In House at USAG Lillian Weitz '22, '25L spent the fall semester working for USA Gymnastics.

By Law Communications
February 13, 2025

Lillian Weitz ’22, ‘25L is from Philadelphia but has moved around a lot and is not truly from just one place. She attended Washington and Lee University, graduating in 2022 with a degree in Business Administration and Philosophy. At W&L Law, she is on the German Law Journal and is Co-President of the First-Generation Student Union (FGSU). Lillian lives in Lexington with her puppy, Winnie. This past fall, Lillian participated in the WILF (Working in Law Full-Time) externship program as an intern with USA Gymnastics.

How did you secure this externship?

I cold emailed the then Chief Legal Officer and hoped for the best! I was a gymnast for most of my life growing up and have been coaching since, so I’ve been living in the USAG’s universe for as long as I can remember. When I was thinking of possible experiences that I’d most like to have through WILF (Working in Law Full-Time), I thought of in-house with USAG. It was a long shot especially since they don’t have a legal internship program, but I figured I might as well give it a try. Luckily, it worked!

Describe your work experience and daily schedule.

I was fully remote with a 9am-5pm type schedule most days. They were typical office days with occasional meetings–whether that be with internal committees or other in-house counsels for national sports organizations–and working on my assignments. Often, I would call my supervising attorney on Teams to talk over assignments and to stay up to date on everything going on at USAG.

What are some skills you developed?

Over the course of the externship, I got a lot of practice redlining and drafting contracts. It was fun to think through the interests of USAG in each provision, both long-term and short-term, to determine the primary provisions where the risk or the terms could be better allocated in our favor–keeping in mind the circumstances of the agreement. I also wrote several memos briefing my supervising attorney on pertinent areas of law. I enjoyed exploring different areas of law to see how they all affect USAG. There was a wide variety of matters that I got to work on, from contracts to disciplinary proceedings.

What surprised you about the work you did during your externship?

I was most surprised by the area of law that USAG and bodies like USAG occupy. USAG is a National Governing Body (NGB) for gymnastics, meaning that it oversees all amateur gymnastics from youth sports to the Olympics. There is an NGB for every sport, and they’re all governed by the Ted Stevens Act. The Act sets up a sort of quasi-administrative body called the U.S. Center for SafeSport (SafeSport), which oversees all NGBs.

What was your favorite aspect of the experience?

Learning more about the area that governs NGBs and the way that it all works. There is a lot of interplay between different bodies at play such as NGBs, SafeSport, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). It is a very unique legal set up that was very cool to explore and to see the pros and cons of it all. Congress has an interest in governing amateur sports–from setting rules in sports, to discipline, and to rules of conduct generally in amateur sports. The way they chose to go about it, and how that plays out in real life, is very interesting.

Has this experience helped you figure out your post graduate plans, and if so how?

This experience helped me better understand possible long-term opportunities. I will be going to a firm after graduation, but I have been interested in learning more about in-house work since I first considered going to law school. The first attorneys I saw in action were in-house attorneys for large tech companies, and seeing them inspired me to go to law school. Since starting law school, I had not had an opportunity to explore in-house work, so I am very grateful that I was able to do that, especially at an organization that I care about so much. This opportunity has definitely motivated me to stay involved with USAG to the extent that I can going forward. I loved it!