Anil Gollahalli

Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel

Anil Gollahalli is chief legal officer and general counsel of the Big Ten Conference. In his role, Gollahalli oversees all legal, corporate governance, enterprise risk management, litigation, regulatory, corporate, and legal NCAA matters, as well as outside counsel management.

He works collaboratively with the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C), the athletics directors and the general counsels at the 14 Big Ten Conference member institutions and serves as a strategic advisor to Big Ten Conference Commissioner Warren and the conference.

Gollahalli joined the conference from the University of Oklahoma (OU), where he served as vice president and general counsel for 14 years advising the Board of Regents and the institutions within the OU system.

He managed all major legal projects, including the privatization of the university’s utilities systems, public private partnerships, consolidation of the university’s health system, and the acquisition and renovation of its campus in Italy. Gollahalli counseled on all television and media development, intellectual property rights, athletics and university compliance, employment matters, healthcare operations, policy development, collections, and litigation. Additionally, he played a leadership role in the Oklahoma Board of Regents’ unanimous vote to enter the Southeastern Conference.

Prior to serving as OU general counsel, Gollahalli was the vice president for technology development at the university. He also practiced law in Dallas, working extensively in the intellectual property fields, and served as law clerk to the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.

Gollahalli received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with a minor in political science from OU and a juris doctorate from the University of Chicago. Gollahalli serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association of College and University Attorneys, is currently barred in Texas and Oklahoma, and is licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Gollahalli and his wife, Tonya, are returning to Chicagoland with two of their daughters, Kalyana and Indira, while their eldest daughter, Sandhya, is attending college in Oklahoma.

Last updated: 8/16/2023