars Project, which offers professional development and arts training for at-risk youth; and the Innocence Project, which works to exonerate the wrongly convicted.
“When I attended Suffolk Law, I never envisioned a career in sports,” Kelley says. She had worked in community development roles that focused on human rights advocacy and international law.
Her mentor at Suffolk, Professor Lorie Graham, an international human rights and federal Indian law expert, encouraged her to broaden her focus to include additional complex subject areas of law. “Organizations, including tribes, generally understand their own policies and regulations, but need assistance with fields that aren’t necessarily in their area of expertise,” Kelley says. Following that advice, Kelley found tax law interesting—not just the technical complexity of the field, but also how tax policy shaped our global history and behaviors.
The Law School immersed Kelley in widely diverse subject matter, she says, from complex corporate transactions to international human rights. “The school nurtured me into an empathetic, curious, and versatile attorney,” she says.
For nearly a decade after graduation, Kelley worked in private practice as an international tax attorney before moving in-house as counsel for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. There she focused on tribal tax, gaming, and other highly regulated matters. This led to a position at an online and mobile sports betting company following the overturning of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018.
The Suffolk Law years
“I’m proud to be part of a school that has launched so many women trailblazers in sports law,” Kelley says. For example, Kim Miale JD’04, agent and general counsel for Roc Nation Sports, was the first woman to lock down a contract for a No. 2 NFL draft pick, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. Kristen Kuliga JD’94 launched her own company, K Sports & Entertainment LLC, and became the first woman to negotiate a starting NFL quarterback’s contract (Doug Flutie with the then- San Diego Chargers). And Mandy Petrillo JD’06 was promoted to senior club counsel of the Boston Red Sox in 2020 after more than a decade with the team.
“Suffolk was a place where I created lifelong relationships with professional mentors and friends; many of them are talented women blazing paths in social justice, litigation, and human rights law. They remind me of the reasons I chose to go to law school,” Kelley says. “The Suffolk community provided me with the support and relationships to thrive in any situation or opportunity that comes my way.”
Images from top: Courtesy of Jill Kelley, Byce Vickmark, Michael J. Clarke, and Kim Miale
Women trailblazers in sports law and beyond
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ABOVE: Jill Kelley JD’06 serves as the vice president of legal affairs for the New York Jets.
Sports law trailblazers (clockwise from top left): Kristen Kuliga JD’94, principal and founder of K Sports & Entertainment LLC; Mandy Petrillo JD’06, senior club counsel of the Boston Red Sox; and Kim Miale JD’04, agent and general counsel for Roc Nation Sports