2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Academic Research Paper Session

Moderator:

Thomas Baker, University of Georgia, Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport

Speakers:

Christopher Deubert, Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP

• Baseball Would Certainly Fail: A History of Sports Leagues' Hyperbolic Predictions in the 20^th Century's Biggest Cases and the Largely Successful Evolution of their Arguments

Forrest Zimmerman, Arizona State University

• Free Speech: A First Amendment Exploration of Vice Industry NIL Restrictions

Logan Hughes, Ohio Northern University Law School

• A World Where Some College Athletes are Employees

Ryan Gauthier, Thompson Rivers University

• Non-Disclosure Agreements and the Hockey Canada Goose Crisis

Bryan Dearinger, University of Oregon

• The New Name, Image, and Likeness State Law Amendments are Unconstitutional, and That's a Good Thing for State Colleges and Universities

Julie McCleery, Seattle University

• The SafeSport Puzzle: How Federal Reform and State-Level Regulation May be the Missing Pieces in Safeguarding Youth Athletes

Jason Cruz, Cruz Law

• The Ali Act and Why it Needs to be Fixed...and Expanded

Conner Poulin, University of New Hampshire Franklin School of Law

• Change is Growth: The Future of the NCAA and College Athletics

8:30 am – 10:30 am

Fostering DEI in the Sports Industry; Moving from Complacency to Action
Sponsored by    

Moderator:

Nona Lee, Founder and CEO, TruthDEI

9:30 am – 12:00 pm

Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Arbitrators and Mediators Seminar: For CAS arbitrators only

10:30 am – 11:45 am

Breaking into the Sports Law Industry
Sponsored by    

Moderator:

Aaron Hernandez, Assistant Dean and Executive Director, ASU Allan “Bud” Selig Sports Law and Business Program

Panelists:

Marina Carpenter, General Counsel/Compliance Officer; Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Arizona Coyotes
Kristina Minor, Senior Athletic Consultant, Husch Blackwell
Robert Ollman, Corporate Counsel, Phoenix Suns & Mercury
Todd S. Shumaker, Partner, CCH+A
Laura Warren, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Chicago Fire

11:45 am – 12:15 pm

Opening Reception
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12:15 pm – 12:30 pm

SLA 2024 Annual Conference Welcome
Layth Gafoor, SLA President

12:30 pm -2:00 pm

Year in Review: 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, 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 and Chief External and League Affairs Officer, Tennessee Titans

Panelists:

Scott Bearby, Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs and General Counsel, NCAA
Dan Spillane, Senior Vice President, League Governance & Policy, National Basketball Association
Brook Gardiner, General Counsel, MLS NEXT Pro and Senior Vice President, Major League Soccer
William Daly, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Legal Officer, National Hockey League
Jeff Pash, General Counsel and Executive Vice president, National Football League

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm

Refreshment Break
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3:30 pm – 3:45 pm

Presentation to the 2024 Sports Lawyers Associations Philanthropic Recipient

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:

Matthew Nussbaum, General Counsel, Major League Baseball Players Association
Michael Goldsholl, Directors of Operations for Business and Legal Affairs, Women’s National Basketball Players Association
Ron Klempner, General Counsel, National Basketball Players Association
Lloyd Howell Jr., Executive Director, National Football Players Association
Martin J. Walsh, Executive Director, National Hockey League Players Association

5:00 pm – 6:15 pm

The College Landscape – A Legislative Affair

Moderator:

Kenneth Shropshire, Professor Emeritus at the Wharton School & Africana Studies; Senior Advisor to the Dean; Faculty Director, Wharton Coalition for Equity & Opportunity

Panelist:

G. Hunter Bates, Partner and Co-Chair, Lobbying and Public Policy Practice, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP

6:15 pm – 7:30 pm

SLA After Hours: Cocktails and Conversation
Sponsored by    

7:30 am – 8:30 am

Continental Breakfast

7:30 am – 8:30 am

New Member Breakfast
Sponsored by    

7:30 am – 8:30 am

Outreach Captain Breakfast (by invitation only)

8:30 am – 10:30 am

Making the Tough Call: Ethics for the Sport Practitioner

Moderator:

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

Panelists:

Jodi Balsam, Professor of Clinical Law and Director of Externship Programs, Brooklyn Law School
Stephanie Jarvis, Assistant Teaching Professor; Interim Faculty Director, Allan "Bud" Selig Sports Law and Business Program, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

Contributors:

Anavictoria Avila, Arts & Entertainment Attorney, Oakland, CA
Landis Barber, Associate Attorney, Safran Law Office
Chauntell Bobo, Deputy General Counsel, Women’s Tennis Association (WTA)
Kennedy Freeman, The University of Alabama School of Law
Bobby Hacker, Principal, Robert A. Hacker
Brandon Leopoldus, Founder and CEO, Leopoldus Law
Nicole Marschean, Counsel, MLB
Matt Mitten, Professor of Law and Executive Director, National Sports Law Institute, Marquette University Law School; Arbitrator, Court of Arbitration for Sport, SLA Past President
Bob Wallace Jr., Chairman Sports Law Group, Thompson Coburn LLP

10:30 am – 10:45 am

Refreshment Break
Sponsored by    

10:45 am – 12:00 pm

The Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions Affirmative Action Decision and What it Means for the Sports Industry

Moderator:

N. Jeremi Duru , Professor, American University Washington College of Law

Panelists:

Nona Lee, Founder and CEO, TruthDEI
Dariely Rodriguez, Deputy General Counsel, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Michael Sheetz, Partner, Cooley LLP
Evan Whitfield, Vice President, Alumni Relations, and Engagement, Chicago Fire FC

12:00 pm – 12:15 pm

Recognition of 2024 Writing Competition Winners

12:15 pm – 12:30 pm

Recognition of Michael Weiner Award of Excellence

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

Join us for lunch and an informal discussion with Kevin Plank, Founder and CEO of Under Armour
Sponsored by    

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm

Latest Trends in Sports Property Investments: Private Investment Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds and Other Institutional Investment Vehicles

Moderator:

Jeffrey B. Gewirtz, EVP of Business Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, BSE Global

Panelists:

Russell Hedman, Partner, Hogan Lovells
Matthew Carpenter-Dennis, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, National Basketball Association
Christine Lazatin, Partner, Proskauer Rose LLP
Daniel Render, Partner, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm

Latest Developments and Recent CAS Case Law

Panelists:

Michael Lenard, Vice President, International Council of Arbitration for Sport
Despina Mavromati, Attorney, BianchiSchwald; UEFA CFCB Member; CAS Arbitrator
Brent Nowicki, Chief Operating Officer, World Aquatics

1:45 pm – 3:45 pm

NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor Session

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

Survival of the Fittest in College Sports: The Families Realign

Moderator:

Adam Neuman, Chief of Staff and Special Advisor to the President, Baltimore Ravens

Panelists:

Val Ackerman, Commissioner, Big East Conference
Damon Evans, Athletic Director, University of Maryland
Pearlynn Houck, General Counsel, ACC
Oliver Luck, Consultant, PAC-12

2:45 pm – 3:45 pm

Big Event, Big Legal Issues: Legal Considerations when Executing Major Sporting Events

Moderator:

Patrick Reilly, Partner, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Panelists:

Curtis Franks, General Counsel, FIFA World Cup
Craig Toyer, General Counsel, Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc.; Deputy General Counsel, Liberty Media Corporation
Alison Wagner, Senior Counsel, National Football League

3:45 pm – 4:00 pm

Refreshment Break

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Breakout Session #1

A. Copyright in the Digital Age

Moderator:

Laura Warren, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Chicago Fire FC

Panelists:

Summer Comstock, Associate General Counsel, Arizona Diamondbacks
Eleanor Lackman, Partner, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP
Shameeka Quallo, Vice President and General Counsel, Washington Spirit

B. Legal Bets: Navigating Sports Betting and Legal Realities

Moderator:

Christopher Harrington, Senior Corporate Counsel, DraftKings

Panelists:

Jill Kelley, General Counsel and Vice President, Legal Affairs, New York Jets
Jennifer Roberts, General Counsel and Vice President, WynnBET

C. Fashion Forward, Legal Perspectives on Sports Apparel and Trends

Moderator:

Yasi Sahely, Business Affairs Executive, WME

Panelists:

Hoyt (CJ) Davis, III, Deputy General Counsel, Head of Sports Business and Legal Affairs, PUMA
Alanna Hernandez, Executive Vice President, Business Affairs and Operations, Team Sports at Wasserman
Kelly Jones, Sports and Entertainment Senior Counsel, Marketing, Under Armour

D. “Can” vs. “Should”: Title IX, Transgender, and Athletic Opportunities

Moderator:

Warren Zola, Executive Director, Boston College Chief Executives Club

Panelists:

Ren Dawe, Trans Activist and Education Director for You Can Play
Phaidra Knight, Founder PSK Collective, Women’s Sports Foundation Past President, World Rugby Hall of Fame Inductee
Shannon Minter, Legal Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)

E. Upping Our Game: Prioritizing Mental Health and the Associated Legal Challenges

Moderator:

Naima Starks, Partner, Stinson LLP

Panelist:

Krista Larson, Director of Well-Being, Stinson LLP
Carlos Montoya, Chief Operating Officer, Onrise Care

F. Artificial Intelligence in Sports Law: Balancing Privacy, Publicity Rights, and Performance Analytics

Moderator:

Raul J. Muñiz, Technology Transactions Attorney, IBM

Panelists:

Trisha Newman, General Counsel, Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA)
John Wilson, Partner, K&L Gates

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
Sponsored by    

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

Current Issues in Sports Media: Back to the Future?

Moderator:

Debbie Spander, President Insight Sports Advisors

Panelists:

Richard L. Brand, San Francisco Managing Partner, ArentFox Schiff
Michael Costa, Senior Counsel, Google and YouTube TV
Brett Goodman, General Counsel, NBC Sports Group
Amanda Oliver, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, NASCAR Media Ventures

11:00 am – 11:15 am

Refreshment Break

11:15 am – 12:15 pm

Amateur Status Considerations for Collegiate Athletes

Moderator:

C. Peter Goplerud, Of Counsel, Spencer Fane LLP

Panelists:

Jill Bodensteiner, Athletics Director, St. Josephs’s University
Michele Roberts, Former Executive Director, NBPA
Tarun Sharma, Founder, NIL Legal Clinic, University of Minnesota School of Law