Rutgers Athletics and Rutgers Law School this week announced a new partnership to offer a hands-on externship program designed to give law students direct experience with the legal and regulatory framework governing intercollegiate athletics beginning this fall.
According to the university's Tuesday announcement, the program will provide selected law students with the opportunity to work closely with athletics department leadership on a range of legal, compliance and policy-related matters, providing students with practical insight into one of the fastest-evolving areas of law. Issues covered will include NIL, NCAA compliance, contracts and institutional governance.
“This partnership represents the intentional collaboration between Rutgers Athletics and the university to support our students and student-athletes,” said Rutgers director of athletics Keli Zinn. “By connecting academic excellence with real-world application, we are preparing law students for future careers while enhancing the resources available to our student-athletes. This is a true win for everyone involved.”
Rutgers Law dean Johanna Bond added, "This exciting new partnership will help further the Rutgers Law School (RLS) mission of expanding access to legal education, fostering academic excellence, and empowering students. This externship opportunity builds on the strong training at RLS that has produced many attorneys in sports law and professional team management."
Externs participating in the program will assist with a wide range of projects under the supervision of Chris Chung, senior associate AD for revenue and contract management. Responsibilities will include conducting legal research on NCAA regulations, conference rules and state NIL laws, analyzing contracts and sponsorship agreements, and assisting with athletics compliance efforts and policy development.
“This externship creates a unique opportunity for law students to engage directly with the evolving legal landscape of intercollegiate athletics,” said Chung. “From contracts and policy development, students will gain meaningful, hands-on experience while contributing to the day-to-day legal operations of our department. We’re excited to mentor the next generation of attorneys while giving them meaningful, practical exposure to the intersection of law, governance and athletics.”
Students will also contribute to employment and administrative legal matters, including drafting and reviewing employment-related documents, assisting with scholarship and aid agreements, and supporting broader policy, governance, and risk management. Additional opportunities include supporting the sports medicine unit with clinical affiliation agreements and helping develop documentation protocols and operational policies aimed at mitigating institutional risk.
Through these experiences, externs will develop core legal skills in research, contract review, regulatory analysis and policy drafting, while gaining a deeper understanding of how legal considerations play a role within athletics administration and institutional operations, the announcement stated.
