Cleveland attorney discusses current issues facing sports industry 

Attorney Jim Juliano serves as general counsel to several businesses, including minor league baseball teams and other sports enterprises. Recent events have him concerned about how the public perceives the industry.

“The most difficult issue facing sports industry clients is the ongoing erosion of public trust,” Juliano said. “The disregard for players’ head injuries and increasing disability rates in football, labor negotiations that have no good guy and, most recently, the allegations of a cover-up at Penn State have undermined the integrity of the industry.”

Juliano adds one of the most effective ways to build trust is transparency. As an example, he points to random drug testing programs that involve public disclosure of a violation.

Juliano recently returned from the Baseball Winter Meetings, a four-day, annual conference for major and minor league baseball, where in the past he has spoken to baseball executives about liability and employment issues. In his practice at Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper, LLC, Juliano has negotiated purchases and sales of minor league baseball teams, represented teams in negotiations for stadium leases and advised baseball teams in connection with ballpark construction. He also writes newsletters about sports and business law issues and maintains a sports law website.

 A position as a law clerk at a small firm inspired Juliano to pursue a career in law. He earned his undergraduate degree in English from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and his law degree from CWRU School of Law. After working as a solo practitioner, he joined Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper in 1994, where he counsels clients in a number of industries on labor and employment issues, real estate matters and litigation.

He says the best part of his career is working with people. “Working with clients who constantly face new challenges helps to keep any lawyer going. Furthermore, there is an enormous amount of talent in the Cleveland area and I am proud to associate with the lawyers in this community.”

Juliano, who has been a member of the Ohio State Bar Association since 1977, said of his involvement, “The OSBA has helped me stay up to date on Ohio and national developments and in touch with professional standards throughout the state of Ohio.” He is also a member of the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Sports Lawyers Association, the New York State Bar Association and the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. In his free time, Juliano assists several nonprofit and charitable organizations, and participates in events his firm sponsors for the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.