Students wishing to pursue law, often have no clue about this particular area of law. When asked, they are often clueless about the duties and responsibilities of a sports lawyer. While there are students who wish to pursue sports law as a career in India, they are pulled back due to a lot of confusion and questions. The primary one being if the study of sports law requires a different specialization and the scope after becoming a sports lawyer. Students might also be confused about how to become sports lawyer. But worry not, as in this blog we shall discuss not only the process of becoming a sports lawyer but also the various pros and cons to it. If you are a student, who wishes to pursue sports law you’re reading the right blog. Read on to know more.
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What is Sports Law?
Now, the first question that comes to a student’s mind while planning a career as a sports lawyer, is what exactly does sports law refer to? As suggested by the term itself, sports law is a broad term that covers issues that are legal and related to the arena of sports. Sports Law plays a significant role in ensuring that the mode of conduct of any sport is smooth and there is no discrimination amongst players on the basis of caste, race, religion, gender etc. There are multiple types of law that come under the purview of sports law – for instance, Contract Law, Criminal Law, Trademark Law etc.
Why Pursue Sports Law?
Just as other sub-areas of law like corporate law, litigation and IPR, Sports Law is a promising area too. Specially devised for aspirants with an inclination towards sports and law both, Sports Law is a promising career option for budding lawyers. It gives them an option to engage with the arena of sports. Besides this, sports lawyers get to make a good amount of money through their job. The job does require knowing in depth about the nitty-gritty of the sports world but it has promising offers to make too. Sports lawyers get to represent their clients nationally and internationally. The major part of this job requires working with organisations and businesses in ensuring the smooth conduct of sports.
Top 5 Sports Law Schools
While planning to pursue sports law, students might also be confused about the universities to apply for. We have listed the top 5 Sports Law School across the globe below for the benefit of the students –
Rank | Name of University | Location |
1 | Thomas Jefferson School of Law | San Diego, California |
3 | University of North Carolina | Chapel Hill, Carolina |
5 | University of London | London,UK |
4 | Villanova University | Villanova, Pennsylvania |
2 | University of Mississippi | Mississippi |
If students wish to apply for any of the above mentioned universities, they must keep themselves regularly updated about the application dates and beginning of the registration process. The eligibility criteria of universities vary according to the needs of the course. For detailed guidelines, check the official sites of the Universities.
Also Read: How to Become a Corporate Lawyer?
How to Become a Sports Lawyer?
Students are often confused about how to become a sports lawyer? Is the process any different than the other areas of Law? Well, in this section we shall answer all those questions. We will briefly discuss how to become a sports lawyer.
- Students interested in pursuing sports law must get themselves enrolled for a law course initially. Either they sign up for the 5 years integrated course in India or they take up any law-related subject in their undergrad and then go on to pursue a three year LLB degree.
- Once admitted they must study hard to make sure their GPA is above average as that helps in securing jobs.
- Initially, they might work as a corporate lawyer or in the litigation field and then finally join the Sports area through connections and persistent hard work.
- In India, before joining sports law, often people get a Diploma Post Graduation Degree in Sports Management as it provides added advantages.
What you may have noticed here is that the process of becoming a sports lawyer is not very different. In India, there’s still a need to spread awareness about the career prospects of a sports lawyer. While on the other hand in Europe and Australia, people understand the importance and significance of a sports lawyer and hence sports law is in more demand.
Eligibility
There are a few eligibility requirements that you are required to qualify in order to pursue a masters degrees in filmmaking. Some of the major requirements are as follows;
- You are first required to the intermediate level or 10+2 in any stream securing atleast 65% marks followed by an undergraduate degree in relevant field or film making.
- Additionally, English Language Proficiency Test like IELTS, TOFEL, SAT, and PTE is required for students from non-English speaking countries to apply for universities in the A.
- Minimum academic GPAs of 3.0 and 6.0 in IELTS are primary requirements for pursuing Masters in filmmaking in the A.
Language Proficiency Test Requirements
One of the major requirements is to submit language proficiency scores in case English in not your first language.
Documents Required
As a part of application process you are also required to submit a list of documents. Some of the essential documents required are as follows;
- All official transcripts and certificates of higher secondary level education.
- Writing Samples( Creative Essay and Life Challenge Essay)
- Valid Report of English Language Proficiency Test
- Two Letters of Recommendation.
- Statement of Purpose
- Resume
- Valid Passport.
Also Read: How to Become Immigration Lawyer?
Job Opportunities in Sports Law
The job opportunities as a Sports Lawyer aren’t too many. In this section, we have discussed the most popular job opportunities that a sports lawyer might want to take up:
- Player Representatives/ Contract Administrators
For those interested in this line, they must possess good knowledge of contract law, criminal law and estate planning. Being a player representative mainly involves representing the player in case of any action that is found to be illegal by the player.
- Legal Advisors/Team Lawyers
This role mainly involves working closely with sports organisations and analysing the liabilities and assets.
Take these Law Exams to Join a Great Law School
FAQs
The good news is that becoming a sports lawyer is the best career choice for law students who love sports and have always wanted to work in the industry since you may occasionally get the chance to work on issues related to access to sport that are quite important.
Sports attorneys have the opportunity to represent their clients both domestically and abroad. Working with organisations and corporations to ensure the seamless operation of sports constitutes the bulk of this employment.
Your ability to apply the law will be crucial to your career. To practise sports law, you do not necessarily need to be an expert in the field. But to become a sports lawyer, you do need to be a good lawyer in any area you pick (such as commercial, litigation, regulatory, etc.).
So, this was all about How to Become a Sports Lawyer. Hope you found this blog insightful and informative. Wish to pursue Sports Law abroad? Get in touch with our Leverage Edu experts for assistance throughout the application process.