ATHLETICS

Our team of advisors can conduct a full-scale review of your organization to create a successful enterprise, maximize efficiencies, build effective teamwork, and establish a culture of excellence.

Our team will begin with a review of existing structure, interview key individuals to uncover strengths and growth opportunities, build a detailed roadmap for plan implementation, and conduct monthly check-ins over a two-year period to offer support as needed. Our review will focus on key elements that include:

• Organizational structure
• Policy and procedure development
• Financial analysis (including peer comparisons)
• Sport program menu
• Sport administration oversight
• Enrollment growth and Net Tuition Revenue (NTR)
• Compliance management
• Gender equity analysis
• Facility review
• Leadership and development
• Fundraising structure and support
• Sponsorship and media rights analysis

As our lead advisor in this area, Brad Wachler has successfully navigated the complexities of the reclassification process. He served as athletic director and the main point of contact for one of the largest athletic programs in the United States during its transition from NCAA DII to NCAA DI.

We will guide your institution through the review process, including a comprehensive peer analysis, to ensure you are best positioned for success regardless of your decision to reclassify. We also offer detailed reviews on conference realignment to determine the best fit based on the ever-changing national landscape.

We are proud to serve institutions throughout all divisions of NCAA and NAIA.

Investigations

Our team of skilled legal advisors can conduct full-scale investigations covering a variety of topics that impact your organization, including:

• General personnel matters
• Sexual harassment
• Discrimination
• Hazing and bullying
• Title IX violations
• Compliance violations
• Academic dishonesty
• Student discipline
• Policy and procedure violations

We will ensure a thorough, confidential and fair analysis of the facts surrounding the investigation and offer a conclusive report of our findings with an advisory opinion on remediation and resolution.

Personnel Matters

Sometimes senior officials of athletic organizations face complicated personnel matters that require legal intervention and counsel. The Lewis Rice labor and employment team stands ready to provide expert advice for all personnel matters impacting your organization.

Some examples of the work we routinely handle includes:

• Employment contract negotiations, drafting and review
• Discipline and termination
• Labor and employment litigation
• Policy development
• Hiring and onboarding best practices
• Human resources audit and training for coaches and staff

Net Tuition Revenue and Enrollment Strategy

Declining enrollment has led to increased competition for students among colleges and universities. Lewis Rice is here to help. We have experience building and managing large athletic departments that have served as enrollment drivers and led to a significant uptick in Net Tuition Revenue (NTR), other fees and an improved campus experience.

Our advisors will analyze your institutional enrollment and NTR strategy, your department’s current sport program offerings and how they align with your conference and peer institutions, and discuss opportunities in the market. From there, we will devise a plan to facilitate enrollment growth through athletic participation that aligns with the mission, vision and objectives of your institution.

But we won’t stop there. Our team will conduct a mid-year and end-of-year check-in to ensure you are tracking on your goals and begin planning for the next recruitment cycle.

Our team of legal advisors are experts in ensuring compliance with Title IX laws and regulations. We will review your institution’s current compliance with Title IX and gender equity to identify positions of strength and areas of improvement. Then we will compile a comprehensive Title IX compliance report that outlines steps to maintain or come into compliance. We will conduct a three-month check-in over a two-year period to identify any continuing areas of concern and revise the report as needed based on adjusted regulations.

We also have the requisite knowledge to lead and counsel an institution through OCR complaints and proactive reviews.

A solid strategic planning process is key to building a successful and sustainable enterprise, especially in a competitive marketplace. Our advisors will partner with your institution to develop and implement a visionary strategic plan that will provide a roadmap for a lucrative future.

We will organize and lead white boarding sessions with key team members to ensure a cross-section of opinions are captured. This process can also be tailored based on the needs of your institution.

We will offer three-month check-ins over a two-year period and refresh if necessary to address the evolving landscape of higher education and intercollegiate athletics.

Media Rights, Sponsorship and Naming Rights Analysis

In a world where corporations are looking for significant return on investment and increased exposure, we can help your institution maximize its profitability. Our advisors will focus on strategic analysis and valuation of media rights, sponsorship and naming rights. We will also lead and manage the negotiation of contracts with corporate partners and media entities that will enhance revenue generation and overall exposure.

The athletics landscape is changing, and it is our job to help you stay ahead of the curve. Our team will provide Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) services to support various market segments, including institutions, student-athletes, collectives and private businesses.

Colleges and universities: We ensure that your NIL policy is legally compliant while protecting the vested interests of your institution. We will also offer in-service training on NIL management for staff.
Student-athlete services: We work on behalf of student-athletes to maximize NIL earning potential by researching opportunities, communicating with potential corporate and commercial entities, ensuring compliance with local, county, state, and NCAA rules, negotiating terms of agreements and drafting and finalizing contracts.
Collectives: We serve as general counsel to new and existing NIL Collectives to manage all the legal needs of the entity, from start-up to distribution of funds to tax implications.
Private business: We help corporate entities establish NIL guidelines, ensure compliance with all laws and regulations, and create partnerships with student-athletes.

Lewis Rice helps our clients focus on what matters most to any successful athletic department: the health, safety, wellness and productive development of its student-athletes. We will conduct a 360-degree evaluation of four critical areas of your operations:

Sports medicine and athletic training risk analysis: The training room often faces significant legal risk that can be avoided with strong policies, procedures, guidelines and the appropriate personnel. We will review all policies, procedures and current staff within the sports medicine department to develop a risk mitigation strategy.
Mental health support: The intense and escalating pressure that college student-athletes face today can lead to mental health issues. To end the stigma behind mental health and bring awareness to the forefront, our advisors will conduct a full-scale assessment of the current mental health support services offered. We will develop revised standards as necessary based on industry best practices to maximize support for the mental well-being of student-athletes.
Student-athlete leadership and development: Institutions and athletic departments should aid in the professional and personal growth of student-athletes. Our advisers will assess your current student-athlete life skills programming as well as your leadership and development opportunities. Based on our review, we will provide recommendations to enhance this critical area.
Culture and experience: Employee engagement aligns with and impacts the culture of an organization and the student-athlete experience. We will administer and conduct an evaluation of your department’s culture, its level of engagement, and the experience of student-athletes. Then we will present our findings and provide recommendations to enhance culture and experience.