Michele A. Roberts, Esq., widely recognized as one of the nation’s premier trial lawyers and litigators, is the former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). She joined JAMS in 2024 after an eight-year tenure at the NBPA. As the first woman to head a major professional sports union in North America, she negotiated for NBPA members new collective bargaining agreements that secured better salaries, schedules and health protocols for union members. She guided the organization through the COVID-19 crisis as players, the National Basketball Association and owners designed the “bubblelike” environment within which the league resumed play during the pandemic. She also played an instrumental role in promoting racial justice within the league.

Prior to serving as executive director of the NBPA, Ms. Roberts was a trial lawyer and partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Before that, she was a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. In both roles, her practice focused on complex civil and white-collar litigations before federal and state courts and administrative bodies. She has also represented parties in arbitrations and mediations.

Ms. Roberts tried over 150 cases to jury verdicts, negotiated countless settlements on behalf of clients and handled litigations involving a wide variety of industries in the complex business and commercial (including all manner of breach of contract and fraud cases), civil rights, class action and mass tort, employment and labor, insurance, intellectual property, personal injury and product liability practice areas.

Earlier in her legal career, Ms. Roberts spent several years with the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where she became chief of its Trial Division, before moving into private practice.

Described by Washingtonian magazine as the “finest pure trial lawyer in Washington,” Ms. Roberts has received numerous accolades during the course of her legal career. She is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has been recognized by Chambers Global, Chambers USA (Business Trials) and Benchmark Litigation, among other prominent publications, as well as by numerous public and private organizations, for her professional achievements.

ADR Experience and Qualifications

• Taught trial advocacy workshop as an adjunct member of the faculty at Harvard Law School and as an instructor with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA)
• Highly sought after participant on a variety of subjects for legal symposia, CLE presentations and moot court competitions

Representative Matters

• Antitrust & Competition
• As a litigator, represented clients (defense-side) in antitrust matters involving the transportation and telecommunications industries
• Business Commercial
• As a litigator, represented clients in numerous complex business and commercial matters relating to claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, fraudulent inducement, conversion and related causes of action in the medical, pharmaceutical, transportation, financial services and entertainment industries
• As a litigator, represented clients engaged in high-stakes corporate business disputes, governance and dissolution matters
• As a litigator, conducted multiple internal investigations for various corporate clients and represented clients involved in federal and state governmental and regulatory investigations
• Civil Rights
• As a litigator, represented clients (plaintiff-side) in wrongful termination and discrimination matters related to commercial contracts
• Class Action & Mass Tort
• As a litigator, represented public corporations (defense-side) in the pharmaceutical, telecommunications, tobacco and spirits industries
• Employment Law
• As a litigator, represented public and private corporations (defense-side) in wrongful termination, Title VII discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation matters
• As the former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, addressed on an ongoing basis and in the normal course disputes between individual professional basketball players and their teams and/or the league
• As the former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association and pursuant to membership on the Board of Directors of USA Basketball, received training/certification by the United States Center for SAFESPORT, a nonprofit organization set up to reduce the sexual abuse of minors and athletes in Olympic sports in the United States
• Entertainment & Sports
• As the former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, negotiated for union members a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that secured better salaries, schedules and health protocols, among other benefits, for the same; further renegotiated major financial provisions of the CBA due to business interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and force majeure considerations
• As the former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, served on the Executive Committee of the World Players Association, UNI Global Union, an organization consisting of affiliates in 150 countries dedicated to the protection and advancement of athletes’ and workers’ rights across the globe
• As the former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, served on the Board of Directors of USA Basketball, the organization that represents the United States in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the men's and women's basketball teams on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee
• Insurance
• As a litigator, represented clients (plaintiff-side) in connection with insurance coverage disputes
• Intellectual Property
• As a litigator, represented pharmaceutical companies (plaintiff-side) in connection with trademark and patent infringement matters
• Personal Injury
• As a litigator, represented clients (plaintiff-side) in connection with alleged medical malpractice claims
• Product Liability
• As a litigator, represented clients (plaintiff- and defense-side) in the automobile and pharmaceutical industries

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Selected Memberships and Affiliations

• Council on Criminal Justice
• Member, Board of Trustees, Wesleyan University, 2023–2024
• Member, Board of Directors:
  • Southern Center for Human Rights, 2024
  • The Marshall Project, 2021–2024
  • The Bronx Defenders, 2017-2024
  • Cresco Labs, 2020–2024
• Instructor, National Institute of Trail Advocacy (NITA), 1988–1994
• Advisor, Pro Sports Assembly
• Bar Associations: The D.C. Bar, USDC Bar (District of Columbia)

Selected Awards and Honors

• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Inductee, Bronx Basketball Hall of Fame, 2023
• The Clara Johnson Roberts Scholarship Fund, Wesleyan University (NBPA Foundation Scholarship endowed in the name of Ms. Roberts’ mother on the occasion of Ms. Roberts’ retirement as executive director of the NBPA), 2022
• Gamechangers Leadership & Service Award, New Heights NYC, 2019
• Servant of Justice Award, The Legal Aid Society, 2019
• Justice Potter Stewart Honoree, Council for Court Excellence, 2019
• Women of Distinction Honoree, Women in Sport & Events (WISE), 2019
• Trailblazer Award, Southern Company, 2019
• Achievement Award, Bronx Museum, 2018
• Lifetime Achievement Award, Black Entertainment & Sports Lawyers Association, 2017
• Distinguished Alumni Award, Wesleyan University, 2017
• Achievement Award, National Bar Association, 2016
• Sam Lacy Pioneer, National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Sports Task Force, 2016
• Trailblazer of the Year, Metropolitan Black Bar Association, 2015
• Outstanding Achievement Award, Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, 2015
• Citation Award, University of California, Berkeley School of Law, 2015
• Impact 25 Woman of the Year, espnW, 2014
• Power 100 List, Ebony Magazine
• Best Lawyers in America, 2013-2014
• Top 250 Women in Litigation, Benchmark Litigation, 2013
• “Top Gun,” Ethisphere Institute’s “Attorneys Who Matter,” 2012
• Finalist, Litigator of the Year, Inaugural Chambers USA Women in Law Awards, 2012
• Business Trial Lawyer of the Year, Chambers USA Awards for Excellence, 2011
• The Stars of the Bar Award, Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia, 2003
• Chambers Global

Selected Presentations and Speaking Engagements

• Panelist, “Amateur Status Considerations for College Athletes,” Sports Lawyers Association, May 11, 2024
• Panelist, “Balancing Equity, Opportunity & Compensation in College Sports,” Drake Group Education Fund, April 18, 2024
• Speaker, “Women in Leadership Changing Culture,” Business Inside the Game (BIG) Allstar Summit, Feb. 17, 2024
• Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient, The University of San Francisco, College of Arts and Sciences (Graduate Students), May 19, 2023
• Speaker, “Leader Spotlight, Women Breaking Barriers in Sports Leadership,” Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc., Oct. 7, 2021
• Panelist, “Executive Directors Forum,” Sports Lawyers Association, Sports Law (Virtual) Conference 2.0: Innovation During a Time of Change, May 17, 2021
• Guest Speaker, Commencement Ceremony, University of California, Berkeley School of Law, 2016
• Panelist, “Ethics – Waivers of Privilege and Work Product Protection,” American Bar Association, 29th Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime, March 6, 2015
• Panelist, “Fireside Chat with Players’ Association Executives,” Howard University School of Law Entertainment, Arts & Sports Symposium, Sept. 18, 2015
• Co-Chair of Panel, “Current Developments in Federal Civil Practice 2013,” Practising Law Institute, Jan. 30, 2013

Selected Media References

• Podcast, “From Courtroom to Courtside: Michele Roberts on Law and the National Basketball Players Association,” Oct. 12, 2023
• “Lawyers Who Investigated Trump Start Firm to Combat Threats to Democracy,” The New York Times, Jan. 11, 2023
• “Michele Roberts on Black Women’s Leadership in the Courts and the NBA,” NPR, April 5, 2022
• “NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts On Her Legacy, Her Departure, Dealing with COVID and Upcoming CBA Negotiations,” The New York Times, Jan. 7, 2022
• “Playing Ball – The Impact of COVID-19 on Sports,” American College of Trial Lawyers Journal, Issue 95, Spring 2021
• “’I Don’t Know What Percentage of Those Men Have Essentially Had Their Lives Saved by Black Women,’ Says Head of NBA Players’ Union,” CNN, March 13, 2021
• “Notable Women in Law – Michele Roberts,” Crain’s New York Business, Dec. 11, 2020
• “Beyond Serena: From Baseball to NASCAR, These Are the Most Powerful Female Executives in Sports,” NBC LX Home, Nov. 16, 2020
• “The Unrelenting: Introducing Our List of the Most Powerful, Most Influential and Most Outstanding Women in Sports Right Now … ” Sports Illustrated, Oct. 6, 2020
• “She Helped Put ‘Black Lives Matter’ on N.B.A. Courts,” The New York Times, Sept. 11, 2020
• “Get to Know Michele Roberts, One of the Most Powerful Women in Sports,” BET, March 11, 2020
• “The 21 Most Powerful Women in the Business of Sports,” Worth magazine, Sept. 17, 2019
• “What Minorities and Women Can Learn from Michele Roberts, Leading Litigatrix Turned NBA Union Chief,” Above the Law, Jan. 23, 2015
• “Outside Shooter,” The Atlantic, May 2015
• “Smashing a Ceiling and a Lot of Egos,” The New York Times, Aug. 16, 2014
• “Meet the First Woman to Run a Major U.S. Pro Sports Union,” Time, July 30, 2014
• “Michele A. Roberts Has Been One of the Nation’s Best Civil Attorneys for the Past Thirty-Three Years,” LawCrossing, Aug. 19, 2013

Background and Education

• Co-Founding Principal and Member of the Board, Free + Fair Litigation Group, 2023–2024
• Executive Director, National Basketball Players Association, 2014–2022
• Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, 2011–2014
• Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, 2006–2011
• Partner, Shea & Gardner, 2003–2006
• Partner, Rochon & Roberts, 1995–2003
• Partner, Roberts & Moore, 1991–1994
• Associate, Perazich & Wynn, 1988–1991
• Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, 1977–1988
  • Chief of Trial Division, 1985–1988
  • Deputy Trial Chief, 1984–1985
• Adjunct Faculty, Trial Advocacy Workshop, Harvard University Law School, 1989–2006
• J.D., University of California, Berkeley School of Law, 1980
• B.A., Wesleyan University, 1977

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia
• United States District Court, District of Columbia