Eversheds Sutherland is delighted to announce that Anthony Del Giudice has joined the firm’s Litigation Practice Group as a partner in its education team. Mr. Del Giudice will be advising colleges and universities on regulatory, compliance, contractual, and litigation matters pertaining to college sports and athletics. Mr. Del Giudice joins the firm from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), where he served as Associate Director of Enforcement.
Mr. Del Giudice will provide guidance to institutions of higher education, athletic conferences, and individual collegiate athletes on name, image, and likeness (NIL) arrangements and the developing rules governing the direct compensation of athletes by colleges and universities arising out of pending class action litigation settlements. Additionally, Mr. Del Giudice will work with institutions to develop comprehensive strategies to reduce and navigate potential violations of evolving NCAA rules and to avoid litigation.
“Anthony will enhance our higher education capabilities and strengthen our Global Sports Practice, and I am excited to welcome him to the firm,” said Mark D. Wasserman, Co-CEO of Eversheds Sutherland. “Being at the NCAA during a period of unprecedented change, Anthony’s experience in compliance investigations and enforcement will be invaluable. His deep understanding of legal and athletic departments in colleges and universities across many athletic conferences will greatly benefit educational institutions and their legal teams.”
“Anthony provides us with a unique opportunity to expand the significant work we currently do for colleges and universities into new and critical areas for higher education, particularly in addressing the emerging challenges and opportunities around NIL and student-revenue sharing,” said Rocco Testani, Co-Lead of the Litigation Practice Group. “Every major college and university in the United States will need to develop, implement, and monitor compliance for revenue sharing programs, which currently lack a pre-existing model or playbook. His comprehensive understanding of the complex legal framework for these programs positions him to assist colleges and universities in navigating these challenges.”
“Every institution in the membership faces new and significant legal questions raised by transformational changes in college athletics,” said Mr. Del Giudice. “I am excited to have joined Eversheds Sutherland and eager to work with the firm’s great antitrust, corporate, education, labor and employment, restructuring and tax lawyers to deliver time-sensitive solutions for institutions, conferences and others engaged in college athletics. I also look forward to guiding institutions through the NCAA infractions process in an efficient manner that protects institutional resources, promotes institutional integrity, and emphasizes student-athlete welfare.”
Before joining Eversheds Sutherland, Mr. Del Giudice gained extensive investigation and enforcement experience at the NCAA. In that role, he conducted investigations, recommended sanctions for rules violations, and negotiated case resolutions. Mr. Del Giudice’s work often focused on rules and requirements at the center of the changing landscape in college athletics. Prior to joining the NCAA, Mr. Del Giudice was a commercial litigator at a major New York City law firm.
About Eversheds Sutherland’s Education Practice
Our US Education team has handled some of the most important, highly-contested and closely-watched cases and matters for large school districts and state governments in high-profile school funding and constitutional lawsuits.
Our Higher Education practice focuses on administrative, transactional, regulatory, and litigation matters affecting colleges and universities. We can help you with a variety of compliance matters before the US Department of Education, accreditors, and state licensing bodies, including complex transactions affecting institutional ownership and control. We can also provide you with guidance on compliance matters and strategic issues pertaining to participation in the federal student financial assistance programs, accreditation, state authorization, and related questions.
About Eversheds Sutherland Sports Practice
Our international sports lawyers can assist you in all areas of global sports law, from sponsorship and licensing deals to disputes and anti-doping. Our experienced attorneys work for some of the biggest names, teams and tournaments in international sports, including the Olympics, NFL, NBA and the FIFA World Cup. We have handled some of the most prominent sports law projects and cases around the world, helping establish agenda-setting precedents, protect global superstars and forge sponsorship and licensing deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
