Sports Lawyer and Mintz Member Tyrone Thomas Named to 2020 Lawyers of Color Power List

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Mintz Member Tyrone Thomas has been named to the Lawyers of Color 2020 Power List, which recognizes the most influential minority attorneys and allies in the nation. Lawyers of Color is a nonprofit devoted to promoting diversity in the legal profession, and advancing democracy and equality in marginalized communities.

Supported by the Diverse Partners Network, the Power List’s fifth edition includes the nation’s leading general counsel, law school deans, legal media and nonprofit leaders, in addition to the recognized attorneys in the largest 350 law firms. The honorees from law firms are selected through a survey that provides the names of the top attorneys of color who are either managing partners or management committee members.

As Co-chair of Mintz’s Sports & Entertainment Practice, Mr. Thomas focuses on legal issues pertaining to intercollegiate athletics and professional sports. A nationally recognized attorney, he advises on employment, executive compensation and workplace investigations for clients ranging from international corporations to nonprofit institutions. He also provides compliance assessments on governance issues and advises clients on conflicts of interest.

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Thomas is Chair of Mintz’s Diversity Committee. In this role, he leads the firm’s initiatives promoting diversity in the legal profession.

The honorees will be celebrated at a reception on February 26.

Research Chair on Anti-Doping in Sport created at the Université de Sherbrooke

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The Université de Sherbrooke and the World Anti-Doping Agency have created the very first research chair on anti-doping in sport. This chair will help position Quebec as an international pole in the fight against doping and will improve mentalities and practices by filling knowledge gaps in this area thanks to rigorous research. This is the first research chair to receive such significant funding through the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The Research Chair on Anti-Doping in Sport will study the management of the fight against doping in international sport. The chair will explore not only decision-making processes but also the choice of control tests and sanctions and the responsibilities of all stakeholders involved.

The chairholder is Professor David Pavot from the School of Management at the Université de Sherbrooke. His expertise in international law has already been called upon twice by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the chair’s main partner. WADA has therefore joined forces with the Université de Sherbrooke out of its desire to develop research in this field. The chair will launch with an investment of $2.5 million, an amount that could increase through new partnerships in the future.

WADA Director General, Olivier Niggli, said: “WADA is very proud of this partnership that strengthens the Agency’s presence in our host community since 2002; and, reiterates our commitment to Quebec’s research and academic communities. The Université de Sherbrooke is renowned in Canada and internationally for its capacity to create applied research programs and chairs with a variety of partners.  We are confident that it is well positioned to bring unique expertise and a perspective to the anti-doping community that is supported by research; and, in so doing, contribute to making Montreal a global center of excellence for anti-doping.ˮ

A research chair with an international scope

The Research Chair on Anti-Doping in Sport is the only chair in international sport management and the only one funded in part by WADA. To fill gaps in knowledge in this field, the chair will pursue five goals:

  1. Bring together multidisciplinary expertise in the fight against doping in sport.
  2. Develop theoretical and practical knowledge of anti-doping violations and their international management.
  3. Identify best government practices in anti-doping by developing a systematic analysis tool.
  4. Train qualified staff who can enhance the work of organizations that are involved in anti-doping.
  5. Publish results in the scientific community and communities of practice.

While these goals seem very simple when presented as a list, the lack of data in this field is nevertheless most likely due, in part, to the complexity of the subject and its context.

Professor David Pavot, holder of the Research Chair on Anti-Doping in Sport, explains that “WADA’s environment is made up of international organizations as well as national anti-doping agencies and sports federations… The fight against doping has an impressive number of levels. This association with WADA opens the door to a universe of remarkable depth.”

The chair’s international positioning will lead to extensive applied research. Since David Pavot is affiliated with the School of Management, he will oversee specialists from faculties at UdeS and even other institutions.

Professor François Coderre, Dean of the School of Management, and Vincent Joli-Coeur, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, are both delighted with this announcement: “We are proud to have the support of a major partner like WADA. Their involvement goes beyond philanthropic contributions, and this strategic partnership will let us showcase our expertise internationally as we become a global authority on research on anti-doping in sport and the training of specialists in this field.”

Training effective specialists

This research chair represents a considerable tool in the fight against doping, as the goal is also to train resources and give them tools to address this complex issue. Graduate students will be invited to conduct their research under the chair’s supervision.

Professor Jean-Pierre Perreault, Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies at the Université de Sherbrooke, is thrilled with this chair, whose reach will be international. “The working conditions provided by the chair will attract excellent applicants. This is good news for the world of sport: during and after their studies, students will be more than qualified to help change doping-related attitudes and practices. This is how UdeS will contribute to the fight against doping.”

Communities of practice will also benefit from the knowledge developed through the work of the Research Chair on Anti-Doping in Sport. The chair intends to quickly develop effective communication tools to reach out to the general public and to scientists in Canada and abroad.

Former Student-athlete and Longtime Commodore to Lead Vanderbilt Athletics as First Female Athletic Director

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In a landmark moment, Vanderbilt University Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente announced this week that Candice Storey Lee, a former standout student-athlete and three-time graduate of the university, has been named interim vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and interim athletic director.

Lee succeeds Malcolm Turner. The university accepted Turner’s resignation as vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director.

“Candice embodies the Vanderbilt Way, which is our commitment to ensuring that student-athletes excel on the field of play, academically and in life,” Wente said. “Candice is a trailblazer. Her unparalleled work ethic, energy and vision, and steadfast commitment to the Commodore family, will only build on our momentum.”

Lee is Vanderbilt’s first female athletic director and the first African American woman to head an SEC athletics program. Lee has served as an integral leader at the university and in Athletics for almost 20 years, most recently serving as deputy director of the program, a role she was appointed to in 2016.

“As someone who can personally appreciate the value of Vanderbilt’s unique student-athlete experience, I can say without reservation that we are building on a storied legacy of excellence and achievement—in athletics and in academics,” Lee said. “Vanderbilt is a special place, and this is a very exciting time—we are charting the future course of Vanderbilt Athletics. I am excited to work with our coaches, our staff and our student-athletes as we move forward.”

As one of her first steps as interim athletic director, Lee is assembling a working group comprising members of the Vanderbilt Athletics leadership team and coaching staff to provide input and to assist with next steps. Lee and the working group will collaborate directly with the interim chancellor and provost and the entire university leadership team on the launch and implementation of the Strategic Plan for Athletics in a holistic effort to support the university’s vision for the Vanderbilt Way.

“Candice and I have worked together at Vanderbilt for 18 years. It has been very enjoyable to watch her grow from a model student-athlete to someone who now models the behaviors of a strong leader in college athletics. Where she has shined most is through transitional times in our department,” Head Baseball Coach Tim Corbin said. “Candice is intuitive, communicates extremely well, is unafraid of challenges and operates with great care around people. She is my friend, a trusted colleague and someone I have leaned on through our time here at Vanderbilt. I look forward to working with her in her new role.”

Lee has been a key driver of the development of the Vanderbilt Strategic Plan for Athletics, which will outline the university’s vision to develop the best student-athlete experience in college athletics. The plan, expected to be announced in the coming weeks, will take a holistic and integrated approach to improving the student-athlete experience.

“We’re examining everything we do to support our student-athletes, from improving the fan experience and our facilities, to upping our game on fundraising, to developing new partnerships,” Lee said. “The plan will establish the conditions that our student-athletes need, today and in the future, to compete and win at the highest levels.”

“Candice has been a trusted adviser throughout my time at Vanderbilt—I rely on her experience, expertise and constant focus on the success of our program and the well-being of our student-athletes,” Head Men’s Golf Coach Scott Limbaugh said. “I am excited to work with her in this new capacity to build upon the success we’ve experienced over the past several years.”

Lee has been nationally recognized as a rising star in college athletics. In 2019, Sports Business Journal named her to its “Power Players: College Sports” list, which recognizes individuals who have “distinguished themselves as some of the best thinkers, problem-solvers and dealmakers in college sports and they will play a distinctly important role in its future.” In 2018, Adidas named Lee to its prestigious “NEXT UP” class, comprising “senior-level administrators, handpicked by some of the most respected athletic directors in the industry, who are believed to be ready to take the next step as athletic directors in their own right.”

“I have worked closely with Candice for many years—she is a tremendous asset to our athletics program and an inspiration to the entire Commodore Nation,” John Ingram, chair of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust Athletics Committee, said.

Along with her roles as associate vice chancellor and deputy athletic director, Lee has served as the department’s senior woman administrator since 2004. She oversees the day-to-day operations of the athletics department and also serves as the sport administrator for the football and women’s basketball programs. Lee formerly served as a member of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee, is the former chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Committee and a former chair of the SEC Senior Woman Administrators.

In September 2019, Lee was named a 2019-20 fellow of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association’s Pressnell Executive Leadership Institute. She is a member of the 2012 class of Leadership Nashville, the 2012 Vanderbilt Leadership Academy, the YWCA of Middle Tennessee Board of Directors and the SEC Executive Committee.

As a captain and four-year letter winner for Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball team, Lee graduated with a bachelor of science degree in human and organizational development in 2000. She also received her master’s degree in counseling from Vanderbilt in 2002, and in 2012, Lee earned her doctorate from Vanderbilt in higher education administration.

Lee has been instrumental in Vanderbilt Athletics’ success in proving that excellent academics and excellent athletics can coexist. In 2019, Vanderbilt finished with an overall Graduation Success Rate of 97, the highest of any SEC program for the fifth straight year. Athletics also posted a department-record 3.2 grade-point average this past spring semester, exceeding a 3.0 grade-point average for the 14th straight year.

Since 2007, Vanderbilt’s student-athletes have won five national championships, in baseball, women’s bowling and women’s tennis. Vanderbilt has also won 20 league titles and tournaments, including the Southeastern Conference baseball, men’s and women’s golf, women’s soccer and women’s tennis championships and the Southland Conference Bowling Championship. The Vanderbilt football team has played in six bowl games in recent years, breaking a 26-year drought in 2008.

Lee is taking over an athletics program, most recently led by Turner, that has experienced unprecedented success in recent years on and off the field.

“We appreciate Malcolm’s service to the university in support of our student-athletes and wish him the best in his future endeavors,” Wente said. “We are grateful for the contributions he has made during his tenure.”

“In a year of change and transition, it’s been a privilege to be a Commodore and witness firsthand the transformative power of the intersection of higher education and athletics. Vanderbilt Athletics has accomplished a great deal during my time at Vanderbilt, and the university’s athletics program and student-athletes are poised for future success,” Turner said. “However, at the onset of this next critical phase of key Athletics initiatives and after considering certain family commitments important to me, I have elected to pursue new opportunities. I fully support what will surely be an exciting next chapter for Vanderbilt Athletics and wish the entire Vanderbilt family the very best going forward. Thank you.”

University Study Suggests Resale Ticket Markets Benefit Sports Teams and Fans

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New research co-authored by Yanwen Wang, an assistant professor in the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, reveals that the resale ticket market also appeals to sports fans who normally buy season tickets.

Resale ticket markets — also known as secondary ticket markets — allow season ticket holders to recoup costs by selling unneeded tickets, as well as creating an alternative supply of tickets that reduce the need for fans to commit to a season’s pass.

It turns out this isn’t just beneficial for fans — it also boosts team revenues.

“Since sports teams earn significant portions of their revenues from season ticket holders, we wanted to find out how secondary markets actually impact their behaviour,” said Wang. “Our research reveals that sports fans are more likely to purchase season tickets when there is a secondary market because they know they can sell them easily. This in turn increases a sport team’s revenue by at least seven per cent per year.”

Wang says this is a conservative estimate as it does not include incremental revenue sources such as parking, concessions or merchandise sales. She adds that given sports teams have high fixed costs, low marginal costs, and perishable inventory like food served at concessions, the increased revenue could have significant implications for a team’s profitability.

For this study, Wang and her team examined a major league baseball team in the U.S. They analyzed 1,924 customers who purchased season ticket packages at least once over a six-year period and tracked their behaviour for 481 games. They looked at the ticket type, price paid, ticket usage and ticket resales to find out whether each ticket was used for attendance, listed, resold or forgone.

Among the researchers’ other discoveries was constraints on ticket pricing such as minimum price floors, which is pre-determining the lowest price in which a ticket could be sold at, have an adverse impact on season ticket sales.

“This is a complex issue because price floors may be motivated by a sports team’s desire to protect brand equity,” said Wang. “However, the teams must find ways to balance brand maintenance goals against the benefits of providing more value to the team’s hardcore fans.”

The researchers hope their study will encourage future research such as how data from the resale market can inform ticket pricing decisions, as well the effect on non-sports events like concerts.

Journal Reference: Michael Lewis, Yanwen Wang, Chunhua Wu. Season Ticket Buyer Value and Secondary Market Options. Marketing Science, 2019; DOI: 10.1287/mksc.2019.1183

Study Suggests 82 percent of Americans Are Interested in Placing a Legal Wager on Super Bowl

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DraftKings revealed this week findings from a national consumer study of American sports fans, including how a staggering 82 percent are interested to place a legal wager on the championship game next month. In a nationally representative poll of over 1,000 randomly sampled, self-identified American sports fans, the “Football & Fandom: The Bet Effect on the Big Game” study examined the fan preferences and various impacts of sports gaming.

Though still a relatively limited market since the Supreme Court ruling in 2018, legalized sports betting in the US is already showing tremendous promise and popularity as the study finds nearly a third of (31 percent) American sports fans have placed a legal, online wager. For the championship game this season, the engagement potential among fans who bet is significant, given that 78 percent expressed being more likely to watch the whole game if they make a wager. The game itself is not the only beneficiary of increased engagement either, as 61 percent also reported being more interested to watch commercials during the breaks if they place a bet. Additionally, daily fantasy remains highly relevant among American sports fans with 81 percent wanting to play in a daily fantasy sports contest specific to the Big Game.

 

O’Melveny Hosts The Big Game Sports Law CLE Breakfast in Miami on Thursday

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O’Melveny, University of Miami Law School, and Columbia University’s Master of Science in Sports Management Program are hosting The Big Game Sports Law CLE Breakfast in Miami on Thursday.

Among the topics are Hosting Major Events in Miami and The New Frontier: Soccer Arrives in Miami as topics. The event will be held at the Miami Beach JCC , starting at 8:30 a.m. and lasting till 11 a.m.

The panelists include:

Charles Baker
Partner and Co-Chair of Sports Industry Group
O’Melveny

Scott Rosner
Professor of Professional Practice; Academic Director, M.S. in Sports Management Program
Columbia University

Myles Pistorius
Senior Vice President, General Counsel
Miami Dolphins

Stephanie Toothaker
Chairwoman & Chief Strategist
Toothaker.org

Bruce Colan
VP and GC Miami Super Bowl Host Committee
Partner, Holland & Knight

Visit here to register.

Texas A&M Sports Law Professor Named to President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Science Board

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John O. Spengler, JD, PhD, of Texas A&M University, has been named to the 2020-2021 President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Science Board. A former sports law professor and a member of the Sports and Recreation Law Association, Dr. Spengler joins a group of academic and medical experts, who “will provide the Council with a solid scientific foundation in youth sports research.”

The Science Board is a subcommittee of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition.

Dr. Spengler currently serves as professor and head of the Department of Health Promotion and Community Health Services. Spengler’s research centers on policy issues around sport and recreation safety, obesity prevention, physical activity policy, and structural environmental factors (social and physical) that influence health. His work at the intersection of health, sport and physical activity has resulted in numerous grant funded projects, over 80 professional publications, two book chapters and four textbooks.

Sports Lawyer Nancy Hogshead-Makar to Deliver Keynote Address at Albany Law School’s Stoneman Day

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Albany Law School and the Kate Stoneman Honorary Committee announced today that Nancy Hogshead-Makar—Olympic champion, civil rights lawyer, and CEO of Champion Women, a nonprofit providing legal advocacy for girls and women in sports—will deliver the keynote address at the 26th Anniversary Kate Stoneman Day on March 19, 2020.

Kate Stoneman Day is Albany Law School’s annual celebration of women in law. As the keynote speaker, Hogshead-Makar will receive the prestigious Miriam M. Netter ’72 Stoneman Award, presented in honor of Kate Stoneman, the first woman admitted to practice law in New York State and the first woman to graduate from Albany Law School, Class of 1898.

“Nancy Hogshead-Makar is a champion in every sense of the word—a renowned attorney, a tireless advocate for equal rights, and an Olympic gold medalist,” said Albany Law School President and Dean Alicia Ouellette. “She exemplifies the trailblazing spirit of Kate Stoneman and is an inspired choice to headline our next Kate Stoneman Day.”

Hogshead-Makar recently led a multi-year effort to protect athletes from sexual abuse in club and Olympic sports, which culminated when a new federal law, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and SafeSport Authorization Act, was signed in February 2018.

Hogshead-Makar has testified in Congress numerous times on gender equity in athletics. She often serves as an expert witness in Title IX cases and has written amicus briefs representing athletic organizations in precedent-setting litigation, and is a frequent guest on national news programs on the topic, including CNN, ESPN, NPR, Fox News, MSNBC and 60 Minutes. Her book, co-authored with Andrew Zimbalist, EQUAL PLAY: TITLE IX AND SOCIAL CHANGE, has received acclaim since its release by Temple University Press. She was also the lead author of PREGNANT AND PARENTING STUDENT-ATHLETES: RESOURCES AND MODEL POLICIES, published by the NCAA.

Through her work, Hogshead-Makar has helped shape policy for girls and women. She has served on the NCAA Task Force on Gender Equity, and on the boards of Equality League, the Association of Title IX Administrators, the Aspen Institute’s Sport and Society, the One Love Foundation, and the World Olympians Association. Sports Illustrated listed her as one of the most influential people in the history of Title IX in 2007.

Hogshead-Makar capped eight years as a world-class swimmer at the 1984 Olympics, where she won three gold medals and one silver medal. She is a member of the Duke University Athletics Hall of Fame.

After the Olympics, she graduated with honors from Duke and earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1997. She went on to practice law at Holland & Knight LLP in the litigation and public law departments. From 2003 to 2012, she was the Co-Chair of American Bar Association Committee on the Rights of Women. From 2001 to 2013, Hogshead-Makar was a tenured professor on the faculty at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, where she taught first-year torts and sports law courses, including Gender Equity in Athletics.

Additional Stoneman Awards, given annually to individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to seeking change and expanding opportunities for women within the legal profession, will be announced at a later date.

Past Stoneman Award honorees include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, New York State Solicitor General Barbara Underwood, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Honorable Constance Baker Motley, former New York Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye—who delivered the inaugural keynote in 1994—and other leaders in the private sector, public service, and academia.
Kate Stoneman Day is free and open to the public.

For more information on Kate Stoneman and Albany Law School’s annual Kate Stoneman Day, visit katestoneman.org.

 

How to Become an Adjunct Sports Law Professor: A Road Map

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Maybe you feel a desire to give back. Maybe you want to enhance your leadership profile or firm bio. Or maybe you just want to earn a few extra bucks.

No matter what the rationale, becoming an adjunct is easier than you think, especially given that there are approximately 1,000 sports law classes taught any given semester, from the undergraduate level to law school.

Given that Sports Litigation Alert is used in approximately 75 to 100 sports law classrooms any given semester, we sought out a handful of the professors, who are adjuncts or were adjuncts and could offer some insights on how they accomplished their goal – including Caleb E. Jay, General Counsel of the Arizona Diamondbacks and a teacher at Arizona State University College of Law; Cara H. Wright, solo practitioner and sports law professor at Trinity University; Elizabeth Galloway, former Deputy Commissioner and Chief Legal Officer of the LPGA and now full-time assistant professor of practice and director of the business law program at Stetson University; Jeff Birren, former general counsel of the Oakland Raiders and sports law professor at Southwestern Law School; and William Robers, a shareholder at Sparks Willson Borges Brandt & Johnson P.C. and sports law professor at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Below the interview with the professors , you will also find the thoughts of Shaun Jamison, Associate Dean of Faculty at Concord Law School at Purdue University Global, who provides perspective from an administrator.

Question: How did the teaching opportunity come about?

Jay: In 2004, Dominican University of California contacted the University of San Francisco and asked for professor recommendations for Dominican’s Sports Management program.  I earned my J.D. as well as a M.A. in Sport Management from USF (and was Assistant General Counsel for the Oakland A’s), so the school recommended me to Dominican.  When I moved to Arizona, I wanted to resume teaching and reached out to the local schools to explore opportunities.  That led to me to teaching at Phoenix School of Law, followed by Arizona State University College of Law.

Wright: The person who taught the class before me was unable to continue teaching due to his busy schedule. I was recommended to Mr. (Jacob) Tingle and we met, and he asked if I would be interested in replacing the prior adjunct.

Galloway: When I knew my job at the LPGA was probably going to be coming to an end, I happened to be reading the Sports Business Journal “education issue” which contained articles about sport management programs.  That piqued my interest, so I started reaching out to some of the listed schools, which led to several adjunct positions.  I also got several adjunct jobs through contacts at the Sports Lawyers Association and the Professional Association of Athlete Development Specialists.

Birren: The school contacted me.  I went there and I had stayed in touch with one member of the staff.  It was that person who recommended me.

Robers: I asked to meet with the Sports Management program director, and took him out to lunch.  We discussed the program and the Sports Law class.  At that time, they had a non-lawyer teaching the class.  I suggested that it was a good idea to have a lawyer, and one that deals with these things on a day-to-day basis, to teach this.  When it opened up, he called me.

Q: What was the biggest challenge of teaching sports law for the first time?

Jay: Determining the textbook and other reading materials that best aligned with what I wanted to teach in the class.  Preparing the lecture materials was also a time-consuming experience, as I wanted each class to be well-structured and thorough.

Wright: For me, it was making sure everyone had a concrete grasp on the material as a lot of the things we discussed can and will come up in real life as they progress to work in the sports field.

Galloway: The biggest challenge of teaching sports law for the first time was figuring out how to engage students with the subject matter.  It took me awhile to figure out how to move away from the model of just textbook readings and lectures, and to incorporate more interesting readings (like the Sports Litigation Alert) and interactive classroom exercises.

Birren: By far trying to figure out what to teach and what to leave out.  There is no such thing as “sports law” but rather it is sports and the law and laws.  One cannot include most of those laws.  Moreover, it has changed so much in team sports as the labor exemption now covers many areas of league operations that were once subject to the Sherman Act in cases brought by players’ unions.  So if things have changed dramatically, they can keep changing.  The law does not stand still.

Robers: The biggest challenge at first was preparing for the class by reading through the book, and trying to prepare slides and presentations.  It takes a while to get up-to-speed.  The book is a great one, and helps a ton.  But just figuring out how to move through the book, and how to present the information to the class takes a while to get used to.

Q: What was the best part about teaching the class?

Jay: I truly enjoy the dynamic of interacting with students and sharing insights.  It is also rewarding to have students pursue opportunities in sports law based on their experiences in my class.

Wright: The best part is seeing the students work through real life examples that came up in the media using the material we discussed in class. Also, I use the SLA as their group project— they are to pick a case and do an oral argument and that was my favorite part of the class. The students dressed up as lawyers, took the argument seriously and really did a great job.

Galloway: The best part of teaching is interacting with the students, particularly seeing the light bulb go on when they can connect what they are learning in the classroom to things going on in the real, current world of sport business.

Birren: I think the best part was recognizing when I had motivated students to do more than read the material, participate in class and then take the final.  This year four of my students co-wrote articles with me in the semester following the class and that was highly rewarding.  I was also gratified when students began to learn that it is an industry that is subject to all sorts of laws, federal and state, statutory and common law, and in all sorts of areas that in law school are traditionally separate classes.  It does not work that way in the real world so I felt that it was important for students to learn that now and that seemed to resonate with them.

Robers: Honestly, best part about teaching the class is the knowledge that I gain about the sports law world.  I would likely not spend as much time researching these seminal cases, but for the teaching.  It has helped my practice a bunch.  Simple things like constitutional law and state actor issues have now become common place in my vocabulary, and have helped me in arbitrations, etc.  The next best thing is the students, obviously.  To see them have NO idea about the law when they come in, to having them spout certain teaching points, makes me smile.

Q: What advice would you give an attorney looking to become an adjunct?

Jay: Be proactive in consulting with other adjunct professors on methodologies.  It is also beneficial to get student feedback.  At the halfway point of every semester, I have the students anonymously provide written feedback (good or bad) so I can incorporate reasonable changes for the remainder of the class (and also know what they like about the class).

Wright: Get in touch with the local universities/colleges and see what’s available and start from there. Also see if you are able to find someone that is a direct connection to the person doing the hiring as that always helps.

Galloway: For attorneys looking to use adjunct teaching as a stepping-stone to teaching full-time, be patient because it may take a while for the right full-time opening to come along (and be prepared for very low pay), but it can be done.  For attorneys looking to teach in addition to their day job, it can be an interesting and rewarding experience, but do not underestimate the time it takes outside of the classroom (preparing for class, grading papers, etc.), particularly the first time around.  And do not expect your hourly rate for the adjunct gig to be anywhere close to your hourly rate in your day job!

Birren: To do it right takes far more time than one usually anticipates.  I spent a lot of time putting materials together to supplement the textbook because I didn’t find any that truly worked for me.  They all had too much material written by the authors and not nearly enough actual cases and statutes.

Robers: If you’d like to be an adjunct, it is important to talk with the program director.  Explain why having a lawyer teaching this class is important.  If you don’t know why that is important, it is probably best that you don’t teach.  Be prepared to spend a ton of time preparing for classes (especially the first time).  Even after the first time, it will take more time than you think.  Last advice is to try to do simple assignments that don’t take long to grade.  Grading 43 papers, in addition to a full-time job as an attorney, is hard work.  Using scantron on the exams is very helpful.

Recommendations from a Dean About Securing an Adjunct Position

Shaun Jamison, Associate Dean of Faculty at Concord Law School at Purdue University Global, offered the following insights to Sports Litigation Alert.

Q: How did the teaching opportunity come about?

A: Most of our hires who aren’t returning professors are hired through the online applications on the Purdue Global website when we post.  Don’t discount social networking. I hired someone I knew from a project we worked on together years ago because I saw their LinkedIn updates showing they were consistently writing in the subject area I needed an adjunct for.

Q: What was the biggest challenge of teaching a class for the first time?

A: Every school is a little different so one of the challenges is making sure to get an understanding of expectations and the unique characteristics of the student body. We hire people with teaching experience, so usually the challenge is translating prior experience into a new setting, rather than learning to teach for the first time. For me, one of the changes I needed to make was moving from the idea that it was about me being the teacher, rather about what the students were learning.

Q: What was the best part about teaching the class?

A: I just heard from one of my adjuncts that teaching made him a better lawyer.

Q: What advice would you give someone looking to become an adjunct?

A: Get teaching experience whether it is CLEs, community education, webinars, undergrad, guest speaking or any other opportunities. You have to show you are serious about teaching. Some schools will prioritize formal publication, but even for ones who don’t, they will want to see you publishing in your area of expertise whether law review, blogs, trade journals, or other publishing. As far as applying, make sure to include a cover letter which quickly outlines how you are qualified to teach the subject. Many people want to teach, you need to stand out in a huge pile of applications. Make sure you have edited your application carefully so that the cover letter, resume, and file names don’t apply to a different job as this will not give a good impression. On that note, there simply shouldn’t be any errors in the application.

The following article was published initially in Sports Litigation Alert.

Sports Law Professor Ellen Zavian Talks About Esports at National Conference

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Sports Law Professor Ellen Zavian, who is teaches at GW Law School, was the keynote speaker at “ED Games Expo Showcase: Esports & Education,” which was held in early January at the Wilson Center in Washington D.C.

Zavian, who is the editor-in-chief of Esports and the Law, has become one of the nation’s leading experts about the developing practice known as esports law. The entire conference can be viewed at the following link. However, skip forward ten minutes to catch her talk: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/ed-games-expo-showcase-esports-education

Zavian began her career in sports when she was a student at the University of Maryland where she worked in the university’s intramural sports and recreation department while working at the Maryland Race Tracks in the promotional department on weekends. While earning her law degree, she interned at the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Soon after graduation, Zavian became the first female attorney/agent in the NFL. She has represented the US Women’s Soccer and Softball gold medalists and extreme athletes, collectively, and held the title of Commissioner for the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.

Zavian served as coordinator for the NFLPA’s Native American project, a nationally recognized journalist, and a court expert in licensing/sports agreements. She also created the United Breakin Association, a global association for competitive break dancers and was appointed to a task force to get break dancing in the Olympics (Youth Olympics 2018 and Olympics 2024).

She has served on many sports-related committees, including the DC Bar’s Arts, Entertainment, Media, and Sports Section, and co-created the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Sports & Entertainment Committee. She teaches sports law, negotiations, leadership, and entrepreneurship at the George Washington University School of Business and GW Law School, while serving her clients in the sports industry, conducting arbitrations, and leading corporate workshops.