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 also a certified FINRA arbitrator.

He was formerly licensed by both the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) and Federal International Basketball Association (FIBA) as a Basketball Agent.

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: Formerly held NBPA (NBA Player’s Association), FIBA (International Basketball Federation) licenses.

Of Counsel

Drew Jacobs is Of Counsel to GroundUp Law Group and the Founder and Managing Attorney of Jacobs Counsel LLC, an AI-native boutique law firm. He is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey, and Ohio, and was named a 2026 Super Lawyers Rising Star in Entertainment & Sports Law.

Drew's practice centers on gaming law, estate planning, startup and outside general counsel work, NIL and athlete representation, creator and entertainer representation, and hospitality. He represents founders, athletes, creators, and operators across the sports, entertainment, gaming, and technology industries, with a focus on applying modern technology and AI to deliver legal work faster and more strategically than traditional firms.

In addition to his firm, Drew directs the Seton Hall University Gaming Law Bootcamp, now in its seventh year, which convenes operators, regulators, and counsel from across the gaming industry. He also writes Court Vision Weekly, a newsletter covering the business and legal currents shaping sports, entertainment, gaming, and hospitality.

Before law school, Drew walked on to the varsity basketball team at Boston College, competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference while completing the Honors Program at the Carroll School of Management. A Mendham, New Jersey native, he was an all-state point guard and 1,000-point scorer at Mendham High School, winning a state championship and multiple county championships along the way.

After graduating from Boston College in 2016, Drew founded Head and Heart Hoops, a Northeast basketball training company through which he coached and mentored professional and Division I college players. He earned his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law in 2021, where he served as Symposium Editor of the Seton Hall Legislative Journal and founded the Seton Hall Sports Law Symposium, bringing together athletes, agents, conference commissioners, athletic directors, federal judges, and a former governor for its inaugural program. His legal comment, Unlocking the "Opportunity" in Opportunity Zones, was published in the Journal in December 2021.

Following graduation, Drew consulted for Seton Hall Law to build out its sports, entertainment, and gaming law programming, hosting the second annual Sports Law Symposium on Social Justice in Sports.

Education Boston College, B.S. 2016 Seton Hall University School of Law, J.D. 2021

Bar Admissions New York, New Jersey, Ohio

Recognition Super Lawyers Rising Star, Entertainment & Sports Law (2026)

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