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Riley Institute to co-host law, sports symposium in Charleston

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Last updated January 23, 2015

By Tina Underwood

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com

Panels of sports scholars and practitioners will examine the role of law in the world of sports in a Friday, Jan. 30 conference that is drawing participants from across the country.

The day-long symposium, “Under Further Review:  A Legal Look at the World of Sports” will take place at the Charleston Music Hall on John Street.  It is hosted by the Charleston Law Review of the Charleston School of Law and the Riley Institute at Furman University.

Among the subjects that panelists and moderators will tackle are NCAA reform and the future of college athletics; concussions and sports injuries; and disciplinary powers and due process in league scandals.

“Sport has always been an integral part of our society and, like our society today, both professional and major college sports are in a period of rapid and potentially dramatic change. Not surprisingly, much of this change carries with it significant legal implications, said Dean Andy Abrams, who teaches sports law at the school.  “This symposium will explore some of the key areas and issues currently being faced at both the amateur and professional levels, and identify how the law and the legal profession will be impacted in the days ahead.”

Don Gordon, executive director of the Riley Institute at Furman, added, “This symposium could not be more timely and, so far as we can tell, is unique nationally. I am very excited about this event and its relevance to all of us, not only attorneys, but those who are athletes, administrators and coaches at institutions of higher education, health care providers, and frankly, all of us who follow sports.”

Megha Parekh, vice president and general counsel for the National Football League’s Jacksonville Jaguars, will offer keynote remarks.  Prior to joining the Jaguars in 2013, Parekh worked in the sports group at the Proskauer law firm, which represents NFL and other pro sports teams.  In 2013 and 2014, she was named to Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 sports lists, which honors the nation’s top athletes and executives under age 30.

Other panelists and moderators for the symposium include:  Constance Anastopoulo, Charleston School of Law; Warren Zola, Boston College; Furman University legal counsel Angela Littlejohn; attorney Alan Milstein of New Jersey; attorney Timothy L. Epstein of Chicago; Dr. Hunt Batjer, former co-chair of the NFL’s Head, Neck and Spine Committee; Dr. David Geier Jr., East Cooper Sports Medicine; Robert Raiola, Sports Entertainment Group; and attorney Daniel Wallach of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The symposium qualifies for 4.0 Continuing Legal Education credits in South Carolina, which includes 1.0 CLE credit for ethics.  Walk-in CLE registrations will be accepted at the door for a tuition of $150.  Attendance without the CLE credit is free.  The event is open to the public.

See the full agenda and register online here.

The Charleston Law Review is the flagship journal of the Charleston School of Law.  In its past issues, the Charleston Law Review has published significant public figures ranging across the political spectrum from President-elect Barack Obama to John Yoo, former presidential legal advisor to President George W. Bush.  The Law Review will publish a companion issue to the symposium that may be ordered at www.charlestonlawreview.org.

The Charleston School of Law offers students the unique opportunity to study the time-honored practice of law amid the beauty and grace of one of the South’s most historic cities, Charleston, South Carolina. Students at the Charleston School of Law study law as a profession and find a faculty focused on using the law as a calling in the public interest.  Faculty members devote their full attention to excellent teaching and scholarship, both in and out of the classroom.  Where traditions meet opportunity — that is Charleston and the Charleston School of Law. More: www.CharlestonLaw.edu

Named for former Governor of South Carolina and United States Secretary of Education Richard Riley, The Riley Institute’s 26 programs are multi-faceted, but share one common goal: They all strive to make South Carolina a better place in which to live, learn, and do business. More: riley.furman.edu

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