Biography

Nick Saady is a high-stakes litigator and dealmaker. He represents major music labels, sports leagues, global touring artists, professional athletes, and celebrities.

Nick’s rare combination of litigation firepower and transactional acumen allows him to guide clients on all aspects of their businesses.

High-Profile and Bet-the-Company Matters

Nick’s representative matters (including his prior practice with two leading global law firms) include:

Music + Entertainment

  • Major record labels, artists and actors in IP, contractual, and other statutory litigation — including Universal Music Group, UMG’s executives, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, H.E.R., Megan Thee Stallion, Gabrielle Union, and Justin Theroux;
  • The National Music Publishers’ Association and the Nashville Songwriters Association International in the Copyright Royalty Board’s Phonorecords V proceeding against Amazon, Spotify, Google, Pandora and Apple;
  • International artists and global music businesses regarding transactional, music, touring, and IP issues — including Anyma, Sara Landry, Cloonee, Afterlife, Adriatique, Aluna, Mau P, Hellbent Records, Hekate Records, Tale Of Us, and Amélie Lens;
  • The Circuit Group on all legal matters related to its business — including the formation of its $500 million Circuit Capital Fund with Create Music Group;
  • Prominent media personalities, creators and brands regarding litigation, IP and commercial issues; and
  • Halcyon Television in a copyright dispute regarding Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove — defeating a motion for judgment on the pleadings before resolution.

Sports

  • Major League Cricket and Minor League Cricket on various litigation, IP, immigration and transactional matters — including a multi-billion-dollar dispute with USA Cricket (the sport’s U.S. national governing body) regarding the future of U.S. cricket, and another significant IP dispute with Major League Baseball;
  • International Cricket Council on IP and immigration matters related to the 2024 T20 World Cup;
  • U.S. professional soccer, rugby and powerboat racing teams and leagues on transactional, IP and immigration matters;
  • Professional athletes and coaches in a class action against a major U.S. sports league; and
  • Rugby Australia regarding labor, employment, and constitutional issues arising from the termination of star player Israel Folau.

Litigation

  • A global media company in a multi-billion-dollar dispute regarding a streaming platform;
  • Compass, Inc. against Anywhere Real Estate in commercial litigation;
  • META against Meta Platforms, Inc. in trademark infringement and unfair competition litigation;
  • Ten Five Hospitality in litigation regarding one of the hottest U.S. restaurants, Mother Wolf — defeating a preliminary injunction motion before resolution; and
  • Revolutionary artist Kevin McCoy in a dispute over Quantum, widely regarded as the world’s first NFT — achieving dismissal of all claims against McCoy and dismissal before the Second Circuit.

White-Collar and Government Enforcement

  • A government body in conducting an impeachment investigation into a prominent politician;
  • One of the world’s largest tech companies regarding various federal and state regulatory investigations; and
  • The Australian Federal Government in prosecuting the most prominent Australian trade union and its management.

Strong Commitment to Pro Bono Work

In addition to his board positions, Nick has conducted pro bono work for:

  • Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts in intellectual property, statutory, and contractual disputes for artists and creators;
  • The NIL Pro Bono Project, which he helped launch with New York Law School, advising college athletes on NIL deals;
  • Legal Aid Society in a dispute regarding its Brooklyn headquarters;
  • Médecins Sans Frontières in a dispute with the government of Nauru;
  • Refugee Advice and Casework Service on immigration matters for Sri Lankan, Iraqi, and Syrian refugees; and
  • Afghan refugees on immigration matters after their evacuation in mid-2021.

Prestigious Clerkships

Nick served as a judicial clerk at the Supreme Court of New South Wales, first for Justice John Sackar AM KC and then Justice Monika Schmidt AM. The Supreme Court is Australia’s eminent commercial court and the highest state court, dealing with the most serious civil and criminal trials and appeals. Nick completed both clerkships while studying law full-time, one of the few clerks in the Court’s history to do so.

Education

  • New York University School of Law (Master of Laws)
    • George Colin Award (as the sole student graduating with distinction from the Master of Laws program)
    • Dean’s and Lieberman Merit Scholarships
  • University of Technology Sydney (Bachelor of Laws)
    • University Medal (first place in graduating class)
    • First Class Honors (A+ in Honors Thesis)

Recognition

  • Named to the American Bar Association’s Top 40 Young Lawyers (2026)
  • Named to the Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation list for Entertainment, Music, Sports, and White Collar (2024-26)
  • Named to the Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” list in Entertainment and Sports Law and Intellectual Property Law (2024-27)
  • Named to the Super Lawyers – New York Metro “Rising Stars” list for IP Litigation (2023-24) and Entertainment + Sports (2025-26)
  • Recognized by Legal 500 in Trademark: Non-Contentious (2025)
  • Named to the “10 Under 10” List for Sports Law by Conduct Detrimental (2024)

Admissions

  • New York
  • U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • New South Wales, Australia (admitted, not practicing)

Professional Affiliations

  • Board Member, Turn the Tables Music Foundation
  • Board Member, University of Technology Sydney (NAAB)
  • Board Member, Associate Board of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
  • Former Chairman, FairBreak Foundation (global women’s cricket charity)
  • Former Director, Oceania Golf Players’ Association

Thought Leadership

Nick has presented at significant global events and conferences, including South By Southwest® Sydney (with Nick Kyrgios, David Warner and Tilly Kearns), the Winter Music Conference, Shift Miami and NYU School of Law Symposia.

Nick has also been widely published and quoted in international law journals, industry publications, and mainstream media on IP, sports, litigation, and commercial law issues, including the Sports Business Journal, Billboard, Bloomberg, The Guardian, TechCrunch, Politico, New York Law Journal, National Law Journal, Australian Law Journal, Law360, Westlaw, Inside Edition, Inc Magazine, the Smithsonian Magazine and the Washington Examiner.

Selected Publications:

  • The AI Playbook: What sports stars must do now to protect their IP in the age of artificial intelligence, Sports Business Journal (April 9, 2026)
  • 2025: Another Year of Profound Change in Sport, Sports Business Journal (February 10, 2025)
  • Booth Review of NIL Development and the NCAA’s Grip on Athlete IP, Sports Business Journal (April 22, 2024)
  • Congress’ AI Stumbles Leave Artists and Creators At the Mercy of Big Tech, Billboard (August 11, 2023)
  • The Lanham Act Does Not Rule the World, National Law Journal (July 11, 2023)
  • NFTs and Blockchain-Enabled Goods Are Not Above the Law, New York Law Journal (June 2, 2023)
  • Key Legal Issues For Influencers And Brands, TechCrunch (February 28, 2023)
  • How Much Humanity Will AI-Generated Songs Need to Be Copyrightable?, Billboard (January 27, 2023)
  • Sailing Through The Social Media Storm: A Guide to Copyright Issues for Brands, Influencers, Westlaw (January 27, 2023)
  • A Cautionary Tale On Social Media And US Jurisdiction, Law360 (August 19, 2022)
  • Rethinking Lawyer Immunity, 96 Australian Law Journal 347 (2022)
  • Breaking it DAOn: What You Need to Know about Current DAO Laws, Law.com (May 9, 2022)
  • Navigating the New Playing Field: What Athletes Need to Know When Monetizing NIL, Sports Business Journal (March 30, 2022)
  • The Djokovic Shambles Highlights What Refugees Have Long Known, The Guardian (January 22, 2022)
  • Legal Lying? Comparatively Analyzing U.S. and Australian Lawyers’ Obligations of Truthfulness, 22(1) Pepperdine Disp. Resol. L. J. (2021)
  • Security for Workers in an Insecure World of Work, 49 Australian Bus. L. Rev. 26 (2021)
  • The Reasonableness of Restraints, 46 Australian Bus. L. Rev. 99 (2018) (cited by the Supreme Court of Western Australia)
  • The Balance Of Barclay: An Analysis of the Methods Used To Determine ‘Adverse Action’ Cases, 45 Australian Bar Rev. 63 (2018)
  • Multiple Decision-Makers and Their Reasons for Taking Adverse Action, 23(1) Australian Emp. L. Bull. 8 (2017)