Nearly two decades representing the institutions, coaches and administrators who make college athletics run.
Lightfoot is a go-to firm for colleges, universities, conference offices, and governing bodies seeking counsel and representation in matters involving NCAA compliance, NIL, campus investigations, and related legal issues. Over nearly two decades, the firm has worked with more than 70 institutions, coaches, and athletic administrators across approximately 30 conferences — with deep concentrations in the SEC and Big Ten, and representation spanning all Power 4 and all major Group of 5 conferences.
Our lawyers represent institutions, conference offices, athletic administrators, and prominent coaches in NCAA compliance interviews and investigations, as well as in hearings before the NCAA Committee on Infractions, the Infractions Appeals Committee, and the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP). Lightfoot's NCAA Compliance & Investigations group also counsels institutions and student-athletes on eligibility issues and has secured the successful restoration of eligibility for several high-profile football and men's basketball student-athletes.
Lightfoot's NIL practice has grown alongside the landscape itself. We counsel institutions and athletic programs on eligibility implications of NIL arrangements, institutional compliance risk, and the increasingly complex intersection of NIL deals with NCAA bylaws and ongoing enforcement activity. As the regulatory framework continues to evolve faster than the rules around it, our clients get counsel that anticipates issues rather than reacts to them.
Our NCAA Compliance & Investigations group boasts a specialized team with experience conducting internal investigations of campus issues involving Title IX, sexual misconduct, and other student welfare matters. This team, which includes a former federal and state special counsel and a former federal prosecutor, is uniquely positioned to ensure that any internal campus investigation not only covers NCAA concerns, but also the growing interplay between athletics investigations, institutional risk management and, where applicable, criminal law.
Lightfoot lawyers provide counsel and litigate athletics-related employee disputes. We have extensive experience defending lawsuits alleging discrimination, wrongful termination, and breach of contract.
The lawyers in our NCAA Compliance & Investigations group leverage their direct knowledge of NCAA bylaws and campus-related policies and regulations, along with their vast litigation and investigative experience, to help colleges and universities navigate the entire timeline of an infractions process or internal investigation. In addition to conducting and overseeing investigations, the group's work involves consulting with conference and NCAA representatives to determine the existence and severity of potential violations, working with state and federal investigators and the judiciary, assisting with public relations concerns and inquiries, and crafting strategic responses for any ultimate allegations or issues.
As sports wagering has expanded rapidly across the country, the legal exposure facing college athletics organizations and their partners has grown accordingly. The firm's white-collar criminal defense experience gives clients access to counsel who understands how federal enforcement agencies approach wagering-related violations and what institutional compliance requires. Governing bodies, institutions, and individuals need counsel who can advise in real time rather than simply react when a violation occurs.
