Jade Smith-Williams

As an attorney with a passion for justice, along with her background as a former professional and Division I basketball player, Jade Smith-Williams brings unique energy and insight into her work for Bailey Glasser’s clients.  

Jade Smith-Williams is a corporate attorney with a specialized focus in sports and entertainment law. With the NCAA’s rule change that now permits college athletes to commercialize their name, image, and likeness, Jade is deeply invested in supporting student-athletes as they navigate the complexities of NIL compliance while maximizing their value and leverage in transactions with corporate brands. This passion has led to Jade being selected to co-design and co-instruct the inaugural NIL legal clinic at the University of California, Berkeley - School of Law where she is helping shape the NIL landscape for student-athletes and empowering the next generation of lawyers at Berkeley Law.

Bailey Glasser’s Oakland office is situated in the heart of downtown Oakland’s arts district – home to many artists and creatives whose work continues to push the boundaries of global popular culture. Her experience also includes advising businesses and creatives making a high impact on the Oakland community.

Notably, Jade leads the Bailey Glasser team advising the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (“AASEG”) along their historic journey to acquire the Oakland Coliseum Complex and bring professional sports teams back to Oakland. She also represents an independent record label led by a Grammy award-winning R&B music artist from Oakland.  She’s had the privilege of supporting rising music artists, film production companies, book authors, and content creators drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and executing licensing, sponsorship, endorsement, brand ambassadorships, talent, and publishing agreements with global brands (e.g., Pixar, NBA/WNBA, EA Sports, VTech Electronics, Hilton, Benefit Cosmetics, etc.) and major production studios. She is passionate about collaborating with creatives to develop and cultivate strategic partnerships with brands that can elevate the artists’ reach and impact according to their ethos and vision.

Jade also has experience handling complex civil litigation matters in the areas of civil rights, wrongful death, and catastrophic injury. Her dedication to civil justice is rooted in her desire to expand access to legal services for marginalized communities. Her experience includes handling several multi-million-dollar settlements on behalf of plaintiffs injured or killed in federal prisons, auto collisions, drug rehabilitation centers, and more. Jade understands clients often come to her during vulnerable periods of their lives, and her approach ensures they feel heard, educated, and empowered to be a meaningful part of the litigation process.

While a law student, Jade represented low-wage earners with the California Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Enforcement Division, which was then headed by Vice President (then former California Attorney General) Kamala Harris, and she also interned at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office.

Jade’s hobbies include pick-up basketball; Oakland art, culture, and community-building; dreaming; and mommying.

Awards & Accolades

Best Lawyers' Ones to Watch, Entertainment and Sports Law, Oakland, CA (2024)

Representative Matters

• Leads the Bailey Glasser team advising the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (“AASEG”) along their historic journey to acquire the Oakland Coliseum Complex and bring professional sports teams back to Oakland.
• Settled a lawsuit on behalf of a widow and minor child in a civil rights action against a federal prison involving allegations that the prison violated the Decedent’s Eighth Amendment right to adequate medical care for his known serious medical condition.
• Represented a Division-I student-athlete in the negotiation of a NIL brand ambassador deal with a global luxury apparel & lifestyle brand.
• Represented a music artist in the negotiation of a publishing rights deal with a large independent music record label and publishing house.
• Represents a Grammy-nominated music artist, producer, & creative entrepreneur regarding corporate structuring for a new international record label company.
• Advises and represents an author in the negotiation of a literary rights deal for a theatrical and TV adaptation of the book with an Oscar-winning major production studio.
• Represents a Las Vegas hotel development company re: Trademark investigation and state & federal registration matters.
• Represents a small film production company re: corporate structuring and governance.
• Represents and advises a small media company regarding USPTO Trademark registration.
• Represents a minor child in a negligent supervision case involving sexual assault allegations vs. a home daycare operator.
• Represented a Firefighter Captain in a racial discrimination case against a Bay-Area County.
• Represented a community leader regarding injuries he sustained when he was hit by a construction truck while traveling by wheelchair in a marked crosswalk against the responsible driver and the City of Hayward for dangerous conditions on public property.

News & Insights

Community and Professional Activities

Co-instructor of the inaugural Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) legal clinic at the University of California, Berkeley - School of Law

San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association

Charles Houston Bar Association

Black Women’s Lawyers Association of Northern California