Oregon Law’s distinctive, immersive—and now twelve years robust—Oregon Summer Sports Law Institute (SSLI) bolsters the training of legislation college students from across the nation decided to increase their experience and achieve a foothold within the sports activities legislation enviornment by means of careers with crew organizations, leagues, athletic attire corporations, and sports activities enterprise administration and expertise companies.
“The quality of the institute is genuinely really high. Guest speakers are willing to be part of it because they know the program, and how seriously we take it,” stated Ryan Gauthier, who directed SSLI from 2022-2024 after taking the reins from founding director Professor Robert Illig.
Leigh Hawley, who’s now occasion authorized counsel for FWC2026 US, Inc.—higher often called FIFA World Cup 2026—enrolled within the institute’s first-ever summer season session in 2014 at a professor’s suggestion. She repeatedly returns as visitor college to impart the information she has gained in her authorized profession.
“People actually get immersed in what it means to be a true sports lawyer. It definitely takes a certain personality to go after it,” stated Hawley, who additionally labored as basic counsel for USA Skateboarding. “I think the program really introduces you to the dedication that it’s going to take to commit because the professors are very open and honest about it.”
Distinguished Guest Faculty
SSLI provides a particular expertise with a distinguished record of guest faculty—together with consultants affiliated with nonprofits and main governing our bodies just like the US Anti-Doping Agency and USA Track and Field, the nation’s main sport legislation students and educators, and practitioners at prime legislation companies. Students dive deep into the enterprise of sports activities legislation, studying a variety of career-focused abilities and topics: negotiation, contract drafting, mental property, in-house counsel, regulation, employment, Title IX, reform, world governance, and name-image-likeness (NIL).
The University of Oregon’s connection to the enterprise of sports activities legislation is unparalleled. Oregon is dwelling to greater than 5 hundred established sports activities sector companies and organizations, together with Nike World Headquarters, Columbia Sportswear, Adidas and On Running. The University and the City of Eugene host world-class sporting occasions year-round.
This makes Oregon Law a premier vacation spot for sports activities legislation research. “SSLI offers opportunities to put to practice some of the legal knowledge they gain in the program in a real world setting with world-class attorneys,” stated Associate Professor David P. Weber, who directs Oregon Law’s Sports Law Program. Students collaborate with Nike attorneys earlier than pitching their strategic insights to a mock investor consortium.
In 2025, SSLI college students had the chance to work with members of Nike’s authorized crew who focus on varied areas of the legislation, from e-commerce and commerce to company governance and mental property, They invested hours with SSLI college students in a simulation train which included creating model id, pitching, and training the authorized parts for a legendary new WNBA crew, together with creating licensing agreements.
“We combined the doctrine and skills students learned throughout the Institute and then asked them to execute a project as a team using some of Nike’s legal resources. Hopefully it gave them an idea of what their life might be like working in-house for a major entity,” stated Associate Clinical Professor Bryan Dearinger, who directed SSLI this summer season. “There were deliverables for the students, and I think that made their experience even more rewarding.”
Oregon Summer Sports Law Institute Courses
Over the years, SSLI has developed into two distinct however complementary collection: Professional Sports Law and Pathway to Practice.
The first is a distance course that introduces the authorized frameworks governing skilled leagues, school sports activities, and worldwide our bodies, offering foundational insights. The second has been held in particular person on the Knight Law Center in Eugene and goes past principle, with deep improvement of sensible abilities and entry to main occasions and networking alternatives. Future issues embrace a mixture of hybrid and distant choices within the second session.
The evolution of curriculum and initiatives, together with the curiosity from outstanding sports activities legislation attorneys and business consultants in working with the scholars, speaks to the esteem sports activities legislation professionals have for SSLI.
“I think it shows the reputation that UO has for Sports Law and the staying power of SSLI,” Dearinger stated. “It also provides insight into the growth that’s possible in a program like this.”