Wm. David Cornwell, Sr.

Wm. David Cornwell, Sr., the President of the sports law firm, DNK Cornwell, is nationally recognized as the premier lawyer for sports agents, professional athletes, coaches, executives, and companies involved in the sports and entertainment industry.

In July 2008, Cornwell was featured in the Washington Post for his work on behalf of NFL players and other professional athletes. In 2004, USA TODAY heralded the Ricky Williams reinstatement agreement that Cornwell negotiated with the NFL as one the top 10 sports stories of the year. ESPN.com has referred to Cornwell as “a brilliant legal mind.”

Cornwell’s daily practice includes negotiating, drafting, and reviewing endorsement, licensing, and employment agreements for athletes, coaches, executives, and companies in the sports and entertainment industry. He serves as primary outside counsel for numerous sports agencies and assists sports agents and their professional athlete clients in complying with the policies and regulations of the professional sports leagues, their players associations, and with state laws governing sports agents.

Cornwell is a popular lecturer on topics unique to the sports industry and serves as a guest lecturer at the Wharton Business School, examining critical principles of negotiations. He is also is one of the most sought-after legal analysts for insight on the implications of current legal events in the sports industry. ESPN retained Cornwell to serve as a Legal Analyst during the Michael Vick case and the Major League Baseball steroid investigation. Cornwell has provided legal analysis on TV, radio and in the print media for high-profile matters, including the NFL collective bargaining process, Terrell Owens’ dispute with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kobe Bryant sexual assault. Cornwell also serves as an expert witness and litigation consultant in sports-related cases.

A graduate of Tufts University, Cornwell studied abroad for one semester at the American University in Cairo, where he studied Middle Eastern History and Arabic and played professional basketball. He received his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Cornwell, 49, was born and raised in Washington, D.C. He is licensed to practice law in California, New York, and Georgia. He currently lives in Georgia, with his wife Kimberly H. Cornwell, Esq., and two children, Taylor Alexis and Wm. David, Jr.