Christopher D. Pham

Chris is a nationally recognized attorney, advisor, educator, and community leader representing a diverse client base ranging from startup entrepreneurs to athletes, entertainers, and businesses.

Chris serves as on-demand outside general counsel to clients across a broad range of industries, including sports and entertainment, hospitality, real estate and construction, and financial services. His hospitality practice includes advising hotels, franchises, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars on business, operational, and legal matters.

Known for his strategic and relationship-driven approach, Chris acts as a trusted advisor who helps clients navigate complex legal and business challenges with practical, solutions-oriented guidance. He approaches matters with a quarterback mentality, assembling the right team of specialists and developing tailored strategies designed to protect and advance his clients’ long-term goals.

In addition to his legal practice, Chris is deeply committed to mentorship, community engagement, and fostering a culture of inclusion within the legal profession. He serves as Chair of Fredrikson’s Inclusion & Diversity Committee and is an active member of the firm’s Recruiting & Hiring and Lateral Hiring Committees.

Chris also founded and serves as Co-Chair of Fredrikson’s Sports & Entertainment Group, where he helped build a dedicated platform serving athletes, entertainers, brands, and businesses operating in the evolving sports and entertainment landscape. He is a nationally recognized voice in Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) and sports law matters, frequently speaking on emerging industry issues and serving as an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School. His insights on athlete compensation, NIL valuation, and the evolving collegiate sports landscape have also been featured in Forbes.

His leadership, professional excellence, and community impact have earned recognition from numerous organizations. Chris has been named a “Minnesota Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers, recognized as a “North Star Lawyer” by the Minnesota State Bar Association, honored as a “Stand-Out Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters, included in the “40 Under 40” by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, named “Attorney of the Year” by Minnesota Lawyer, and selected to the Twin Cities Business 100 list recognizing influential leaders across Minnesota.

Representative Outside General Counsel Experience

• Served as outside counsel to a technology and risk intelligence company, advising on corporate restructuring, governance matters, commercial contracting, and the development of customer-facing agreements supporting vendor due diligence, sanctions screening, and risk management services.
• Served as outside general counsel to a golf technology and entertainment company, advising on intellectual property strategy, trademark protection, corporate governance, commercial agreements, sponsorship opportunities, and business growth initiatives.
• Lead counsel for a startup Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collective supporting collegiate athletes.
• Advised a credit union on NIL compliance and contract matters involving collegiate and high school athletes in a marketing campaign.
• Negotiated and reviewed over 100 NIL deals on behalf of collegiate athletes, ensuring alignment with NCAA guidelines and individual state laws.
• Advised an insurance company as lead counsel in developing an innovative insurance product for the NIL space in collegiate sports.
• Advised a collegiate athlete on business entity formation, corporate structuring, and long-term wealth preservation strategies designed to support NIL activities and future business ventures.
• Represented a Division I student-athlete and professional basketball prospect in connection with NIL-related business matters, contract review, entity formation, brand development initiatives, and planning for the transition to professional athletics and related business opportunities.
• Represented a professional golfer in connection with sponsorship and marketing agreements, NIL licensing arrangements, investor funding transactions, and business planning related to professional athletic competition and commercial opportunities.
• Advised a collegiate basketball coach and sports industry professional on business formation, contract matters, and strategic career planning related to opportunities within collegiate athletics.
• Advised a youth sports and recreation organization on liability mitigation strategies, including the development and revision of participant waivers, assumption-of-risk agreements, and related risk management documentation across multiple states.
• Advised an investment and entertainment company in connection with the review and negotiation of music licensing agreements and related contractual matters for a large-scale live entertainment venue.
• Represented private lenders and investors in connection with commercial lending transactions, debt enforcement actions, workout negotiations, and related litigation strategy.
• Provided comprehensive legal counsel to an NBA player on entity formation, corporate structuring, and investment strategies.
• Led legal representation for a professional athlete management company on business formation, contracts, and corporate governance.
• Represented an NBA player in prenuptial agreements, estate planning, non-profit organization formation, and real estate investments.
• Advised a family-owned business on real estate acquisitions, landlord-tenant disputes, employment matters, franchise opportunities, estate planning, and third-party subpoenas.
• Represented a community health center in connection with the development and financing of a healthcare facility, advising on commercial loan transactions, legal opinion matters, property tax exemption planning, and real estate issues related to a New Markets Tax Credit-financed project.
• Served as lead counsel for a national entertainment and artist management company on corporate governance, intellectual property, and contract matters.
• Represented a national trucking company on corporate governance, employment law, banking and finance, and construction issues.
• Represented a business owner in a contested ownership dispute involving a healthcare services company, advising on corporate governance, ownership interests, business records, regulatory filings, and related litigation strategy.
• Assisted a hospitality client with liquor licensing, intellectual property protection, partnership agreements, lease negotiations, and employment compliance.
• Provided counsel to general contractors on mechanics lien disputes, employment issues, and contract matters.
• Represented a small business client on banking and finance, estate planning, landlord-tenant disputes, construction, and hospitality matters.
• Served as lead counsel for a sports medicine facility, advising on real estate and contractual issues.
• Represented a recording artist in the sale of their music
• Provided legal counsel to a private security company on licensing and employment matters.
• Assisted recording artists in reviewing Record Label Agreements, Management Agreements, Licensing Agreements, and Production Agreements.
• Served as lead counsel for a multi-platinum recording artist in a Lanham Act claim involving False Endorsement and False Designation of Origin, as well as a right of publicity violation.
• Represented the estate of a globally renowned music icon in state court
• Defended a nightclub and concert venue against allegations of fraud and breach of contract.

Education

• Mitchell Hamline School of Law, J.D., 2009, cum laude
• Chapman University, M.A., 2006
• University of Minnesota, B.A., 2004

Admissions

• Minnesota, 2009
• U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, 2009

• TCB 100 List, Twin Cities Business, 2026
• Minnesota Super Lawyers, Entertainment & Sports, 2024-2026
• North Star Lawyer, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2013-2018, 2021-2025
• Thomson Reuters Stand-Out Lawyer, Independently Rated Lawyers, 2022, 2023
• Minnesota Super Lawyers Rising Star, Securities Litigation, 2015-2022
• 40 Under 40 Honoree, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, 2021
• Attorney of the Year, Group Recognition, Minnesota Lawyer, 2019
• Top 100 Under 50 Emerging Leader, Diversity MBA Magazine, 2019
• Fellow, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, 2018
• Diversity Award, Hennepin County Bar Association, 2013
• Leonard E. Lindquist Pro Bono Award, 2013
• Pro Bono Spirit Award, 2012

Professional Activities

• University of Minnesota Law School, Adjunct Professor, Sports & NIL Clinic and Sports Law Moot Court Competition
• Sports Lawyers Association, Member
• American Bar Association, Member
• Minnesota State Bar Association, Member
• Hennepin County Bar Association, Member
• Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers, Member

Community

• Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Board of Trustees, 2018-present
• Twin Cities Diversity in Practice, Board of Directors, 2011-2017, 2022-present, and Board Co-Chair, 2025-present; Emerging Leaders Group, Co-Chair, 2011-2017; and Member, 2011-present
• Friends of the Children – Twin Cities, Board of Directors, 2026-present
• Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA), Board of Directors, 2024-present
• University of St. Thomas Law Mentor Program, Mentor, 2019-present
• The Legal Revolution, Board of Directors, 2022-2025
• Children’s Law Center of Minnesota, Volunteer Attorney, 2012-2023
• Greater Twin Cities United Way, Leadership Council, 2021-2023
• Minnesota State Bar Association, Access to Justice Subcommittee Member, 2020-2023
• Legal Access Point, Legal Clinic Volunteer, 2019-2022
• YouthLink, Legal Clinic Volunteer, 2010-2020
• Hennepin County Housing Court Project, Legal Clinic Volunteer, 2010-2020
• Cookie Cart, Board of Directors, 2012-2015
• Volunteer Lawyers Network, Letters to Creditors Volunteer Attorney, 2012-2014
• Tubman Safety Project, Volunteer Attorney, 2012-2014
• YMCA, Downtown Community Board of Directors, 2011-2014