The University of Miami School of Law continues to solidify its reputation as a powerhouse for oral advocacy. Through the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law (EASL) Graduate Program, the school’s commitment to elite-level training is yielding major results on the national stage.
Recently, Miami Law students secured second-place finishes in two of the most prestigious events: the Tulane International Baseball Arbitration Competition and the Tulane Pro Football Negotiation Competition.
The EASL LL.M. program is dedicated to building an infrastructure to teach, train, and coach students competing at the national level. These successes are the product of a robust support system led by Director Greg Levy and a distinguished advisory board and roster of adjunct faculty who invest in students and their development.
Baseball – a historic run in New Orleans
The Tulane baseball competition is a simulated salary arbitration modeled closely on the procedures used by Major League Baseball. Out of more than 50 competing teams, the trio of 2L Divya Navani, and 3Ls Micah Krakoff and Andrew Ballenger, emerged as the overall runners-up. The team endured a grueling 36-hour sprint consisting of six hearings. Their performance was bolstered by Ballenger, who earned the individual MVP award.
“Andrew, Micah, and I prepared for six arguments against six different teams representing both MLB clubs and players,” said Navani, who is pursuing the joint J.D./LL.M. “We were proud to be the first team to represent Miami Law in the finals.”
The group’s effort was a tremendous display of preparation, execution, and teamwork, as this group worked incredibly hard leading up to the competition and especially on the ground in New Orleans.
Football – top 5 out of 56 teams
In the football arena, Miami Law’s dominance was a team effort. Out of 56 competing schools, Miami was the only institution to advance two teams to the quarterfinals in a competition which simulates contract negotiations using real-life scenarios about upcoming NFL free agents.
The team of 2Ls Luke Bennett, Rebekah Brunelle, and Lindsay Sheldon delivered an exceptional performance to finish second overall. Meanwhile, 3Ls Jesse Stein and Samari Springs, as well as LL.M./J.D. student Gabriel Reyes Diaz seeded in the top three after the first day, ultimately finishing as quarterfinalists.
Over the past five months, these teams leaned into their training and preparation, demonstrating discipline, grit, and tremendous growth as negotiators and future industry lawyers.
“I am proud of this team; thanks to Greg Levy for believing in us and giving us the opportunity,” said Springs. “Thank you to my excellent teammates and for all the preparation that went into this.”
Unparalleled mentorship and coaching
For the football and baseball competitions, students received hands-on coaching from top-tier sports lawyers and executives. The coaches were some of the top lawyers in sports negotiation including Cliff Stein, Hal Biagas, Enric Ripoll Gonzalez, J.D./LL.M. ‘22, and Evan Green, J.D./LL.M. ’17, who leads the baseball arbitration section of Miami Law’s sports negotiation course.
Stein, an adjunct faculty member who teaches sports negotiations and is a longtime NFL executive and leader, was central to the effort. He dedicated countless hours to teaching, training, and guiding the students in the classroom, as a mentor, and through hands-on coaching.
“I am proud of this team. They worked tirelessly…and it was rewarding to watch each of them grow and become negotiation warriors,” said Stein. “They all put in the work and are each uniquely talented. They never ceased to amaze me and all the judges and spectators throughout the competition. They represented themselves and Miami Law with class, dignity and excellence.”
This winning streak continues an upward trend for the program, following high-ranking finishes in 2025 at the Villanova Football Negotiation and the Athlete Endorsement Negotiation competitions.
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