The Pacific Northwest Academy of Legal Studies in Business (PNALSB) will hold its annual conference at Seattle University on April 14 to 15, 2023.
Sponsored by the Albers School of Business and Economics’ MBA in Sport and Entertainment Management, the theme of this year’s conference is Diversity and Disruption. Keynote speaker is Hewan Teshome, SVP and General Counsel of Climate Pledge Arena and the Seattle Kraken.
The PNALSB is a regional organization affiliated with the Academy of Legal Studies in Business. It meets annually in April, rotating locations typically between Washington state, Oregon, and Idaho.
"Both the Academy of Legal Studies in Business and our Seattle University's MBA in Sport and Entertainment Management prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education and industry," said PNALSB co-chair Geneva Sedgwick.
"In the U.S we await the Supreme Court's decision in the Harvard and UNC race cases, a decision which could disrupt years of progress advancing racial equity in higher education. This conference offers us a chance to highlight the importance of DEI initiatives in all industries in the face of that disruption, and to consider legal and business strategies, perhaps our own disruption, to protect these values in the event this current Supreme Court lets us down again."
Co-chair Terry Foster added, "The title of the Academy Award nominee for Best Picture, 'Everything, Everywhere, All at Once', is a fitting slogan for the state of our times in the world of sports. Disruptions are happening daily, and the legal and ethical dimensions are evident in topics such as NIL, gender equity, online betting, and representing athletes in contract negotiations. We look forward to learning from our business law colleagues about these and other issues in the PNALSB Regional Conference to be held on the campus of Seattle University, April 14-15, 2023."
Hewan Teshome has been Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena since May 2020. She joined the Kraken/Climate Pledge Arena team shortly after the world shut down for COVID-19, while the building was under construction and the hockey team was unnamed. Teshome oversees corporate legal affairs policy matters, and compliance, and advises on a broad array of strategic planning, intellectual property, and employment matters. Prior to accepting the role, she worked for Seattle-based VICIS, a sports technology startup. Teshome started her legal career as an associate at a New York City firm.
The PNALSB conference will feature three tracks of paper presentations: General Business Law (law and regulation); Sport and Entertainment; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. An application will be filed with the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit for conference participants (subject to approval by the WSBA).
The event is open to all faculty across disciplines, from community colleges, schools of business, and law schools, to law and industry practitioners as well as sports marketing professionals and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) executives.
Among the most highly anticipated presentations is one on the latest developments in NIL (name, image, likeness). NIL refers to the rights of college athletes to profit from their personal brands as mandated by an NCAA policy that went into effect on July 1, 2021. The evolving legal landscape for NIL makes it a closely watched topic by athletes, brands, universities, and other stakeholders.
The official accommodation for the conference is Seattle’s Silver Cloud Hotel on Broadway and Madison. To avail of the conference preferred rate, registrants must book through the conference link provided by Silver Cloud.
More information about the PNALSB conference can be found on its website.