NLS Sports Law Alumni Event 2025
On Wednesday 26th March 2025 Nottingham Law School held the second NLS Sports Law Alumni Event.
By Dr Seema Patel | Published on 31 March 2025
Categories: Alumni; Nottingham Law School;
Following its inaugural success last year, Associate Professor in Sports Law Dr Seema Patel organised and hosted this event exclusively designed for LLB Sports Law and LLM Sports Law students, to provide them with a unique and personalised opportunity to network with 10 Sports Law graduates, from different years, and explore all things employment; careers in sport, law and other industries; studying; research and learning; and much more.
Held at the city campus, the graduates were welcomed with lunch and spent some time exchanging memories of their time at NTU. The event began with a panel session chaired by Associate Professor, Dr Seema Patel, in front of the eager student audience. The graduates shared their diverse career journeys and advised on research and studying. Students were then asked to reflect on their feelings about leaving university and the graduates facilitated those discussions. Following a Q&A session, the students were able to network directly with the graduates and create important connections with industry professionals. The pizza delivery was an added bonus!
Dr Seema Patel said "I continue to maintain a very strong network with my sports law graduates, and they are always so keen to return and share their experiences with current students. These links form a key aspect of my teaching, and I am so grateful to each of them for giving up their time to visit and support the event. It simply would not be possible without their commitment. It is always inspiring to hear about their journeys since leaving university and I appreciate their honesty and generosity. This event enhances the student experience by offering first hand guidance on issues that matter most to current students, such as success in assessments and securing employment. We covered a range of topics, and I found the insights on social media use very fascinating this year. The student feedback has been incredible, and I am so pleased that they found it helpful.”
John Edmunds, Legal Executive at Nottingham Forest FC, LLM Sports Law graduate, said “The event was extremely informative and enjoyable. It was brilliant to hear insights from the other NLS Alumni and to chat with students about my experiences and how my career has developed since I graduated. All of the students were really engaged and it was a pleasure to meet them all and network with them. The whole event was brilliantly organised by Seema and I have no doubt that it will play a big part in helping the students with the next steps in their career. I would highly recommend the event to any NLS Alumni and students that get the opportunity to attend in the future.”
Emily Wilkinson took part in the panel. She graduated from LLB Law in 2020 and is a trainee solicitor at JMW law firm. Emily said “It was so nice coming back and seeing you all. It really felt like a full circle moment speaking to current students about careers and offering advice- it was really rewarding.”
Diego Salinas was also a member of the panel, graduating from LLM Sports Law in 2018 and now working for Sport England. He said, “It was really interesting being able to hear from students, working through their own queries and hopefully sharing some useful insight on legal practice/sports law. The event was a great opportunity to connect with lecturers, alumni and students and share how the LLM prepared me for legal practice in the sports sector.”
Mia Gibson, a barrister who graduated from LLB Law in 2020 said, “I am incredibly grateful to Seema Patel and NLS for inviting me back to discuss my path to the Bar, having been fortunate enough to secure a pupillage with 15NBS Chambers. Genuinely fantastic event, providing advice and guidance to law students who are considering their next steps after university.”
Over 50 LLB Sports Law and LLM Sports Law students were in attendance. Sports Law at NLS is led by established academic experts in the field and is an extremely popular subject. One student said “attending the Sport's Law Alumni event today was incredibly insightful. It was a great opportunity to explore different career paths after graduation and connect with NTU graduates.”
Another student said, “The event was very enlightening, widened my perspective towards the subject itself, and it opened my views, given me a better view and idea of my proposed future prospects.”