Three Clinical Students Receive Weiler Awards

Back row, from left to right: Wonnie Song ’19, Becca Johnson ’19, Professor Peter Cafagna, Kendall Howell ’19, and Heylee Bernstein ’19. Front row: Emeritus Professor Paul C. Weiler.

Three Harvard Law School students participating in the Sports Law Clinic were honored with Weiler Awards at the 2019 Harvard Sports Law Symposium. The annual event gathers academics, practitioners, and students in the sports industry to discuss the pressing business and legal issues in the sports world.

The Weiler Awards were established in honor of Paul C. Weiler. Weiler, the Henry J. Friendly Professor of Law (Emeritus) at Harvard Law School, is considered to be the founder of American sports law and the “most distinguished sports law scholar of all time.” The awards are presented to eligible students who have participated in HLS Sports and Entertainment Law courses, the Committee on Sports and Entertainment Law and the Journal on Sports and Entertainment Law, as well as clinical placements through the Sport Law Clinic.

Wonnie Song J.D. ’19 was one of two awardees of the Weiler Scholarship. Song is the Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law. Last year, she received the Weiler Writing Prize and in 2017, Song was awarded the ABA’s Women in M&A Scholarship. She will be joining the corporate practice at Cravath, Swaine, & Moore LLP after graduation.

Becca Johnson, J.D. ’19 also received the Weiler Scholarship. Johnson served as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law and on the executive board of the Women’s Law Association. She received a Weiler Award in 2017 for her work in the corporate department of the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball and at Farrell & Resinger LLC through the Sports Law Clinic. This past winter, Johnson worked with the Major League Baseball.

Becca Johnson ’19

Heylee Bernstein, J.D. ’19 and Kendall Howell, J.D. ’19 each received the Weiler Writing Prize for outstanding written work. Bernstein received the award for her paper, “Cheerleaders in the National Football League: Employment Conditions and Legal Claims,” which discusses the legal claims NFL cheerleaders brought against the NFL and teams since the early 2000s. Through the Sports Law Clinic, Bernstein worked as a legal intern for the San Francisco Giants and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Upon graduation, Bernstein will work in Proskauer Rose LLP’s labor and employment department.

Heylee Bernstein ’19 and Professor Carfagna

“Professor Carfagna has been [a mentor] and more,” said Kendall Howell J.D. ’19 as he accepted his award. Howell has taken all three of Professor Carfagna’s sports law classes and has learned many valuable lessons from Professor Carfagna, as a sports lawyer and as a man. “Professor Carfagna always put family first, and that is something I will take with me,” he added. Howell was honored for his paper “You Can Bet On It: The Legal Evolution of Sports Betting.” In the Sports Law Clinic, Howell worked as a legal intern for the Boston Celtics and Concussion Legacy Foundation. After law school, he will be joining the Financial Institutions practice group in Davis Polk & Wardwell’s DC office.

Kendall Howell ‘19