Joseph M. Hanna, the Chair of Goldberg Segalla’s Sports and Entertainment Practice Group, has been named a Law360 Rising Star for 2014. This national honor ranks Joe among the top lawyers under age 40 practicing today. He is one of only five named in the Media and Entertainment category, and one of just over 160 lawyers in the entire country to receive a Law360 Rising Star award this year.

Joe was honored for being a legal trailblazer who has represented giants in the media and entertainment world and authored some of the leading articles on high-profile issues making international headlines in these areas, including the first truly comprehensive examination of the legal issues in the National Football League concussion litigation controversy. He is the editor of Goldberg Segalla’s Sports and Entertainment Law Insider blog.

An extension of Joe’s media and entertainment work — one that has garnered national attention — is his role as the founder and president of Bunkers in Baghdad, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supplying new and used golf equipment to active-duty U.S. soldiers and wounded warriors across the world to aid in recreation and rehabilitation from injuries. Since its founding in October 2008, Bunkers in Baghdad has collected and distributed nearly 5 million golf balls, as well as more than 150,000 golf clubs.

The Chair of Goldberg Segalla’s Diversity Task Force, Joe has been honored by the national Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the New York State Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, the American Bar Association, and other organizations for his efforts.

Joe’s full Law360 Rising Stars profile will be published in the coming weeks.