Santa Clara Law Offering New Certificate in Sports Law

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 3, 2024—To meet the growing demand for legal services in the nearly $100 billion national sports industry, Santa Clara University School of Law will begin offering a certificate in sports law starting this fall.

The new certificate program is the only of its kind offered by Bay Area law schools, and among only a few available at California law schools. Students will engage in focused coursework, writing, and professional networking with sports-law practitioners while pursuing the certificate. 

The program, which will be piloted for three years, will be supervised by adjunct professor of law Leonard Lun J.D./MBA ‘00, who previously worked for the San Francisco 49ers, San Jose CyberRays, Sacramento Kings, and The Walt Disney Company, and whose vision and leadership helped bring the program to the school. The program is specifically tailored to law students interested in careers in various facets of sports law, including business, contract, labor, antitrust, and intellectual property law; athlete representation; and more. 

“This certificate program is a wonderful fit for Santa Clara Law, in an area of law that is growing in exciting ways,” said Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Laura Norris. “It draws upon our sports-rich location, our expertise in IP law, our connections among alumni athletes and sports-law professionals, and our ethical grounding as a Jesuit institution.” 

The new certificate program takes advantage of the nationally recognized high tech law curriculum and it builds on current sports-law offerings at Santa Clara Law, including a student-run Sports & Entertainment Law Society with more than 100 members; a recent Sports Law Conference which drew over 100 attendees and featured 17 speakers, and a sports law class taught by Lun.

Students pursuing the certificate will have the opportunity to:  

• Develop a broad knowledge base in  relevant areas of law most likely to be in demand in the sports industry.
• Increase their marketability to teams, leagues, agencies, brands, and other potential employers.
• Network with sports-law practitioners and attend sports-law-related events.  

“It is extremely exciting to see this new certificate come to fruition,” said Lun, who also represents professional soccer players through his sports agency, Upper V Athlete Management. “There is a lot of energy in this field, and our students are eager to learn and discover their place in sports law.”

“I see this as an incredible opportunity for the students of Santa Clara University School of Law,” said second-year law student Máire Rock. “I believe this program has amazing potential, and am looking forward to seeing how it grows to fit the needs of its students.

For more information, see Santa Clara Law’s Sports Law Certificate. 

About Santa Clara University School of Law
Santa Clara University School of Law, one of the nation’s most diverse law schools, is dedicated to educating lawyers who lead with a commitment to excellence, ethics, and social justice. Santa Clara Law offers students an academically rigorous program including certificates in high-tech, international, public-interest and social-justice, privacy, and sports law, as well as numerous graduate and joint degree options. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Santa Clara Law is nationally distinguished for its faculty engagement, preparation for practice, and top-ranked programs in intellectual property. For more information, see law.scu.edu.

Media Contact
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Communications | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121