2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Arbitrators & Mediators Seminar

This Wednesday CAS session is only open to CAS Arbitrators and Mediators and registration for this Seminar should be handled directly through CAS.

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Academic Research Paper Session

Moderators:

Thomas A. Baker, III, Professor, University of Georgia
Alicia Jessop, Professor, Pepperdine University

Presenters:

John Holden, Oklahoma State University
Legalized Sports Wagering in America

Steve Ross, Penn State University
Could Jackie Robinson Play Baseball Today? A Case Study of Baseball’s Vertical Integration of Minor League Baseball, its Harm to Competition and Social Equity, and the Need for an Antitrust Challenge

Josh Lens, University of Arkansas
NIL Compliance

Alfred Yen, Boston College
Unconscionability and Tort Waivers in Sports: A New Common Law Limit?

Dmitry Pentsov, Meyerlustenberger Lachenal Froriep Ltd
Development of International Sport Law at the times of COVID-19: Opening the Pandora’s Box?

Christopher Deubert, Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP
Major League Soccer at Twenty-Five: Legal and Financial Considerations for the Next Quarter Century

Surbhi Kuwelker, Université de Neuchâtel
Evolution of CAS HR Jurisprudence: Observations from Keramuddin Karim v. FIFA

Dionne Koller,University of Baltimore School of Law
Identifying Youth Sport

9:30 am – 10:45 am

Breaking into the Sports Law Industry

Moderator:

Aaron Hernandez, Director, Allan "Bud" Selig Sports Law and Business Program, Arizona State University

Panelists:

Kelly Burton, Sports Attorney, the Allison Law Firm, Chtd
Paia LaPalombara, Assistant Athletic Director, Ohio State University
Kap Misir, Associate General Counsel, Roc Nation
Robert Ollman, Associate Counsel, Phoenix Suns

10:45 am – 11:00 am

Recognition of 2023 Sports Law Writing Competition Winners

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Lunch on own

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Welcome Reception
Sponsored by    

12:15 pm – 12:30 pm

SLA 2023 Annual Conference Welcome by Allison Rich, SLA President

12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

An Overview of Recent Legal Developments in Sports

Panelists:

Gabe Feldman, Sher Garner Professor of Sports Law and Paul and Abram B. Barron Professor of Law, Tulane Law School; Director, Tulane Sports Law Program; Associate Provost for NCAA Compliance; Co-Director, Tulane Center for Sport Tulane University; Arbitrator, Court of Arbitration for Sport; Labor Arbitrator, American Arbitration Association.
Matt Mitten, Professor of Law and Executive Director, National Sports Law Institute, Marquette University Law School; Arbitrator, American Arbitration Association and Court of Arbitration for Sport, SLA Past President
Maureen Weston, Professor of Law, Director, Entertainment Media & Sports Law Program, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

2:00 pm – 3:15 pm

General Counsels’ Forum

Moderator:

Adolpho Birch III, Senior Vice President & Chief Legal Officer at Tennessee Titans

Panelists:

Jennifer Abruzzo, General Counsel, National Labor Relations Board
Christopher McCleary, General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, US Olympic & Paralympic Committee
William Ordower, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer, National Women’s Soccer League
Daniel Spillane, Senior Vice President, League Governance & Policy, National Basketball Association

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm

Refreshment Break
Sponsored by    

3:30 pm – 3:45 pm

Presentation to the 2023 Sports Lawyers Associations Philanthropic Recipient
Sponsored by    

3:45 pm – 5:00 pm

Executive Directors’ Forum

Moderator:

Gabe Feldman, Sher Garner Professor of Sports Law and Paul and Abram B. Barron Professor of Law, Tulane Law School; Director, Tulane Sports Law Program; Associate Provost for NCAA Compliance; Co-Director, Tulane Center for Sport Tulane University; Arbitrator, Court of Arbitration for Sport; Labor Arbitrator, American Arbitration Association

Panelists:

Meghann Burke, Executive Director, National Women’s Soccer League Players Association
Tony Clark, Executive Director, Major League Baseball Players Association
Terri Jackson, Executive Director, Women’s National Basketball Players Association
Ron Klempner, General Counsel, National Basketball Players Association
DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director, National Football Players Association
Martin J. Walsh, Executive Director, National Hockey League Players Association

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Discrimination in Sports a US and International Perspective

Moderator:

Jeremi Duru, Professor, American University Washington College of Law

Panelists:

Paul McDonald, Principal- PL McDonald Law
Leanne O'Leary, Senior Lecturer in Law and International Arbitrator- (London)
Cardelle Spangler, Managing Partner Winston & Strawn Chicago
Emily Wisnosky, Legal Affairs Manager, FIBA

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

SLA After Hours: Cocktails and Conversation
Sponsored by    

Join us for SLA After Hours: Cocktails and Conversation with entertainment by Nathalie Bonin, multi-award Winning Canadian/American composer, violinist and music producer, Nathalie Bonin is a featured composer and soloist on the Grammy Winning “Women Warriors: The Voices of Change”. Nathalie has scored the music for numerous movies, short films and television series as well as theme songs and soundtracks for worldwide audiences. Her compositions have been featured on Bridgerton, New Amsterdam, Good Sam, The Oprah Conversations.

Born in Athens, GA (1979) and raised in Jacksonville, FL, Otha Davis III also known as Vakseen is a self-taught, museum-exhibited visual artist, and a diamond and multi-platinum music executive & producer. While working on hit records has played a driving force in his career, Vakseen has been an active realist painter since moving to Los Angeles in 2011. Known for his vibrant, pop culture-influenced acrylic paintings, his artwork has been exhibited by museums, galleries and major brands around the world. Vakseen’s art can be seen on VakseenArt.com

7:30 am – 8:30 am

Continental Breakfast

7:30 am – 8:30 am

New Member Breakfast

7:30 am – 8:30 am

Outreach Captain Breakfast (Invitation Only)

8:30 am – 10:30 am

A Cautionary Tale: Ethical Traps for the Unwary, College NIL Deals

Moderator:

Mary K. Braza, Retired Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP

Panelists:

Tim Nevius, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs & Athlete Advocacy, Overtime Sports
Honorable Tamara Ribas, Review Judge, The State Bar Court of California

10:30 am – 10:45 am

Refreshment Break
Sponsored by    

10:45 am – 12:00 pm

Words Matter, but so Do your Actions

Moderator:

Bob Wallace, Jr., Chairman Sports Law Group, Thompson Coburn LLP

Panelists:

Shamis Beckley, Partner, Cooley
Jay Kanassatega, Retired Professor of Law, Business & Commercial Litigation Attorney to Indian Tribes and Companies doing business in Indian Country.
Nona Lee, Founder and CEO, Truth DEI
Allison Rich, Athletic Director, University of New Hampshire
Mori Taheripour, Faculty, The Wharton School

12:15 pm – 12:30 pm

Opening Remarks by Kevin Demoff, CEO, Los Angeles Rams

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

Join us for lunch and an informal discussion with an NIL Athletes Perspective from Chase Griffin, Student Athlete, UCLA Football
Sponsored by    

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm

Women's Soccer: Equal Pay, Coaching Misconduct, Age Restrictions, Expansion, and the Lawyer’s Role in it All

Moderator:

Jayma Meyer, Counsel, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett: Visiting Clinical Professor, Indiana University

Panelists:

Jeanifer Parsigian, Partner, Winston & Strawn LLP
Arianna Scavetti, Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Leonard Simon, Of Counsel, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm

Latest Developments and Recent CAS Case Law

Panelists:

Michael Lenard, Vice President, ICAS
Brent Nowicki, CEO, World Aquatics
Matthieu Reeb, Director General, CAS
Lia Yokomizo, Counsel, CAS

1:45 pm – 3:45 pm

NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor Session (This session is open to NFL agents only)

Panelists:

Tom DePaso, General Counsel, NFLPA
Ned Ehrlich, Associate General Counsel, NFLPA
Mark Levin, Salary Cap, Agent Administration, NFLPA

2:45 pm – 3:45 pm

PGA Tour/LIV Golf Litigation: Antitrust and Individual Sport Governing Bodies

Moderator:

Jeffrey B. Gewirtz, Executive Vice President – Business Affairs & Chief Legal Officer, BSE Global

Panelists:

Jodi S. Balsam, Professor of Clinical Law & Director of Externship Programs, Brooklyn Law School; Adjunct Professor of Sports Law, New York University School of Law; Legal Analyst, NBC Sports, the Golf Channel
Stephen F. Ross, Professor of Law, Penn State Law; Co-Executive Director, Penn State Center for the Study of Sports in Society
Bradley I. Ruskin, Partner & Co-Chair of Sports Law Group, Proskauer Rose LLP

2:45 pm – 3:45 pm

Betting on Sports Betting – Current Industry Topics Facing Sports Entities and Athletes

Moderator:

Kevin Schulz, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP

Panelists:

Christopher Conniff, Partner, Ropes & Gray LLP
Peter Czegledy, Co-Chair of Sports, Media and Entertainment practice and Chair of Gambling and Gaming/eSports practices, Aird & Berlis LLP
Jill Kelley, Vice President, Legal Affairs, New York Jets
Alex Smith, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Fanatics Betting & Gaming

3:45 pm – 4:00 pm

Refreshment Break
Sponsored by    

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Breakout Session #1

Session A: The Impact of League and Ownership Changes

Moderator:

Maggy Carlyle, Senior VP and General Counsel, Detroit Lions

Panelists:

Tim Aragon, General Counsel, Denver Broncos
Heather Karatz, Executive Vice President, Growth & Talent Operations, United Talent Agency
Penny Toler, General Manager, The Ice House and Former Executive VP & General Manager, Los Angeles Sparks

Session B: Leaning-In: Safeguarding Athlete Health and Safety as a Continuum

Moderator:

Naima Stevenson Starks, SLA Board Member

Panelists:

Yolanda Bruce Brooks, Psy.D, HSP Licensed Clinical Sports Psychologist
Nicole Deal, Senior Vice President, Chief of Security & Athlete Services, USOPC
Stephen Starks, Vice president, Legal Affairs, Concerts at Live Nation Entertainment; NASCAR Substance Abuse Policy Consultant

Session C: Sports Arbitration from the Athlete’s Perspective

Moderator:

Matt Mitten, Professor of Law and Executive Director, National Sports Law Institute, Marquette University Law School; Arbitrator, Court of Arbitration for Sport and American Arbitration Association; SLA Past President

Panelists:

Howard Jacobs, Attorney / Founder, Law Offices of Howard L. Jacobs
Despina Mavromati, Attorney-at-law, BianchiSchwald LLC; Lecturer at the Law Faculty of the University of Lausanne
Hubert Radke, Sports Lawyer and Basketball Player’s Agent, Radke Sports Law; Scholar at Law and Administration Faculty of the Nicolas Copernicus University, Torun, Poland

Session D: Current Labor Law Issues in Collegiate and Professional Sports

Moderator:

Gregg E. Clifton, Partner, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP

Panelists:

Garrett Broshiuis, Former Professional Baseball Player, San Francisco Giants Organization, Litigation Attorney, Korein Tillery
Christopher Deubert, Senior Counsel, Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP
Joshua D. Nadreau, Partner, Fisher Phillips

Session E: Development of Sports Cities: Weighing the Alternatives

Moderator:

Layth Gafoor, Lucentem Sports and Entertainment

Panelists:

Irwin Raij, Partner, Sidley Austin, LLP
Greg Sherlock, Principal, Senior Architect, Populous

Session F: Investigations Playbook: Rules of the Road in Conducting Sports Investigations

Moderator:

Jared Bartie, Partner, Chair, Sports Transactions Practice, Willkie Farr & Gallagher

Panelists:

Soumya Dayananda, Partner, Compliance, Investigations & Enforcement, Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Tim Heaphy, Partner, Co-Chair, Compliance, Investigations & Enforcement, Willkie Farr & Gallagher

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Breakout Session #2 (Same Topics and Rooms as Previous Session)

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

President’s Reception

8:30 am – 9:30 am

Continental Breakfast

8:30 am – 9:30 am

Women in the SLA Breakfast
Sponsored by    

8:30 am – 9:30 am

International Breakfast

9:30 am – 11:00 am

Two Years of NIL: Legal and Policy Issues

Moderator:

C. Peter Goplerud, Of Counsel, Spencer Fane LLP

Panelists:

Mike Bohn, Athletic Director, University of Southern California
Anil Gollaholli, General Counsel, Big Ten Conference
Chase Griffin, Student, Athlete, UCLA Football
Allison Rich, Athletic Director, University of New Hampshire
Mit Winter, Attorney, Kennyhertz-Perry

11:00 am – 11:15 am

Refreshment Break

11:15 am – 12:15 pm

The Winding Road to Hosting an Olympic and Paralympic Games

Moderator:

Maidie Oliveau, Counsel, ArentFox Schiff LLP

Panelists:

Manav Kumar, Deputy Counsel to the Mayor & Chief Olympics Officer 2013-2017, and currently Deputy General Counsel & Head of Public Affairs for Aecom
Chris McCleary, General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
Tanja Olano, Chief Legal Officer, LA 28 Organizing Committee for the Olympic & Paralympic Games

12:15 PM

Meeting Adjourns