University of Georgia Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Deputy Athletic Director for Legal Affairs & Player Management/Senior Counsel for Athletics
- Email:
Will Lawler serves on the executive leadership team for Georgia Athletics, where he plays a strategic role in navigating the rapidly changing landscape of college sports.
As Deputy Athletic Director for Legal Affairs and Player Management, Lawler works closely with the Director of Athletics and other members of senior leadership on many of the department’s most significant strategic, operational, legal, and regulatory matters. His responsibilities include NIL and student-athlete compensation, contracts, litigation strategy, policy development, and other issues affecting the future of college athletics. He also plays a key role in the department’s NIL revenue-generation strategy and broader efforts to position Georgia for continued success as the college athletics model evolves.
Lawler oversees Georgia’s player management team, with primary responsibility for player negotiations and agent relations. He works closely with coaches and other members of the department on roster strategy, student-athlete NIL compensation, and related matters that affect program stability and competitive success.
Lawler also serves as sport administrator for Georgia baseball and provides executive oversight of the compliance department. As Senior Counsel for Athletics, he works closely with the UGA Office of Legal Affairs on significant legal matters affecting Georgia Athletics
Before joining Georgia in 2018, Lawler spent five years with the Southeastern Conference, advising member institutions on governance and legislative matters. His earlier experience includes athletics administration roles at the University of Tennessee, Western Kentucky University, and Arkansas State University, as well as a legal career in commercial litigation in Birmingham, Alabama.
Lawler is a graduate of Samford University and its Cumberland School of Law, where he graduated cum laude. He was a Dean’s List student and a member of the Samford football team during his undergraduate years.
