Wisconsin Law Foundation presents the 2008 Donald
O’Melia
Local Service Award to
Martin J. Greenberg, Milwaukee
Martin Greenberg, left, with Chief Justice Abrahamson.
The Wisconsin Law Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated
to
supporting charitable and educational programs that promote public
understanding of the law and improvement of the administration of
justice. The
Donald O’Melia Local Service Award
recognizes
a lawyer who has made a significant public service contribution in his
or her local community.
Martin J. Greenberg has dedicated his life to education and the
law. He has been a professor at Marquette University Law School for 35
years. He is a noted expert in the area of real estate and sports law
and has lectured nationally and internationally. His books,
$port$Biz, Stadium Game, Sports Law Practice, and Wisconsin
Real Estate Practice, are some of the seminal contributions in the
field. He was also the founder of the National Sports Law Institute at
Marquette University, the leading sports law program in the country. He
is noted in the Best Lawyers in America.
“Marty has been recognized as one of American best sports
lawyers,” says National Sports Law Institute (NSPL) Professor
Matthew J. Mitten, “The institute has created the Martin J.
Greenberg Award for Excellence in Sports Law, which is given annually to
a law student who, like Marty, has made the most significant overall
contribution to Marquette’s Sports Law program.”
“Throughout his career, Martin has been of endless service to
the legal profession,” says friend and colleague Jay Smith.
“Perhaps the most important service he has provided to the
profession is teaching and mentoring hundreds of law students as
professor at Marquette University Law School. Martin has contributed a
great deal to the development of the law, in the areas of real estate
and sports law. He has done a great deal to help and serve his
community. His contributions have affected not only Milwaukee, but the
entire State of Wisconsin.”
Greenberg is also a community activist who has dedicated his life
to community service. He has served on the Marquette University Athletic
Board, is a member of the Wisconsin Department of Regulation &
Licensing Athlete Agent Advisory Committee, was director and secretary
of the Wisconsin Sports Authority, was chair of the Board of Wisconsin
State Fair Park and Wisconsin Exposition Center, turning the financial
fortunes of the park from deficits and losses to profitability. He was
chair of the Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation which produces the
Badger State Games and Ironman Wisconsin. He is also chair of the
Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee and the Wisconsin
Sports Foundation, and an at-large member of the Southeast Wisconsin
Professional Baseball District Board (Miller Park).
