When Torrey Feldman graduated from American University Washington College of Law in 2020, the world was shutting down. Courtrooms were closing, offices were emptying, and the legal career she had spent years preparing for suddenly looked nothing like she imagined.

Six years later, she stood inside New York New Jersey Stadium and watched Spain lift the trophy at the end of a tournament she had helped build.

The path from law school to that moment began with an unexpected delay. Feldman had accepted an offer from Baker Donelson in September 2019, and the firm honored it. But when Tennessee deferred its July 2020 bar exam to October and announced an augmented format, she opted to wait for the February exam rather than risk a score that might not transfer.

“As my testing date got closer, I had to juggle bar prep and genuine client concerns,” she said. She passed that February with a score that could transfer to any jurisdiction.

At Baker Donelson, Feldman worked across commercial litigation, trusts and estates, bankruptcy, employment law, trademark and eminent domain. Outside billable hours, she wrote for the Sports Lawyers Association, accumulating bylines on an industry her docket never touched. When Adidas posted an opening, those clips helped open the door. Feldman moved to Portland, Oregon, and into endorsement deals for athletes and brand agreements for creators.

The World Cup came through a friend who mentioned the legal team was expanding. Feldman applied, moved to Miami and joined the FIFA World Cup 2026 as Generalist Counsel. Her typical week ran roughly 60% negotiating agreements across the tournament footprint, including tri-country deals coordinated with Canadian and Mexican colleagues, and 40% advising business teams in the field.

The scale of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was unprecedented. Within a single host city, stadiums, team hotels, training sites and official airports often sat in different municipalities, each requiring its own contracts. Feldman and her colleagues had to navigate legal jurisdictions across 16 cities and three countries, along with liquor and other laws that shifted at every state line.

“Providing legal guidance so the business could provide a uniform experience for fans,” she said, “was extremely complex.”

Once matches began, her role turned operational. Feldman served as Brand Protection Venue Manager at Hard Rock Stadium for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and at New York New Jersey Stadium in 2026, leading volunteers, stadium staff, law enforcement and investigators to keep venues clear of ambush marketing, counterfeit merchandise and counterfeit ticket sales.

She credits Alternative Dispute Resolution Honor Society, Contract Drafting with Professor Shapiro and every course she took with Professor Duru, who remains a mentor. She also points to a perhaps less obvious source pf preparation: a 3L job bartending in Dupont Circle.

“No matter where your legal career takes you, the relationships you create and maintain are the most important,” she said.

To students who worry they are not built for high-stakes work, Feldman suggests reconsidering what they are already surviving.

“Don't diminish the challenge you're facing now for the sake of one that may come in the future,” she said, “because if you figure out how to successfully navigate that pressure now, you will be so much better off when your version of the World Cup comes calling!”