JP Kernisan is a nationally recognized trial lawyer and strategic advisor who represents Fortune 500 companies, professional sports franchises, universities, and executives in high-stakes litigation, government investigations, and corporate crises.
His clients span private equity and venture capital (as well as their portfolio companies), professional sports organizations, luxury goods companies, financial institutions, automotive manufacturers, technology companies, and major universities.
His practice focuses on solving clients’ most difficult legal issues. JP routinely litigates significant disputes against federal and state authorities on behalf of corporations and individuals, in addition to representing companies and executives facing corporate crises involving difficult legal and regulatory challenges, with particular experience advising companies related to allegations of corruption, discrimination and harassment and/or executive misconduct.
Sports Litigation
JP is one of the country's leading lawyers for sports litigation and investigations. He achieved an unprecedented victory for the University of Tennessee against NCAA enforcement actions, resulting in a federal injunction that fundamentally changed NCAA name, image, and likeness (NIL) rules nationwide. JP represents NFL and NBA franchises, major university athletic departments, and sports executives in highly sensitive investigations, complex strategic litigation, employment disputes including those involving allegations of discrimination and harassment claims, and other crisis management matters. His sports practice has earned recognition as a Law360 Top Attorney Under 40 in Sports & Betting and Lawdragon Leading Global Sports and Entertainment Lawyer.
Employment Litigation and Corporate Crisis Management
JP represents employers and executives in employment litigation including matters related to restrictive covenant disputes, claims of sexual harassment, wrongful termination and discrimination in federal and state courts and arbitration. He has particular experience with disputes involving C-suite executives and has represented employers and executives across industries. He has also defended employers in class actions and multi-plaintiff litigation.
He has significant employment litigation and counseling experience representing domestic and international employers and senior executives in various industries, including sports, luxury goods, financial services, and private equity and venture capital firms and their portfolio companies in federal and state court and in arbitration. He has defended employers in state and federal courts, including at the appellate level, in all stages of single plaintiff, multi-plaintiff and class and collective action litigation and arbitration against claims of breach of contract (including non-compete issues), wrongful discharge, discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
JP also serves as strategic counsel to companies and boards of directors navigating organizational crises involving executive misconduct, government investigations and reputational risk. He has managed crisis response and related legal strategy for professional sports franchises, the leading luxury goods provider in the world, large universities and some of the most prominent companies across industries.
White Collar, Investigations & Government Enforcement
JP is a trial lawyer who conducts sensitive internal investigations and represents clients in high-stakes litigation and government/regulatory investigations and corporate crises involving multinational corporations, financial institutions, and universities facing allegations of executive misconduct, discrimination, harassment, corruption and regulatory violations. He has conducted dozens of investigations across the professional sports, private equity and venture capital, gaming, luxury goods, financial services, technology, and retail industries. JP has successfully defended companies and executives in government investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and other state regulators.
- Achieved unprecedented victory for University of Tennessee in NCAA enforcement action, resulting in no penalties to the university and dramatic changes to NCAA rules. This matter ultimately resulted in a federal injunction blocking NCAA enforcement of NIL rules nationwide, drastically and immediately altering the landscape of college athletics.
- Represents the world’s largest luxury goods company in various litigation and strategic matters.
- Has led dozens of internal investigations for professional sports franchises, sports business organizations and other large companies related to employee misconduct including but not limited to alleged sexual assault, sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
- Represented NFL team during organizational crisis arising from allegations of sexual and racial harassment of former employees. Part of a team that developed and implemented a short-term crisis strategy that was later referred to in Sports Illustrated as “a brilliant stroke of crisis management.”
- Successfully defended a major global financial institution in multi-jurisdictional enforcement actions including DOJ, SEC, OFAC and state and foreign regulators.
- Boeing 737 MAX — Represents several Boeing employees in connection with the investigations by U.S. authorities of the Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.
- Represents one of Scandinavia’s largest financial institutions before various U.S. authorities related to ongoing regulatory and criminal investigations.
- Representation of witnesses in various high-profile investigations conducted by various government authorities (DOJ, SEC, FTC) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
- Represented one of the largest companies in the automotive industry, providing crisis management an employment law advice related to government investigations and the removal of the CEO of one of the automaker’s subsidiaries.
- Represented a large university in an internal investigation of sexual misconduct spanning decades involving the university’s athletic department and implicating members of the athletic department and university administrators.
- Recommended and implemented long-term organizational changes focused on improving organizational culture and environment for employees of NFL team, including but not limited to employment audit, review of policies, procedures and practices with respect to diversity and inclusion and hiring, retention and promotion.
- Provides advice and counsel on broad range of litigation and business issues to various professional sports clubs, including but not limited to contract negotiations for team executives and providing advice and counsel on various litigation and employment law issues. JP was involved in negotiating one of the most lucrative coaching contracts in NFL history.
- Represented large national retailer against an investigation by state and federal authorities into employment, security and surveillance practices related to customers.
- Part of a trial team for large international fragrance company that successfully defended employer against claims of age discrimination.
- New York University School of Law
(J.D., 2009) - University of Maryland
(B.S., Accounting, 2006)- Dean’s List
- The State Bar of New York
- The District of Columbia Bar
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports & Media Lawyers, Litigation - Sports, Crisis, Investigations (2025)
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America: Litigation, Enforcement and Sports (2025)
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America: Government & Regulatory Litigation, White Collar, Commercial Litigation (2025-2026)
- Law360 Top Attorney Under 40 – Sports & Betting (2020)
- New York Metro Area Super Lawyers “Rising Star” (2015-2024)