Attorney

Marcus Whitaker is the Founder of GroundUp Law Group.

Whitaker is currently licensed to practice law in New York and is a member of the New York Bar Association and American Bar Association. He is licensed by both the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) and Federal International Basketball Association (FIBA) as a Basketball Agent. He is also a certified FINRA arbitrator.

Whitaker founded GroundUp Sports & Entertainment, negotiating an NBA contract in his first week as a certified NBPA agent. He has proceeded to negotiate millions in total contract value during his short time as CEO of GroundUp Sports & Entertainment.

Whitaker focuses his legal practice in the areas of intellectual property licensing, copyright and trademark law, as well as general business law. He boasts an impressive resume, highlighted by broad experience in the areas of contract law, negotiations, and intellectual property during his tenure as an attorney. He has worked on multiple real estate transactions, non-profit startups and IP registrations.

A native of Trenton, New Jersey and New Haven, Connecticut, Whitaker has extensive roots in the Northeast. After a standout career in sports, he earned a full scholarship to play college basketball at Fairleigh Dickinson University. At FDU, he finished as the second all-time leader in assists in the school’s history, a leading indicator of his prolific leadership abilities at the point guard position.

Following his successful career at Fairleigh Dickinson, Whitaker parlayed his wealth of experience into coaching and training basketball players across the Northeast. He started a basketball training company called GroundUp Basketball LLC in New Jersey. GroundUp Basketball LLC began with a single client, before ballooning to service over 300 athletes. Whitaker’s mentees range from as young as elementary schoolers through professionals playing in the NBA and Overseas. His prolific training specifically attracted many professionals who flew from all over the country to utilize his services and learn from his tutelage.

After developing the idea for GroundUp Law Group while training the professional athletes through GroundUp Basketball, Whitaker graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law with a concentration in Intellectual Property Law in 2016.

During his tenure at Seton Hall Law, he served as the Treasurer of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society while interning at the Clarkson S. Fisher Federal Building And United States Courthouse under the Honorable Judge Sheridan. Whitaker honed his legal research skills on issues surrounding contractual agreements and issues in health care law while drafting memoranda regarding pending motions before the court. He built upon this foundation by serving as a law clerk at Oller, Luzzi and Breslin Law Firm where he researched, analyzed and prepared memorandum on issues related to civil litiga­tion, personal injury, insurance defense, estate planning, landlord-tenant relations, and other matters.

Undergraduate: Fairleigh Dickinson 2004

Law School: Seton Hall Law 2016

Admitted to Practice Law: New York

Professional Licenses: NBPA (NBA Player’s Association), FIBA (International Basketball Federation)

Of Counsel

Drew Jacobs Of Counsel to GroundUp Law Group.

Drew Jacobs is the Founder and Managing Member of Jacobs Counsel LLC. Jacobs is currently licensed to practice law in New Jersey and is a licensed National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) Contract Advisor. He is a member of the State Bar Association of New Jersey and the American Bar Association.

Jacobs’ practice focuses on counseling individuals and businesses on a variety of business law matters. He has worked with numerous startup businesses on general corporate matters, as well as trademark and intellectual property concerns. Additionally, Jacobs’ practice includes estate planning and real estate transactions. He is passionate about helping individuals and businesses from inception through growth.

A native of Mendham, New Jersey, Jacobs had a prolific high school basketball career at Mendham High School. He was an all-state point guard and 1000-point scorer. Jacobs won a state championship and multiple county championships, establishing himself as one of the winningest players in Morris County basketball history and learning valuable lessons about building winning organizations in the process.

Jacobs went on to attend Boston College, where he walked-on to the varsity basketball team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He was also a member of the Honors Program at the Carroll School of Management in addition to his work with Campus Ministry and other mentorship groups on campus.

Following his graduation from Boston College, Jacobs founded Head and Heart Hoops, a basketball training company in the Northeast. He parlayed his passion for teaching, counseling, and mentorship into a successful business coaching and training basketball players of all skill levels. With Head and Heart Hoops, Jacobs has developed and mentored several professional and Division 1 college basketball players, learning how to implement strategic plans and execute on those plans to achieve results for his clients.

Jacobs attended Seton Hall University School of Law, graduating in May 2021. During his time at Seton Hall, he served as the Symposium Editor of the Seton Hall Law School Legislative Journal. As the Symposium Editor, Jacobs developed and produced the first annual Seton Hall Sports Law Symposium, bringing together prominent athletes, academics, and practitioners to discuss the future of Sports Law. Notable participants included professional athletes, professional agents, major college conference commissioners, athletic directors, federal judges, and a former governor. Jacobs also authored a legal comment exploring the nexus of tax policy and community development titled “Unlocking the ‘Opportunity’ in Opportunity Zones,” published in the Legislative Journal in December 2021.

Following graduation, Jacobs was hired as a consultant for Seton Hall Law School to develop their sports, entertainment, and gaming law program. As a consultant, Jacobs followed the success of the first Symposium by hosting the second annual Sports Law Symposium, focusing on Social Justice in Sports.

Undergraduate: Boston College 2016

Law School: Seton Hall Law 2021

Admitted to Practice Law: New Jersey

Professional License: NFLPA (NFL Player’s Association)

Of Counsel

Chuk Obiechefu is Of Counsel to GroundUp Law Group.

Chuk is the CEO and Managing Attorney of the Obi Law Group. He launched his practice after working in the corporate world, with a commitment to supporting the small businesses, professionals, and families looking to build their American Dream. Chuk was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, is a graduate of University of Georgia School of Law, and has lived and worked throughout the Southeastern U.S. He began his career in banking, real estate, and construction, working with large national companies and asset managers. During his time in the corporate world he's gained valuable experience working in and advising companies and executives on complex business operations, transactions, and asset management matters.

​Chuk focuses his practice in business law, estate planning, and intellectual property with an emphasis on asset management and risk management. At the core of his practice is the concept of the "family enterprise", which features a heartfelt focus on being a strategic partner to professionals, entrepreneurs, and family owned businesses, looking to build generational wealth.

As Managing Attorney, Chuk ensures that the highly skilled team at the Obi Law Group remains committed to providing heartfelt counsel and advocacy to its clients and the communities OLG serves. The Obi Law Group is committed to helping its clients protect what matters most and build generational wealth through business ownership, asset protection, and legacy planning. Chuk believes that the promise of the American Dream depends on the businesses and families on Main Street having access to high caliber legal services, tailored to their unique needs. Let Chuk and OLG get to the heart of your case today.

Undergraduate: Georgia State University 2013 — Bachelor of Arts, International Affairs; Graduated Cum Laude with Departmental Distinction

Law School: University of Georgia School of Law 2016

Admitted to Practice Law: Commonwealth of Kentucky, U.S. District Court - Western District of KY, U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs - VA Accredited Attorney

Areas of Practice: Business & Corporate Law, Trademarks & Copyrights, Estate Planning, Probate