James Nichols Dimento, Class of 2022

1. Tell us about yourself.
I’m a 3L from Memphis, TN and a TCU Alumni with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Communication Studies. I have been involved in sports my entire life, starting out as a competitive fencer growing up and eventually a Manager for TCU Men’s Basketball. I came to SMU law hoping to combine my love of sports with a legal background in order to pursue a career in sports law.

2. Why did you decide to come to SMU Law?
After attending TCU, I fell completely in love with Texas and the DFW area, and wanted to come to a law school that provided me the best education while at the same time providing the connections necessary to establish a career in the place I have come to call home. For those reasons, SMU was #1 on my list from the moment I started applying to law schools, and was ecstatic to be given the opportunity to attend this great university.

3. What has been your favorite class and why?
Either Contracts or Antitrust. First, because both of these classes were taught by my favorite Professor, Dean Rogers, who immediately recognized my love of sports and made sure to call on me whenever a case or fact pattern related to my area of expertise (whether I was prepared or not). Second, both of these classes were where I realized that I could use the same mental process I had used to analyze sports and apply these to the legal setting.

4. When you are not in school or studying, what do you do for fun?
Watch basketball, play golf, and go on walks with my dog, Alfie.

5. What extracurricular activities have you enjoyed most and why? (SBA, moot court, etc.)
Last spring, I was a part of the Mock Trial team for the Tulane Baseball Arbitration Competition. This sports law competition required us to make legal arguments using baseball statistics and analysis in an arbitration setting. I loved the opportunity to combine my legal and sports knowledge in a competitive setting, while having the chance to make some great connections in sports law. I was very proud that we were the first SMU team to win our Group of 10 and advance to the quarterfinals, and plan on competing again this year and bring home the championship for SMU Law!

6. How has law school challenged you most?
Law school has challenged because from your first day of 1L it forces you to not only learn an entirely new field, but to learn a new way of thinking. You have to completely change how you learn and analyze situations, but once this way of thinking clicks it is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in an academic setting.

7. What has been your most memorable law school moment so far?
Being the first SMU team at the Tulane Baseball Arbitration to win our group of 10 and advance to the quarterfinals. Looking to the future, I am excited to be a part of SMU’s Corporate Counsel Externship program and be working with the Big 12 Conference this fall.

8. What do you plan to do post-graduation?
Post-graduation, I hope to be working in sports, possibly the NBA. My dream is too combine the lessons I learned as a part of the TCU Men’s Basketball Team with my legal knowledge to help a NBA team win a title.

9. Where do you see yourself in 5 and 10 years?
Working in the front office of an NBA Team (since I’m in Dallas now, Go Mavericks!). It has always been my dream for my career to be spent working towards winning a title, as this kind of environment has always been where I am at my best.