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WHY 1NIL . . . AND WHY NOW?
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By Nabeel Kibria, Esq.
It's a fair question, and one that I've received from more than a few colleagues: Why would a name partner from one of the top criminal defense firms in the nation's capital be interested in dedicating part of his practice to the emerging field of Name, Image, Likeness?
First, my passion for college athletics was galvanized while attending Miami during the heyday of the "The U" football program in the early 2000s. Second, many of the traits that make a successful defense attorney translate well to the as-yet unregulated landscape of NIL: Impassioned representation, the ability to see surprises hiding around corners, and wide-ranging expertise in legal and compliance-based fallout.
But in these transitional days of radically redefining athletic amateurism, 1NIL's most valuable resources may be our ability to recognize opportunity -- even from a distance -- and the temerity to follow it from border to border, and from sea to shining sea.
REPRESENTING ALL ATHLETES LIKE FAMILY
The bulk of the revenue sharing between schools and their collectives will be funneled to four sports: football, men's and women's basketball and baseball (in that order). But the division of that pie has nothing to do with the Real NIL opportunities that 1NIL can help facilitate for athletes of every stripe.
From endorsement and licensing agreements, social media and content creation partnerships, to the establishment of camps/clinics and personal appearance fees, Real NIL opportunities are almost limitless in this unregulated era, just weeks after the June 5, 2025 settlement of the multibillion-dollar "House" lawsuit that removes all legal barriers to schools paying their athletes for their name, image and likeness.
In a few years time (or less), regulation of the NIL space will undoubtedly force athletes into more restrictive agreements, but for now opportunity is limited only by the imagination of the student-athletes and their representatives; the most valuable NIL opportunities are collaborations between athletes and their families and an agent who understands not only the lay of the land, financially speaking, but the athlete's passion for the partnership. The right fit isn't always the most money. 1NIL will always be guided by the best interest of our athletes and their families.
But for athletes dedicated to immersing themselves in the process, NIL opportunities are limited only by the imagination (and some compliance regulations). And nobody imagines the possibilities like 1NIL.