Sarah Hartley is a partner in the Washington and Boulder offices of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner practicing in the Business & Commercial Disputes and Antitrust practice groups. She is co-lead of the higher education team and a member of the Sports and Entertainment Group, and she serves on the board of the BCLP women’s affinity group. Hartley is teaching Sports Law during the fall 2022 semester at UVA Law.
Hartley has worked with sports clients in the Olympic movement, professional sports and collegiate sports, and is regularly consulted on Safe Sport matters, governance and ethical issues. Her practice includes representing national governing bodies in connection with investigations and disciplinary proceedings involving allegations of sexual misconduct and physical abuse, governance issues, sponsorships and employment agreements. She has handled numerous contentious disputes regarding allegations of sexual misconduct by coaches, athletic personnel and others, and has assisted in the development of Safe Sport policies and arbitration procedures for the new U.S. Center for Safe Sport.
She also serves as an advisor to universities on Title IX compliance, including preparing and reviewing policies and procedures, training and consulting on the handling of allegations of Title IX violations.
Hartley also has significant experience in complex commercial litigation and antitrust disputes, representing local, national and multinational companies in all stages of their dispute resolution process. She has represented clients in disputes related to higher education, healthcare, oil and gas development, financial products, First Amendment issues, intellectual property, trade secrets, product liability and contract matters. She has developed expertise with clients’ most complex disputes in the oil and gas industry, the insurance, healthcare and financial services industries, and the telecommunications industry, among others. She has taken lead roles in a broad range of litigation matters, including second-chair in multiple arbitrations, state and federal court trials, and jury trials.
She has previously taught as adjunct professor in Sports Law at the University of Colorado Law School and has guest lectured at the University of Oregon School of Law’s Summer Sports Law Institute.