Three years ago, Jeffrey Kessler, the superstar Winston & Strawn attorney, celebrated a resounding victory over the NCAA at the Supreme Court. In Alston v. NCAA, with a unanimous 9-0 vote, the justices decreed that the overseers of college sports are not immune from antitrust laws—and that the supposed “amateurism” of the players doesn’t justify restrictions on compensating them appropriately. It’s hard to understate the impact of this groundbreaking ruling, which produced a deluge of subsequent litigation, a wave that Kessler is currently riding with three significant cases—Hubbard, Carter, and House. This litigation could also potentially dismantle the NCAA’s age-old business model and funnel billions of dollars into the hands of collegiate athletes who have competed over the past decade.

The fact that Kessler, at 70, is at the forefront of this battle surprises no one familiar with his C.V. Since the 1990s, Kessler has undeniably been the most influential sports lawyer in the game, steering virtually every major labor action. He has represented star football and basketball players in pivotal disputes following the expiration of collective bargaining agreements, championed female soccer players in landmark cases for equal pay, and taken on various Olympic committees in the fight for individuals with disabilities. It’s nearly impossible to write the history of sports without mentioning Kessler’s impact.