Brian Fox

Brian leverages his extensive litigation experience to offer strategic counsel to private closely held businesses, local governments, and universities at Fox & Ziepfel, LLC. His comfort in the courtroom enables him to structure transactions that anticipate risks, as well as address thorny disputes once litigation becomes unavoidable.

For business and corporate clients, Brian is a trusted advisor on complex transactions—from mergers and acquisitions to the nuanced needs of nonprofit and religious institutions. His guidance spans contractual disputes, shareholder derivative actions, and commercial lease negotiations, ensuring clients stay ahead in a competitive landscape.

In the public sector, Brian advises a broad array of governmental clients, including the State of Ohio, municipalities, townships, counties, school districts, and universities. His work covers economic development, eminent domain, Ohio’s Sunshine Laws, zoning and land use, and constitutional issues—helping shape both policy and compliance frameworks.

Brian also maintains a strong connection to the collegiate athletic community. With deep expertise in NCAA Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) regulations, he provides strategic guidance to educational institutions and third-party collectives. He launched the University of Cincinnati’s inaugural NIL collective, Cincy Reigns, structured as an all-volunteer initiative with no paid staff or board members. This structure maximizes direct impact on student-athletes and local nonprofits.

Since its launch, Cincy Reigns has:

• Become the official (and only) NIL collective serving the University of Cincinnati’s athletic department and student-athletes
• Substantially increased NIL revenue contributions from university stakeholders to benefit student-athletes and nonprofits
• Forged creative partnerships with local and national businesses to build recurring revenue sustaining the university’s NIL ecosystem
• Launched a groundbreaking partnership with Rhinegeist Brewery to create Cincy Light, now rapidly expanding across the region
• Recorded over 500 volunteer hours by student-athletes in just Q1 and Q2 of 2024, significantly benefiting Greater Cincinnati charities
• Collaborated with university leadership to develop innovative strategies for recruiting and retaining elite student-athletes

A former adjunct professor of Business Law and Corporate Ethics at the University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business, Brian continues to teach and train stakeholders on NIL compliance, infrastructure, and strategic impact.

Brian has served as the Law Director/City Solicitor for the City of Madeira since 2015. He was also unanimously reappointed by the Butler County Commissioners to a third four-year term on the Butler County Finance Authority (formerly the Butler County Port Authority). He earned his law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and served as a judicial clerk for the 12th District Court of Appeals in Middletown, Ohio.