Eli Sherman Pillar of Achievement - 2026

A nationally recognized sports attorney, sports documentary producer, and a founding partner at Zelms Erlich Lenkov in Woodland Hills, Jeffrey Lenkov has spent over three decades litigating on behalf of top professional sports franchises, world class athletes, international sports agencies, and major celebrities, and has been a licensed NHL players agent. He has successfully defended a myriad of high-profile cases in both college and professional sports. He was lead trial counsel on the dispute over the Baltimore Orioles ownership, which ultimately paved the way for his clients to successfully sell the team. His advocacy in the California Supreme Court decision in Nalwa v. Cedar Fair remains a landmark ruling on assumption of risk in sports. Jeffrey has a world series ring from the Texas Rangers for his work with the team.

Recently Jeffrey was the lead attorney for the landmark decision when Major League Baseball lifted the lifetime ban on Pete Rose and ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson. He helped produce the HBO Emmy nominated documentary about Rose, “Charlie Hustle.” He co-created “Hustle & Hurt,” a Fox television show starring baseball legends Frank Thomas and Pete Rose. Jeff also helped create “Pigskin Preview” on Fox, starring pro football Hall of Famer Jackie Slater and Rams Super Bowl quarterback Vince Ferragamo. He is an owner of the British football club Leyton Orient. He was a lead speaker at the Collegiate Sports Summit NCAA Division I Athletic Directors meeting. He has been named both a Rising Star and Super Lawyer, and was an adjunct professor of sports law at Southwestern Law School and also teaches at UCLA. Jeffrey earned his Juris Doctor from the Northern Illinois University College of Law (selected as alumnus of the year) and a Bachelor’s degree from McGill University.

Jeffrey is involved with numerous Jewish and other charities across the world and started ‘Littles in Law’ to help at-risk youngsters receive real legal experiences and mentoring in law firms. He actively supports his Jewish summer camp B’nai Brith of Ottawa and recently funded the rebuild of their baseball field. He continues to pursue the first NHL series to occur in both Israel and the United Arab Emirates.