ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Professor Gary Chester
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey
Gary Chester enjoyed a multi-faceted 38-year career as a New Jersey trial attorney. After becoming licensed in 1983, Gary split his time between the practice of law and reporting sports and sports law issues for WFAN Radio in New York, KMOX Radio in St. Louis and others. He has contributed legal analysis on sports issues to CNN, The New York Times, The Hartford Courant, The Miami Herald, The Sports Business Journal, ESPN Sports Ticker, and others. Gary is a senior writer for the Sports Litigation Alert, the premiere sports law newsletter. He tried a wide variety of sports negligence and other civil cases for insurance giants such as AIG and Allianz, and for governmental entities and private clients, before devoting his time to teaching and writing in 2023. Gary has taught law courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels at several New Jersey colleges since 2008. He continues to teach The Law of Sports and The Law of Hospitality and Tourism at New Jersey’s second largest state college, Montclair State University. Gary’s entertaining and dynamic continuing legal education seminars have been met with rave reviews across the country.

Gary Chester is a faculty member of The Professional Education Group.

THE SCHEDULE

8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
CHECK-IN & CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

9:00 – 9:05 a.m.
WELCOME & INTRODUCTION

PART I
9:05 – 10:35 a.m.

Unique Tort and Contractual Issues Raised in the Sports Context 

• Do players always assume the risk of injuries from extreme conduct during a game?
• Do spectators always assume the risk of injury from foul balls or other objects propelled into the stands?
• The “Morals Clause” and other contract issues specific to players and coaches

10:35 – 10:50 a.m.
BREAK

PART II
10:50 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.

Title IX: Past, Present and Future

• The purpose and effect of Title IX on college sports and on female student-athletes
• Legal interpretation of the federal law
• Recent decisions on Title IX and their implications
• Distribution of NIL revenue between male and female athletes

The Revolution (or Revelation) of Title IX: Applying the Law to Sexual Harassment on Campus 

• Examining the basis of applying Title IX to sexual harassment, the effect on universities, and the efforts to curtail Title IX

12:20 – 1:00 p.m.
LUNCH BREAK (on your own)

PART III
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

What’s In a Name? Intellectual Property Law in Sports 

• An overview of trademark and copyright law and their application to sports 

How IP Law is Changing College and Pro Sports 

• A brief history of college sports and how IP law changed the landscape
• Key antitrust decisions that altered college and professional sports

2:30 – 2:45 p.m.
BREAK

PART IV
2:45 – 4:15 p.m. 

The Future of “Procollege” Sports, Governing High School and Professional Sports, and Other Hot Topics in Sports Law   

• An examination of the proprietary rights of student-athletes
• How NIL rights transformed intercollegiate athletics into “procollege” sports
• How antitrust decisions have shaped college and professional sports
• High school sports governance
• Transgender issues in sports
• The athlete’s right to free speech
• Additional hot topics

LIVE IN-PERSON
Friday, May 9, 2025
Minnesota CLE Conference Center
600 Nicollet Mall, Suite 370
Seventh Street & Nicollet Mall, Third Floor City Center
Minneapolis, Minnesota

ONLINE REPLAY
Friday, June 6, 2025
Attend online
A moderator will be available to answer questions by email.

$295 MSBA members / $295 paralegals / $345 standard rate

Other discounts that may apply:

• Season Pass Discount
• New Lawyer Discount

Scholarships available!
Need-based scholarships are available for in-person and online seminars. For further information or to obtain a scholarship application, contact us at 800-759-8840 or customerservice@minncle.org.

Minnesota CLE is applying to the Minnesota State Board of CLE for 6.0 standard CLE credits. The maximum number of total credits attendees may claim for this program is 6.0 credits.