Off the Court: A Candid Conversation on the Dynamic Legal Environment of College Sports Today

Join us for an engaging panel with Jay Bilas, Gordon Gee, Tom Ross, and Ken Wainstein

The nation continues to debate the role of college sports in society as university athletic budgets and rivalries grow more intense. This debate has spawned legal challenges that threaten to reshape the essence of college sports as we know it. These legal challenges question the concept of amateurism, the status of student athletes as potential employees of their universities, and the academic experience student athletes receive.

Cadwalader and Moore & Van Allen will host a complimentary panel discussion featuring ESPN Analyst Jay Bilas, WVU President Gordon Gee, UNC system President Emeritus Tom Ross, and moderated by Ken Wainstein, Chair of Cadwalader’s White Collar Defense & Investigations practice group.

From the perspective of industry insider, institution, and investigator, speakers will:

  • Review current legal issues in the sports industry
  • Discuss the challenges faced by organizations, universities, and other stakeholders amid changes
  • Debate the merits of various legal challenges and offer insights of what the future may hold

A primer on emerging legal issues and trends in sports, led by attorneys from Cadwalader’s White Collar Defense & Investigations and Antitrust practice groups, will provide context for the featured panel.

Monday, May 9, 2016
1:30 p.m. Registration
2:00 p.m. Panel Discussions
5:00 p.m. Networking Reception

The Westin Charlotte
601 South College Street
Charlotte, NC  28202

Speakers will include:

  • Jay S. Bilas, Basketball Analyst for ESPN, Of Counsel at Moore & Van Allen LLC, and former collegiate and professional athlete
  • Jodi L. Avergun, Partner in the White Collar Defense & Investigations Group, former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York
  • Joseph J. Bial, Partner, Antitrust group, Ph.D. in Economics, who focuses on grand jury investigations and follow-on civil class action lawsuits.
  • Dr. E. Gordon Gee, President of West Virginia University for a second term, and former president of The Ohio State University (two terms), Vanderbilt University, Brown University, and the University of Colorado
  • Thomas W. Ross, President Emeritus of the University of North Carolina system,  Sanford Distinguished Fellow in Public Policy at the Duke University Sanford School for Public Policy, and professor of public law and government at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Government
  • Anne M. Tompkins, Partner in the White Collar Defense & Investigations Group, and former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina (Charlotte)
  • Kenneth L. Wainstein

CLE credit will be offered and accreditation is pending.