The Sports Law Certificate is a specialty certificate designed to prepare law students for a career in the broad area of sports law. The Sports Law Certificate will be offered through Santa Clara Law’s High Tech Law Institute and will benefit students interested in several different areas of sports law including business law, contract law, labor and employment law, antitrust law, intellectual property law, and athlete representation.
With the rapid growth of the sports industry and the emergence of new areas such as Name/Image/Likeness in college athletics, there comes an increased demand for attorneys in the industry. Potential employers in the industry include: teams, leagues, player’s unions, agencies, brands, law firms, e-sports organizations, the NCAA, and college athletics departments. Employment opportunities include both attorney and J.D. Advantage roles.
As with all certificates, students are not guaranteed employment after obtaining a certificate. After completing the Sports Law Certificate, students will have taken courses across many major practice areas, which can be applied to both sports and non-sports industries. The wide-cross section of courses will lead students to make sound career choices in both sports and non-sports-related jobs.
What are the benefits of the Sports Law Certificate?
- Provides students the opportunity to develop a broad knowledge base in areas of the law that affect attorneys and business professionals working in the sports industry
- Exposes students to the various legal and business issues that confront professionals in the sports industry
- Increases the students’ marketability in preparation for a career in the sports industry
- Increases opportunities to engage with sports law practitioners
- Provides an academic “pathway” for students to take courses relevant to the sports law industry
What Leading Sports Lawyers Are Saying About the Value of a Sports Law Certificate
“A focused sports curriculum would definitely give a competitive advantage over other applicants due to the exposure of specific trends/insights into the practice. We would certainly take the certificate into account when looking at an applicant’s qualifications.” – Cassie McBride, SVP, General Counsel, San Jose Sharks
“Yes, a sports law certificate would be valuable. It’s a niche area of law, so the certificate would be indicative of exposure to some key underlying concepts. Sports are the real-world application of subject matter like trademark, copyright, business, employment, and antitrust laws.” – Andrea Soria (‘99), Vice President of Legal, Tonal
“A sports law certificate would be a plus because it would show a demonstrated interest in sports law from law school and an understanding of the basics. I think it would be one of several important factors being considered when reviewing an applicant.” – Grecia Barboza, Counsel, San Francisco 49ers
“I see a sports law certificate as being highly beneficial. There are many people who want to get into the sports and entertainment space, but don’t have the necessary knowledge or insight to do so effectively. If I am hiring someone out of law school at my firm and they come to me saying they want to be a sports attorney, my first question is always why and what that means to them. For them to be able to respond with an in-depth understanding of the intricacies of the space and have taken focused classes and/or received a sports law certificate, it shows me they are serious about it.” – Mariah Cooks, Sports & Entertainment Attorney, Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney
Declaration Form and Certificate Requirements
Santa Clara Law also has a very active student-run Sports & Entertainment Law Society (SELS). For more information and to join SELS, please visit: Sports and Entertainment Law Society (SELS).
Questions? Please contact Leonard Lun – Supervisor, Sports Law Certificate & Adjunct Professor of Law at llun@scu.edu.
