Alan Fertel had always dreamt of working within the world of sports; but when he started his legal career in 1984, Florida’s sport scene was unimposing. An ascending local sports scene and a viral article helped the attorney, now at Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman, build the reputation that would eventually see him follow two clients to Paris as they compete in this year’s Olympics.

Fertel has boasted clients like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the Miami Heat, leading to a career that eventually caught the interest of Olympic gold medalist swimmer Caeleb Dressel. But before netting all those athlete clients, he had to get his foot in the door.