Alumni Spotlight: Christian Addison ’17L Following his service in the JAG Corps, Christian Addison opened ASE Representation, a full-service sports and entertainment agency.

Christian Addison ’17L

Christian Addison ‘17L was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 2014, where he was awarded a commission into the United States Air Force as a Second Lieutenant. He immediately attended Washington and Lee under the federal government’s educational delay program. During law school, he focused on intellectual property matters and successfully passed the United States Patent and Trademark Office bar exam during his 2L year.  Upon graduation, he entered the Judge Advocate General (JAG) program as a Captain. As a JAG, he litigated over 30 federal cases throughout his five-year career, where he never lost a litigated case.  After transitioning off active duty, Christian opened Addison Sports & Entertainment, known as ASE Representation, a full-service sports and entertainment agency. His agency focuses on representation across five industries: professional football, golf and lacrosse, collegiate athletics via NIL, and the electronic dance music industry. 

Discuss your career path and how it led you from being a JAG attorney to starting your own sports and talent representation and marketing agency? 

I always knew I wanted to be a sports agent.  My family jokes around that my dad showed me Jerry McGuire as a child, and since that day, I knew it’s all I wanted. I prioritized intellectual property and trademark law in law school because I thought one day it could be a differentiator for my credentials as an agent. When I became a JAG, I asked for the path of litigation because, in my eyes, those skills were translatable to being an agent. Of course, there is no sports overlap per say, but litigation teaches you to think quickly on your feet, persuade people with your written and verbal words, be confident, foresee issues and address them, and most importantly, represent a client under pressure and perform.

What sort of legal issues do you handle on a day-to-day basis?

The unique thing about being an agent is you never know what your day is going to look like. The higher profile legal matters occur when negotiating a player’s contract or sponsorship opportunities.  However, you must be a generalist on a day-to-day basis. If your client is having an issue with his landlord, his car broke down, he needs someone to talk to because he or she was just benched or cut, you must be there and you must fix it. I like to joke around that I’m not just my player’s agent, but I’m their therapist, hype man, business manager and friend. Anything they need, I’m ready to run it down for them.

What do you like about your current job?

Sports have been everything to me since I was a child. I am very early in my career as a sports agent, so I have been unable to enjoy all the perks of the job that people presume come with the title of an agent. But I consistently remind myself how lucky I am to attend a game, press conference or media shoot—and I call that “work.”  To me, I’m living my dream, and I am so thankful to my family for letting me chase after this industry and my clients who have entrusted me to guide them along this journey.

Which W&L classes and/or experiences do you think were most helpful in preparing you for this career shift? 

I loved the practicums! I am a hands-on learner, so I truly enjoyed 3L year and all the autonomy and experience it brought with it. I think W&L is so unique in that way—it empowers us to chase after the things we are passionate about. I loved the intellectual property and tax practicums, and I hope to one day soon bring a sports practicum to W&L!

What advice do you have for prospective law students?

If you have an interest in sports, contact anyone and everyone you can in the industry and pick their brain. A mentor of mine told me once, “It’s not about who you know in sports, it’s about who knows you.” The sports industry can be intimidating, but I think you’ll surprise yourself with how many people will actually respond to you and be willing to help. So don’t hesitate, send a LinkedIn message or email to everyone you come across who has a job that sounds interesting to you. The worst they can do is not respond, but I guarantee you a lot will, and it’ll lead to fruitful connections for you. Best of luck and go get ‘em!