Nona Lee, a highly respected sports lawyer, has joined Womble Bond Dickinson as Senior Division Counsel, bolstering the firm’s GCSolutions team. Lee was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer with Arizona Diamondbacks. At Womble, she will help the GCSolutions team “with large-scale projects that can strain an organization’s budget,” according to Lee, who is very active in the Sports Lawyers Association and a Past President.
“The team also provides cost-effective guidance to clients in day-to-day corporate needs, from interfacing with business teams for routine questions to reviewing/drafting commercial contracts and policies and procedures. For small and medium-sized businesses, GCSolutions can serve as an in-house legal department or assist existing in-house resources. In addition, entrepreneurs and start-ups rely on GCSolutions’ high-quality service at flexible rates. I’m excited to bring my 30 years of litigation and transactional practice experience, including more than 20 years as in-house counsel in professional sports, to this talented team and look forward to supporting clients as they navigate their business and operational goals.”
Lee will also continue her groundbreaking equity and inclusion work through Truth Is. Consulting (formerly Truth DEI) and Truth Retreats, as well as serving as an arbitrator on the arbitration panels of the AAA and Fair Sports.
Sports Lawyers Association to Focus on Major Industry Issues at 2026 Conference
The Sports Lawyers Association (SLA) will host its 51st annual conference at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk from May 13–16, bringing together lawyers, academics and practitioners from across the sports industry to analyze emerging legal issues.
The four-day event, centered on the theme “Going Beyond the Game: Growing the Landscape of Sport,” reflects sports law’s expanding influence on governance, marketing, business operations and athlete representation.
According to the agenda, which can be viewed here – https://www.sportslaw.org/conferences/2026conf/agenda/index.cfm, the conference will feature a variety of panels, academic sessions and networking opportunities addressing both traditional and emerging challenges in sports law. Panel topics will include regulatory compliance, governance structures and the evolving business of sport.
The agenda also includes academic programming with research presentations highlighting recent scholarship in sports law and related fields. These sessions are designed to connect theory with practice, offering insight into current legal trends and policy issues affecting the industry.
Panels throughout the conference will examine a range of issues impacting sports organizations and leagues. Topics include the legal implications of technology, commercial rights and the increasingly complex regulatory environment governing teams and leagues.
In addition to formal programming, networking events and social gatherings are planned to foster collaboration among participants. These opportunities are intended to connect professionals from law firms, professional leagues, universities and governing bodies.
The SLA conference has long served as a hub for sports law professionals, providing educational opportunities and encouraging dialogue across the industry. The 2026 event continues that tradition while expanding beyond a purely academic focus to incorporate interdisciplinary perspectives and broader societal considerations.
Now in its 51st year, the association’s annual conference reflects the continued growth of sports law as a distinct field of legal practice. As the sports industry evolves, SLA leaders have positioned the conference as a forum for examining how legal frameworks must adapt to new challenges.
With attendees expected from across the United States and internationally, the 2026 conference will provide a platform to discuss current developments in the business and regulation of sport. The agenda underscores the growing need for legal solutions to keep pace with the rapidly changing sports landscape.
To register, go here: https://www.sportslaw.org/conferences/2026conf/index.cfm
