Jada Allender, Associate at our Phoenix law office
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Jada Allender

Associate
Biography

Jada Allender’s practice focuses on advising clients across the sports and entertainment industries on transactions, investments, governance, and complex commercial arrangements as a member of the Snell & Wilmer’s Corporate and Securities Practice Group and co-chair of the firm’s Sports and Entertainment Industry Group.

In her sports and entertainment practice, Jada counsels professional teams, leagues, agencies, ownership groups, and sports adjacent businesses on governance, investment, and commercialization matters. Her experience includes professional sports team acquisitions and sales, strategic investments, and advising on sophisticated commercial agreements involving media, production, sponsorships, and other strategic partnerships. She has particular fluency in the deal structures that drive capital into sports and entertainment enterprises.

Jada also advises clients on international and cross border sports matters, including transactions with multi jurisdictional considerations. Her experience includes work connected to major sporting events and related commercial arrangements, including venue, sponsorship, and marketing agreements, as well as College Football Playoff bowl games. In addition, she counsels clients on collegiate athletics name, image, and likeness (NIL) matters, advising collectives, brands, agencies, universities, and athletes on transactions, compliance, and related risk management as part of her broader practice.

Complementing her industry focused work, Jada maintains a robust corporate and securities practice, advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, corporate organization, private equity and venture capital financings, deal negotiation, SEC reporting, and corporate governance. She assists with entity formation, commercial contracts, and the drafting and negotiation of complex transaction documentation.

Jada is a recognized thought leader. Her writing has appeared in the Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law, Bloomberg Law, and Sports Business Journal, and she has spoken at numerous institutions, including the University of Toronto, the University of Connecticut, Arizona State University, and the University of Oregon. She was named one of Arizona’s Most Influential Minority Business Leaders in 2026 and recognized in the University of Oregon College of Business Forty Under 40.

Prior to practicing law, Jada worked in the sports and entertainment industry in professional and collegiate athletics operations, sports media production, and NCAA compliance. She earned her J.D., summa cum laude, from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and holds a Master’s degree in Sports Law and Business.

Credentials

Bar Admissions

  • Arizona


Court Admissions

  • Supreme Court of Arizona


Education

  • Arizona State University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law (J.D., summa cum laude)
    • Order of the Coif
    • Corporate & Business Law Journal, Associate Editor
    • Black Law Students Association, Secretary and Executive Director of Outreach
  • Arizona State University (M.A., Sports Law and Business)
  • University of Oregon (B.S., Business Administration)
Experience

Awards & Recognition

  • AZ Big Media, Arizona’s Most Influential Minority Business Leaders (2026)
  • University of Oregon, College of Business – Forty Under 40
  • Southwest Super Lawyers®, Rising Stars Edition, Entertainment & Sports (2026)

Professional Memberships and Activities

  • Sports Lawyers Association

Community Involvement

  • Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations
    • Director & Chair, Governance Committee (2023-Present)
  • University of Oregon, Black Alumni Network
    • Board Member (2023-Present)
  • Black Sports Professionals
    • Phoenix Director and Chair, Governance Committee (2023-Present)

Representative Presentations and Publications

  • “Arizona’s Role in Global Sports,” Speaker, International State of the State, Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations (March 26, 2026)
  • Millions of dollars in NIL violations? The 2004 law no one saw coming,” Co-Author, Sports Business Journal (March 9, 2026)
  • “Marketing for Sports Organizations,” Guest Lecturer, Arizona State University (Spring 2026)
  • FTC’s SPARTA Move Suggests a College Sports Enforcement Shift,” Co-Author, Bloomberg Law (February 27, 2026)
  • Dallas Divide: Mavericks-Stars arena feud reveals pressure of soaring valuations,” Quoted, Sports Business Journal (December 1, 2025)
  • “Sports Revenue Generation,” Guest Lecturer, Arizona State University (Spring 2025)
  • “Sports Law Night,” Panelist, Arizona State University (March 19, 2025)
  • “NIL Legal Issues: A Practical Discussion of What Every Student Athlete Needs to Know,” Speaker, Arizona State University (March 4, 2025)
  • Women in Business Gala, Keynote Speaker, University of Oregon (February 15, 2025)
  • “Superwomen of Oregon,” Panelist, University of Oregon Athletics (January 26, 2025)
  • House Settlement,” Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (March 21, 2025)
  • Arts, Entertainment, and Sports Law Society NIL Panel, Panelist, University of Connecticut (November 15, 2024)
  • “Fan Engagement and Expectations,” Moderator, AZ Game Changers Sports Business Summit Panel (October 24, 2024)
  • “Sports Revenue Generation,” Guest Lecturer, Arizona State University (Fall 2024)
  • Athlete v. Coach: Name, Image, and Likeness Conflict Hits the Sunshine State,” Co-Author, ABA Business Law Today (August 2024)
  • “Women Shaping the Future of Sport,” Panelist, Playing to Win: Women in Business Summit (July 19, 2024)
  • Sports Law Panel, Moderator, Arizona State University Sport Business Association (February 12, 2024)
  • “Negotiations in Sports Law,” Speaker, Out of Bounds Symposium, University of Toronto (March 24, 2022)
  • “Strategic Planning in Sports,” Guest Lecturer, Arizona State University College of Law (April 14, 2022)
  • “The Intersection of Law & Sports Business,” Guest Lecturer, University of Oregon (May 4, 2022)
  • Corporate Communicator,” Author, Snell & Wilmer Newsletter (Spring 2022 )
  • Are Your Academic Institution’s Athletes “Employees” Under NLRA? The NLRB General Counsel Thinks So,” Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (November 9, 2021)
  • The NIL Era Has Arrived: What the Coming of July 1 Means for the NCAA,” Author, Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law (July 1, 2021)
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