Brooklyn Law School Makes Top 30 List for Sports Law Program
As sports law evolves from a niche specialization to a multidisciplinary field, Brooklyn Law School has pivoted its approach to how the specialty is taught and taken full advantage of its New York City location. Those factors led Hackney Publications to rank it among the top 30 U.S. sports law programs for 2026.
An early glimpse of the ranking, which was published on the Sports Law Expert blog on May 26, listed the top 30 schools in alphabetical order (they are not ranked), with the full list set to drop the evening of May 28 on Sports Litigation Alert. Brooklyn Law School was named to the publication’s Top 25 list in 2024 as well.
"Brooklyn Law School continues to be an attractive destination for aspiring sports attorneys in New York City, leveraging its proximity to players’ unions, major leagues, and leading agencies to provide students with substantial experiential opportunities," the article states.
Bolstered by Sports Clinic Launch
The ranking points to the expansion of the sports law program by Professor Jodi Balsam to include the new BLS Sports Law Clinic, which she directs and which was launched in December 2025. It is the only sports law clinic in New York City, as well as the only sports law externship course in the city, placing students in local leagues, teams, firms, and agencies for academic credit and giving them the opportunity to provide pro bono representation to underserved and emerging athletes.
With sports law expanding from a contract negotiation focus into the complicated areas of private equity, artificial intelligence, and the growing name, image, and likeness (NIL) landscape, the Law School’s program has kept pace. It has served clients navigating NIL, House v. NCAA settlement-related claims, eligibility disputes, pay-structure issues, SafeSport and disciplinary proceedings, antidoping matters, and youth sports access barriers, alongside policy work including leading Title IX research.
The program was also recognized for student participation in eight sports law competitions last year, including negotiation, arbitration, and litigation events, and for the success of its 5th Annual Sports Law Symposium on the theme of "Athlete as Entrepreneur," which was hosted by the Brooklyn Entertainment and Sports Law Society (BESLS) and drew some 200 registrants to Brooklyn Law School on Oct. 24, 2025.
Field Experts and Strong Employment Outcomes
In addition to Balsam, students benefited from the international perspective of visiting Professor William Bull (of Maastricht University) on sports agent regulation. Accomplished NIL expert Kristi Dosh will also join to teach a Name, Image, and Likeness course beginning next academic year.
"Most significantly, Brooklyn Law maintains strong employment outcomes, placing graduates into sports law roles across major leagues, teams, and leading firms in New York and beyond," the article states.