King & Spalding partner Sally Yates served three decades with the U.S. Justice Department before leading the law firm’s 2021 investigation into allegations of male coaches’ abuse of female players throughout the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) over a decade.

The investigation led to a report Yates said likely is “unprecedented” in sports in its breadth and scope because of the number of players and the time frame involved. It also placed a renewed focus on national efforts to combat abuse of female athletes in all sports.