Sports, entertainment, and media clients turn to Traci Bransford for strategic counsel on the full range of their legal needs. She is the leader of Parker Poe's Sports & Entertainment Industry Team and has over 30 years of experience.
Traci focuses her practice on transactional law with an emphasis on clients in sports, music, television, film, and literary publishing. She serves as outside general counsel and guides her clients through many aspects of their businesses, including intellectual property management, contract negotiation, and brand strategy. Her clients benefit from her multi-jurisdictional experience from California to New York, Minnesota, and Georgia, as well as her commitment to the tenets of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
This background allows her to offer comprehensive solutions to key legal challenges. Traci regularly counsels collegiate, professional and retired athletes and high net worth entertainers in their individual business and philanthropic pursuits,
including coordinating the implementation of estate planning with tax counsel. She also advises colleges, universities, and student-athletes on navigating evolving name, image, and likeness (NIL) contract opportunities and compliance issues.
Earlier in her career, Traci served as general counsel to the world-renowned performing artist Prince and served as the chief executive for the legal affairs of his corporate entities, including Paisley Park Enterprises. That experience shaped much of her work ethic in serving high-profile entertainment clients and meeting their specific legal needs. It continues to inform her work today as she negotiates agreements for noted entertainers, elite athletes, and leading sports and media organizations.
Traci frequently speaks before national audiences about entertainment, media, sports, and celebrity philanthropy. She is a member of leading sports and entertainment law associations and serves on several nonprofit boards. Traci earned her Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College and her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law.