LEIGH ERNST FRIESTEDT
Sports Law Attorney
Leigh Ernst Friestedt is the Founder of Equity IX, LLC, a boutique law firm that specializes in TItle IX, women's sports and education. As a former student-athlete at Brown University, Leigh is uniquely qualified to advise universities, student-athletes and coaches on legal matters surrounding Title IX, NCAA rules and regulations and name, image and likeness matters.
Leigh was a member of the Brown Women's Lacrosse team when Amy Cohen filed the landmark Title IX lawsuit, Cohen v. Brown University. Her recent article Title IX vs. NCAA - A Gameplan for Championship Equity analyzes gender disparities in intercollegiate athletics and argues for the NCAA to be covered by Title IX. In 2023, Leigh worked pro bono on the landmark high-school Title IX settlemt, A.B. Hawaii v. Dept. of Education and Oahu Interscholastic Association, and is a strong advocate for resolving gender equity disputes out-of court.
Prior to forming Equity IX, Leigh was a Mergers & Acquisitions investment banker on Wall Street at Lazard, GE Capital, DLJ and Bowles Hollowell Connor. Leigh has over twelve years of M&A experience advising major companies across all sectors with a specialty in media.
LAW PRACTICES
Title IX - Education Amendments Act (1972)
Title VII - Civil Rights Act (1964)
Student-Athletes Rights
NCAA Rule and Regulations
Name, Image and Likeness
TITLE IX
Landmark Title IX Case - A.B. et al. v. Hawaii Dept. of Education & Oahu Interscholastic Assoction (2024)
Title IX vs. NCAA - A Gameplan for Championship Equity (2023)
Cohen v. Brown University - Vanderbilt Law School Sports Symposium (2022)
EDUCATION
Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D. (1996)
Brown University, A.B. (1993)
Holton-Arms School (1989)
WOMEN'S SPORTS
In 2017, Leigh helped the NCAA and Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association ("IWLCA") pass landmark early recruiting legislation for men's and women's lacrosse. Leigh's article, Early Recruit: The Role of Sports in Education, analyzed key issues with early recruiting and documented female student-athletes who were featured in a film to lobby the NCAA.
Leigh has photograhped and written articles on the top women's lacrosse teams competing at the NCAA Final Four, ACC, Big 10 and Ivy League Championships. Leigh has created the largest digital media library of Division I Women's Lacrosse teams on her digital media website - SportsOgram.
BAR ADMISSIONS
New York (2024)
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