Diversity Spotlight: Curtis Franks, General Counsel of FIFA World Cup

What's it like to work in the world of international soccer? In this edition of the Sports Law Diversity Spotlight, alumnus Curtis Franks (L'05), General Counsel for the FIFA World Cup, chats with rising 3L Anuja Daulat on career paths, diversity in the legal profession and more.

Franks has been FIFA's General Counsel since August 2023 and leads the legal department dedicated to the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Club World Cup Tournaments across the United States, Mexico and Canada.  He handles all corporate, governance and compliance matters for the World Cup, and serves as the primary legal advisor to executive management in the planning and delivery of the Tournaments.  Prior to joining FIFA, Franks served as Senior Legal Counsel, Head of Global Marketing Partnerships for The Coca-Cola Company.  In this role, he led the legal team responsible for the acquisition of Coca-Cola’s global marketing assets across the sports, entertainment and music categories as well as partnerships with top marketing and media agencies. Franks has also held roles as Associate General Counsel with the NCAA, Senior Counsel – Business and Legal Affairs for the NBC Sports Group, and began his career with the Atlanta Hawks.  

Daulat is a rising 3L who is pursuing her certificate in sports law. As a Las Vegas native, the glamour that comes with the intersection between sports and entertainment has always fascinated her, but it was her time as a Longhorn at The University of Texas at Austin that allowed her to realize how sports can bring diverse communities together to allow them to belong to something much larger than themselves. She is pursuing a sports law certificate because she wants to help young athletes, particularly females, thrive in the space and build lasting careers for themselves not only in their sports, but also through sponsorships and brand engagements. She spent her first summer of law school as a clerk with Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, and this summer she is working with Jayaram Law.