Attorneys from the Kraft Group Speak to HLS Students

Written by Shayna Toh.

Attorneys from the Kraft Group speak to students about their career path from football fans to sports lawyers, their biggest challenges, and what’s next for the Group.

On Wednesday, the Committee of Sports and Entertainment Law hosted David Lanoie and Kenny Nelson, Legal Counsels at the Kraft Group, the parent company of the New England Patriots, the New England Revolution, and Gillette Stadium.

Lanoie and Nelson spoke to JSEL’s Caleigh Sturgeon ’26 about how they both started their career with the Kraft Group as legal interns when they were still in law school. Originally interested in the Kraft Group due to their love for sports and the Patriots, they were impressed by the scope of work that the job as an in-house lawyer entailed, from real estate to data privacy to M&A work, as well as the size of the role they could play in these transactions.

“While we work with outside counsel, on these deals, we are the primary decision makers,” Lanoie said. “You’re allowed to make decisions the way you might not be able to at a firm until you make partner.”

During the Q&A portion, students were interested in hearing about the Kraft Group’s response to NFL’s expansion into foreign markets and how the legal team planned to work under many other jurisdictions. They were also curious as to when Lanoie and Nelson knew they wanted to work in sports law, and how their law school experience prepared them for this job.

Their advice? “Remember that this is almost a business role, so business classes would help,” Nelson said. “Take tax law! Our boss told us we should’ve taken tax law in school,” added Lanoie.