By Alana C. Newhook
NCAA President Mark Emmert announced this winter that he has selected a new General Counsel and Vice President of Legal Affairs for the NCAA.
Emmert gave the nod to Donald Remy, who began his new position as general counsel in March. Remy, currently a partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Latham & Watkins, LLP, said he could not be happier with the outcome.
“I am very excited to have the opportunity to provide the NCAA seasoned legal counsel and strategic advice to assist in the organization’s goal to enhance the environment in which student-athletes thrive both academically and athletically,” said Remy. “It’s an honor to be part of an organization that plays such a critical role in developing and preparing our future leaders.”
While Remy specializes in litigation at Latham & Watkins, his extensive legal experience and continuous support for amateur athletics suggest that his transition from Washington, D. C. to Indianapolis will be a smooth one. Prior to working with Latham & Watkins, LLP, Remy was the deputy assistant attorney general of the Department of Justice’s civil division. He also spent six years as the deputy general counsel, chief compliance officer, and vice president of litigation at Fannie Mae.
Remy’s predecessor, Elsa Cole, stepped down from the post in August 2010. Cole held position of general counsel for the NCAA for 13 years and her departure left some large shoes to fill. Cole was the NCAA’s first general counsel, created the NCAA’s legal department. In January of 2011, Cole was named general counsel of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation in Austin, TX.
After Cole’s departure, Scott Bearby took over the reins as the interim in-house counsel for the NCAA and will continue to do so until Remy can take over the position in March. His first tasks as head legal counsel will be to assess the immediate and long-term needs of the NCAA and confirm that the legal department is best supporting the needs of student-athletes, the association, and its members.
“I believe that practical solutions to difficult legal issues should be applied to protect the best interests of the student-athlete,” Remy said. “I look forward to working closely with the many professionals on the NCAA staff and in membership to advance the mission of the Association.”
Remy’s passion for sports has been a constant through his legal career. Once he starts his new position with the NCAA, Remy will be general counsel but whether he will still be referred to as coach is another matter. For a decade, Remy has been an ardent supporter of athletics in his role as an amateur athletic coach. Remy, who stated his favorite sport is football, will get to continue to support amateur athletics in his new role with the NCAA whether or not he continues to be a coach.
Emmert implied that Remy had the perfect background for the job.
“Donald’s selection resulted from an extensive national search and I found his formidable legal talents, coupled with his longstanding commitment to amateur athletics, make him the ideal candidate for serving on my team and leading the NCAA’s legal department,” said Emmert. “Indeed, Donald has made a significant impact throughout his distinguished 20-year legal career, and I am confident that he will be a valuable asset to the NCAA and its members. We are excited he is joining us and look forward to the wealth of experience, leadership and energy he brings to the job.”
Newhook is currently a third-year law student at the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University.
By Alana C. Newhook
NCAA President Mark Emmert announced this winter that he has selected a new General Counsel and Vice President of Legal Affairs for the NCAA.
Emmert gave the nod to Donald Remy, who began his new position as general counsel in March. Remy, currently a partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Latham & Watkins, LLP, said he could not be happier with the outcome.
“I am very excited to have the opportunity to provide the NCAA seasoned legal counsel and strategic advice to assist in the organization’s goal to enhance the environment in which student-athletes thrive both academically and athletically,” said Remy. “It’s an honor to be part of an organization that plays such a critical role in developing and preparing our future leaders.”
While Remy specializes in litigation at Latham & Watkins, his extensive legal experience and continuous support for amateur athletics suggest that his transition from Washington, D. C. to Indianapolis will be a smooth one. 1 Prior to working with Latham & Watkins, LLP, Remy was the deputy assistant attorney general of the Department of Justice’s civil division. He also spent six years as the deputy general counsel, chief compliance officer, and vice president of litigation at Fannie Mae. 2
Remy’s predecessor, Elsa Cole, stepped down from the post in August 2010. Cole held position of general counsel for the NCAA for 13 years and her departure left some large shoes to fill. 3 Cole was the NCAA’s first general counsel, created the NCAA’s legal department. 4 In January of 2011, Cole was named general counsel of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation in Austin, TX.
After Cole’s departure, Scott Bearby took over the reins as the interim in-house counsel for the NCAA and will continue to do so until Remy can take over the position in March. 5 His first tasks as head legal counsel will be to assess the immediate and long-term needs of the NCAA and confirm that the legal department is best supporting the needs of student-athletes, the association, and its members. 6
“I believe that practical solutions to difficult legal issues should be applied to protect the best interests of the student-athlete,” Remy said. “I look forward to working closely with the many professionals on the NCAA staff and in membership to advance the mission of the Association.”
Remy’s passion for sports has been a constant through his legal career. Once he starts his new position with the NCAA, Remy will be general counsel but whether he will still be referred to as coach is another matter. For a decade, Remy has been an ardent supporter of athletics in his role as an amateur athletic coach. 7 Remy, who stated his favorite sport is football, will get to continue to support amateur athletics in his new role with the NCAA whether or not he continues to be a coach. 8
Emmert implied that Remy had the perfect background for the job.
“Donald’s selection resulted from an extensive national search and I found his formidable legal talents, coupled with his longstanding commitment to amateur athletics, make him the ideal candidate for serving on my team and leading the NCAA’s legal department,” said Emmert. “Indeed, Donald has made a significant impact throughout his distinguished 20-year legal career, and I am confident that he will be a valuable asset to the NCAA and its members. We are excited he is joining us and look forward to the wealth of experience, leadership and energy he brings to the job.”
Newhook is currently a third-year law student at the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University.
1. Id.
2. Brian Baxter, Latham Partner Donald Remy Headed to NCAA as New Legal Chief, (Jan. 7, 2011), http://www.law.com/jsp/tal/PubArticleTAL.jsp?id=1202477601300&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1.
3. Brian Baxter, Ex-Fannie Mae Deputy CC Donald Remy Lands NCAA General Counsel Job, (Jan. 11, 2011), http://www.law.com/jsp/cc/PubArticleCC.jsp?id=1202477572259.
4. Josh Karp, The Game Changer, Superlawyers Corporate Counsel Edition (Sept. 09), http://www.superlawyers.com/indiana/article/The-Game-Changer/cc856816-d116-4b4d-9a02-c1745cae6a03.html.
5. Brian Baxter, Ex-Fannie Mae Deputy CC Donald Remy Lands NCAA General Counsel Job, (Jan. 11, 2011), http://www.law.com/jsp/cc/PubArticleCC.jsp?id=1202477572259.
6. NCAA Selects Donald Remy as General Counsel and Vice President of Legal Affairs, (Jan. 2, 2011), https://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/ncaahome?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/ncaa/NCAA/Media+and+Events/Press+Room/News+Release+Archive/2011/Announcements/20110103+Remy+VP+Legal+Rls.
7. NCAA Selects Donald Remy as General Counsel and Vice President of Legal Affairs, (Jan. 3, 2011), https://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/ncaahome?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/ncaa/NCAA/Media+and+Events/Press+Room/News+Release+Archive/2011/Announcements/20110103+Remy+VP+Legal+Rls.
8. Brian Baxter, Ex-Fannie Mae Deputy CC Donald Remy Lands NCAA General Counsel Job, (Jan. 11, 2011), http://www.law.com/jsp/cc/PubArticleCC.jsp?id=1202477572259.
