Katherine Kirchner
Female-owned law firms are a rarity, but as corporations are eyeing more business with diverse companies, Lauri Eberhart’s Apollo Sports & Entertainment is seeing an increase in opportunities.
Eberhart is the co-founder of the Charlotte-based Apollo alongside Melinda Morris Zanoni, and the firm focuses on cutting deals and providing a rounded-out service for a variety of clients across sports and entertainment.
Eberhart is working on attracting work from properties with national businesses — and she’s seen an uptick in interest in that regard even since August.
Lauri Eberhart
Founding Member and Attorney at Law, Apollo Sports & Entertainment Law Group
Born: Waynesboro, Va.
Education: Cedar Crest College, cum laude, B.A., history with minors in political science and drama; Wake Forest University School of Law, J.D.
“The phones have started ringing,” Eberhart said of her quest to expand the scope of Apollo’s work, which includes the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
On top of being female-owned, Apollo’s firm is mainly populated by women, and Eberhart noted that this is giving the firm a point of differentiation in 2020. “We provide that diversity to a major brand or sports franchise and we have the skill set and experience to provide top-notch legal advice,” said Eberhart, the former general counsel of Speedway Motorsports.
“Running your own business is a ton of fun, but it’s also really stressful because it’s your business and it’s totally dependent on the effort you put into it,” she said. “But I’m having so much fun right now — we’ve got a great client list and wonderful partner [in Zanoni] and team.” — Adam Stern
More about Lauri
Biggest work/life adjustment in quarantine: Not having that boundary between work and family time. Going to the office is a thing. It gets me mentally ready to work. Without that clear boundary, I had to make a thing out of going to my office at home and preparing myself for work. I came up with a funky routine for heading to my downstairs office.
Attributes I look for when hiring: Problem solving, fire in the belly and honesty. I can teach anyone the subject matter if those basics are present.
Woman in sports business I’d most like to meet: Michele Roberts, executive director of the NBPA. She is one of the smartest people in sports, has risen to the top of her sport after having a very distinguished legal career and worked tremendously hard for her career.
Sports can grow its role in the social justice movement by: Supporting minority-owned business that work in sports. This means that the leagues, teams and players spend their money with vendors/service providers that can provide the quality of the work needed but are owned by women and/or minorities. Also, sponsors can decide to spend a bigger portion of their sponsorship budget on women’s sports.
