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Colleges Sports Law

Law Schools that specialize in Sports Law

Get your study on!
While there definitely are many Law Schools in America that allow you to specialize in Sports Law during your 3rd year of Law School, throughout my life, I have heard of three Law Schools that have exceptional Sports Law programs. Those schools are Tulane, Marquette, and Duke. Tulane’s “Sports Lawyers Journal” is known throughout the country as one of the best Sports Law Journals around.

Marquette boasts about its National Sports Law Institute, which is in charge of its “Marquette Sports Law Review,” which is also a prominent Sports Law publication in America.

And last, but definitely not least, is Duke…the Law School of Drew Rosenhaus, and a Law School that will put out many future successful Sports Agents. It has a Sports & Entertainment Law Society, and apparently hosts some of the best Sports Law professors in the country.

It is definitely not necessary to go to a Law School with a strong Sports Law program in order to be a Sports Agent, but by going to such a school, you should gain an extensive background in Sports Law that would help you in any area of the Sports Business world. In fact, as discussed in previous posts, an education in Law is not necessary to become a Sports Agent. Another point to consider is that if you do attend a graduate school, you may want to base that decision somewhat on their sports program. I personally feel, that if you put yourself in the right situation, it is likely that you meet your first client at the school you attend.

I will be adding Law Schools with Sports Law programs to the sidebar of links on the left side of this page.

[tags]law school, sports law, duke, tulane, marquette[/tags]

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

5 replies on “Law Schools that specialize in Sports Law”

University of Texas has a Sports and Entertainment Law society, a very good Sports and Entertainment Law Journal (Texas Review of Entertainment and Sports Law) and a Sports Law course.

Florida Coastal School of Law has a Sports Law Certificate program, one of I believe only 3 in the nation (the others being Marquette and Tulane). It’s excellent, and very hands-on. Courses offered include Professional Sports Law, Amateur Sports Law, a Sports Law Seminar, a Sports Law Workshop, as well s many other applicable course. Entertainment Law is also offered. These classes are taught by former professional athletes and Olympians who are now attorneys and are extremely well-connected.

I definitely agree that a sports law program is not important. I got accepted by Marquette, which was my number one choice at the time, but turned it down because of a scholarship offer from Ohio Northern University. In the end, I never even took the one Sports Law class our school offered. While I absolutely think that a law degree is a huge asset and sports law programs could help, in this business, it’s all about sales!

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