Skyler Hicks

Skyler Hicks is an associate in the Business Trial Practice Group in the firm’s San Francisco office. He is a Lead Associate for the firm’s Sports Law Industry Group.

Areas of Practice

Skyler handles civil litigation and transactional matters for technology and sports clients.

Professional and Educational Background

While born and raised in San Francisco, Skyler studied government at Harvard College and interned for Nancy Pelosi in Washington, D.C.

Skyler’s career has been marked by a passion for entertainment and sports. Prior to law school, Skyler spent his free time writing short stories, coaching tennis, and training a team of former nomadic herders on the Tibetan Plateau who now compete in basketball tournaments throughout China.

During law school, Skyler interned at the Sundance Institute and for USC’s Office of Athletic Compliance. In addition, Skyler published a paper in the USC Entertainment Law Journal, and wrote a separate journal note on why the NCAA would eventually be forced to adopt a nationwide rule permitting student-athletes to generate name, image, and likeness (NIL) revenue. 

Outside of entertainment and sports, Skyler also interned at the ACLU, externed for the Honorable Michael J. Fitzgerald, and successfully mediated dozens of disputes in Los Angeles Superior Court as part of USC’s Mediation Clinic.

When not working, Skyler trains for triathlons and writes articles on legal issues in the sports industry.

Articles

Antitrust Law Blog 

• "Looking Ahead to Tougher Merger Guidelines and Enforcement," February 3, 2022

Cannabis Law Blog Posts

• "Cannabis Legislation Year-in-Review," January 3, 2022

Corporate and Securities Law Blog Posts

• "Looking Ahead to Tougher Merger Guidelines and Enforcement," February 4, 2022

Entertainment Law Blog Posts

• "Navigating the Sports Biometrics Boom," March 10, 2022
• "What Brands Can Expect from College Sports’ Ever Evolving NIL Landscape," January 19, 2022

Game Counsel Blog Posts

• "Blockchain Game Developers and FinCEN: When are State Money Transmission Laws Applicable?" October 3, 2022

• "What the Future Holds for Esports Gambling," March 30, 2022

International Arbitration Law Blog Posts

• "Supreme Court Set To Resolve Circuit Split Concerning Foreign Arbitration Discovery Rules," December 15, 2021

Labor & Employment Law Blog Posts

• "What the Third Circuit’s Looming Decision Regarding Whether College Athletes Can Constitute “Employees” Will Mean for Universities and Employers of Unpaid Student Interns," January 18, 2023

Speaking Engagements

• Speaker, "Sports, Biometrics & the Law," Lawline, August 23, 2022
• Speaker, "Legal Issues with Biometric Technology: Employer, real estate, and sports related uses of facial, voice, fingerprint and biometric data," myLawCLE & Federal Bar Association, May 5, 2022