Julie R. Sommer

• Member; Washington State Bar Association; Member; The Sports Lawyers Association; Member; King County Bar Association, Member; Real Property, Probate and Trust Section, Guardianship Task Force

• King County Superior Court Title 11 Guardian Ad Litem and litigation Settlement Guardian Ad Litem Registries

• Mary's Place, homeless shelter for women and children, Volunteer; Greater Seattle Business Association, Member

• Examination of NCAA legal expenditures in cases defending anti-college athletes' rights policies and a broken system of higher education-based athletics. , Primary Author, The NCAA Is Playing The Ball In The Wrong Court, Forbes.com, Financial, Sports And Entertainment, Higher Education, 2021
• College sports and higher education have a long relationship. Monetary compensation for the college athlete has long been prohibited. In 2021, we entered a new era of compensation for college athletes with the allowance of NIL compensation. This paper reviews the history of how this happened., Co-author, Paid In Full: From Amateurism to NIL and the New Marketplace for College Athletes, Texaspolicy.com, Financial, Sports And Entertainment, Higher Education, 2022
• The wildly popular University of Nebraska women’s volleyball team, which regularly sells out its home arena of 8,000, is set to break the attendance record for a women’s college sporting event. More than 80,000 fans have purchased tickets to attend Nebraska’s Volleyball Day, where the Huskers will play at the university’s football stadium on Aug. 30. This headline-grabbing event—a women’s team selling out a legendary college football venue—is an emphatic reflection of a larger trend: More eyeballs are watching women’s sports, and more money is available to support these athletes and programs. Yet, despite the increased attention, funding of women’s college athletic programs and the collectives that support them continues to fall below their male peers.  , Author, WOMEN’S COLLEGE SPORTS ARE BREAKING RECORDS. DO NIL COLLECTIVES CARE?, Sportico.com, Financial, Sports And Entertainment, Higher Education, 2023
• One decade ago, NCAA control over the rights of unpaid college athletes was so rigid that a hot topic at its annual rules meeting was whether to allow cream cheese as a supplement to the dry bagels afforded athletes as an approved snack.   Today, the NCAA is largely sidelined, as those same athletes cash in on name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. Meanwhile, discussions over widening the types of compensation available for the workers who power billion-dollar broadcast packages, and who undergird programs that bring prestige and revenue to colleges and universities of all sizes, are getting louder.  , Author, NCAA’S LOSS OF CONTROL OPENS DOOR FOR COLLEGE ATHLETE BILL OF RIGHTS, Sportico.com, Financial, Sports And Entertainment, Higher Education, 2022
• Congressional hearings began this week on issues related to college athlete compensation, rooted in lawsuits and legislation around use of name, image and likeness (NIL) by universities, television broadcast partners, commercial vendors, and third-party licensees like video game manufacturers., Author, It’s time to compensate college athletes and support equity within collegiate sports, The Seattle Times, 2021

• KCBA
• WSBA

“Ms. Sommer is an excellent advocate and has experience in both the civil and criminal arenas. I trust her work and, in addition, she is a wonderful human being!”

“Julie Sommer is an attorney and advocate committed to the rights and success of college athletes. She is phenomenal.”

“Julie is a absolutely outstanding attorney and a compassionate and strong advocate for her clients. She is one of the most intelligent and hardworking attorneys I know and also a pleasure to work with.”

“Julie is one of the foremost advocates for the rights and success of college athletes in the NIL and Title IX areas.”

“Julie is a terrific lawyer.”

“Julie is a terrific colleague and very good lawyer.”