Lightfoot Attorney Kayla Williams Featured on Sports Law Expert Podcast

June 27, 2025

Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC associate Kayla R. Williams was featured on the Sports Law Expert podcast, where she shared her journey from a college athlete to attorney and discussed her work advising academic institutions, coaches and athletes on key legal challenges.

Williams reflected on how her athletic background shapes her legal approach and emphasized the value of being a strong legal generalist before applying a “sports law” lens. She also discussed how the legal landscape of collegiate athletics is rapidly evolving and expanding beyond NCAA compliance into areas such as media rights, data privacy and student-athlete protections.

“Having been an athlete, I know what it feels like on the other side — that perspective shapes how I approach every issue,” Williams said.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or at sportslawexpert.com.

Williams is an associate in Lightfoot’s Business Litigation and NCAA Compliance & Investigations practice groups. She primarily handles cases involving toxic torts, product liability, employment discrimination, and collegiate name, image and likeness (NIL) issues. A former world-champion gymnast, she earned her J.D. from Tulane Law School, where she completed the school’s nationally recognized sports law program.