Clinic - Sports Law

Legal Advocacy to Advance Athletes’ Rights and Sports Participation The Sports Law Clinic provides direct legal services to individuals and entities involved with sports who encounter legal issues arising from their sports participation or commercial activity around sports. Sports have long been an important socio-cultural learning experience, an engine for economic opportunity, and a generator of manifold health benefits and life skills. Access to participate in sports has been recognized as a human right, along with recognition of fundamental procedural rights in sports disciplinary mechanisms. Care must be taken that individual participants are aware of these rights and treated fairly when they are at risk of exclusion from or exploitation by sports participation. This risk is increasing with the intensifying regulation and commercialization of sports, especially as to vulnerable young athletes in Olympic, college, high school, emerging, and recreational sports. To secure their participation, these athletes must navigate complex bodies of law—both private and public—governing a wide array of matters including: team eligibility and selection, rights of publicity (NIL) and privacy, commercial disputes, SafeSport, entitlement to scholarship and other funding, and competition integrity. While these regulations may be sound and further important values, the populations they target nonetheless are entitled to due process and protections from abuse. Early-career athletes especially face very real challenges gaining access to relevant legal advice, and when they fail to get this advice, it can have significant, unintended consequences for them, their loved ones, and their future prospects. Legal Assistance The Sports Law Clinic provides direct legal services to individual athletes who meet indigency standards. Clinic students, supervised by faculty, handle all aspects of clients’ cases, including interviewing and counseling; developing claims and determining strategy; preparing affidavits, pleadings, motions, and briefs; participating in hearings in private arbitral tribunals; and reviewing and drafting settlements and commercial contracts. In addition to assisting underrepresented athletes, the clinic participates in law reform initiatives, public education efforts, and other forms of advocacy to make the greatest impact on access to sports participation. About Us Students accepted in the Sports Law Clinic come from diverse backgrounds and most have significant experiences in sports, including working, competing, and coaching at elite levels. All share a passion for advancing access to sports participation and protecting athletes’ rights. The clinic seeks out students with a demonstrated interest in using their law degree in the sports industry. Priority is given to students who have taken the Sports Law course or have some background, either through coursework or practical experience, in some of the following areas: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Administrative Law, College Athletics, Intellectual Property, Interviewing and Counseling, Negotiations, Right of Publicity, Sports Enterprise Governance, Talent Representation, and Transactional Drafting.