For the second consecutive year, a student from the University of Miami School of Law has been honored with a Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award. Third-year law student Elizabeth “Eba” Hendrickson, currently the articles and comments editor of the University of Miami Law Review, is among 15 law students nationwide to receive this prestigious award, making her the seventh recipient from Miami Law. She will be recognized at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C, in May.
“Hearing that I won this award from Mr. Burton himself was an indescribable moment,” said Hendrickson, who found out she won at the Supreme Guide to Writing book event at the Law School held in early February. “I felt an immense sense of gratitude for being nominated by the University of Miami School of Law.”
Hendrickson’s winning article, The “Amateur” Division I Athlete Is Becoming a Thing of the Past, so Now What?: Addressing the Action Needed to Preserve Amateurism in College Sports, was published in Volume 79, Issue 1 of the University of Miami Law Review.
The article explores the loss of amateurism in Division I sports from an antitrust angle and calls for the preservation of amateurism in Division II and Division III sports. It also surveys the evolution of amateurism under the NCAA’s regulation and argues that the NCAA is unfit to protect what is left of amateurism in college sports.
“Division I sports are heading toward a model akin to those observed in professional leagues, but steps can be taken to insulate bona fide amateur programs from the impending changes at the Division I level,” said Hendrickson, who received her undergraduate degrees from the University of Southern California. “This piece offers potential solutions to protect these programs and this sense of amateurism amid the chaos we are observing in college sports.”
Adjunct Professor Michael Kelly, who taught antitrust law in the J.D. program and courses in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program, supervised the paper.
“This recognition is in large part due to the incredible guidance I received from my advisor, Professor Michael Kelly,” said Hendrickson. “Professor Kelly’s mastery of the intersection between antitrust and sports law played a pivotal role in my writing process, and I was fortunate enough to not only have him as my advisor but also as a professor. His continued support throughout the publication process, which was marked by seemingly nonstop changes to the college sports enterprise, was greatly appreciated.”
In addition to her role with UMLR, Hendrickson is a member of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society and served as a Dean’s Fellow for Legal Communication and Research. A participant in the Litigation Skills program, she was a recipient of the John F. Evans Memorial Scholarship. Last year, Hendrickson was a fellow and student intern for the Investor Rights Clinic and a volunteer law clerk for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. She also worked as a summer associate at Wargo French Singer in Coral Gables. She plans on joining the firm in September as an associate after graduation.
Now in its 26th year, the Burton Awards were established to honor the finest legal accomplishments, including writing, reform, public service and interest, regulatory innovation, and lifetime professional achievements.
Hendrickson joins Grace Slicklen, who won the 2024 Burton Award, along with Hannah Gordon, who won the 2020 Burton Award; Elizabeth Montano, who won the award in 2019; J.P. Shami in 2017; Arnoldo Lacayo in 2003, and Brant Hadaway in 2001.
“I am honored to follow in the footsteps of such an impressive list of past recipients from the University of Miami Law Review.”
Read more about Miami Law’s legal writing program.
