Over the past decade, Lightfoot has established itself as a national leader in NCAA compliance and collegiate sports law. Lightfoot partner William King has built the firm’s NCAA practice area from the ground up, and with the addition of Gene Marsh, former Chair of the Committee on Infractions, in 2008, our NCAA practice area now includes representation of member institutions of the Pac-10, SEC, ACC, Mountain West, Big 10 and Big 12 Conferences. Since 2008, the firm has handled several matters before the NCAA Committee on Infractions and Infractions Appeals Committee that received national attention, including representation of the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of South Carolina and the University of Southern California. The firm also represents Penn State in NCAA matters and continues to represent universities, high profile coaches and student-athlete eligibility matters in joint infractions investigations with NCAA enforcement.

Our attorneys have extensive experience assisting collegiate athletic programs in each phase of the infractions process: from overseeing the initial investigation, working with conference and NCAA representatives, crafting strategic responses to allegations, to presenting our client’s case before the Committee on Infractions, and when necessary, directing an appeal and rebuttal effort. Our attorneys’ in-depth knowledge of the NCAA infractions process helps achieve the best results possible for our clients. In particular, Lightfoot attorney Gene Marsh has unique insight into the infractions process having served as a member of the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions from 1999-2008 and as Chair of the Committee from 2004-2006.

In addition to investigations of alleged rules violations and appearances before the NCAA Committee on Infractions, Lightfoot has experience in assessing the needs of athletic programs quickly and cost-effectively and providing practical advice to help universities avoid NCAA rules compliance issues. Our lawyers provide services such as:

• Advising on NCAA compliance matters and public records issues;
• Investigating compliance and eligibility issues;
• Representing clients before the NCAA and other governing bodies;
• Drafting coaches’ contracts and contracts for various athletic department employees; and
• Handling employee and contract disputes

Due to the growth of our NCAA practice area, we now have a team of attorneys who dedicate a substantial amount of their practice to collegiate sports work. For additional information about our NCAA compliance and investigations practice, including references, please contact Hallett Ruzic at hruzic@lightfootlaw.com.