By Jason Lee, Santa Clara University School of Law (Class of 2027)
Watching Jerry Maguire gave me a glimpse of a side of sports I had never seen before. The agents, the deals, the relationships, and everything happening behind the scenes that you never get to see while watching a sports game on TV. Back when I was in undergrad, one of the only places I could find real insight on how to break into that world was Darren Heitner’s The Sports Law Blog, where he wrote about how law school was the path he took to becoming a sports lawyer and agent. That resonated with me, and going to law school felt like the path that could realistically open those same doors for me too. But finding other sports lawyers who were accessible as a resource wasn’t easy. There wasn’t a clear blueprint and no one place where you could go and hear from people who had done it. Events like the 3rd Annual Santa Clara Sports Law Conference this past March are what I wish had existed back when I was trying to learn more about this space. A room full of professionals who have carved out a career in sports law and are willing to share how they got there. The first panel, “Sports Lawyers Leading the Game”, addressed the question that all law students were keen to learn, “how do you get into sports law?”
The panel was moderated by Richard Brand, Managing Partner and Head of the Sports Practice Group at ArentFox Schiff, and featured Woodie Dixon, Chief Legal Officer of Golden State Group, Sapna Pandya, EVP and General Counsel of Red Bull, Marissa John, Vice President and General Counsel of the Seattle Seahawks, and Lauren Strackbine, SVP and General Counsel of Sharks Sports and Entertainment.
Brand kicked things off by joking that his current role as managing partner is literally the only job he has ever had since graduating, making him maybe not the most useful person to give job hunting advice. The humor made the room feel light and broke the ice for what followed. Because what came next was not a polished panel of people telling you to follow your passion and that everything will work out. It was something much more honest than that.
Each panelist laid out a path that looked nothing like what they had planned. Dixon went from two law firms to getting a master’s in sports management mid-career, to the NFL league office, to GC of the Kansas City Chiefs, and eventually to Golden State Group. Pandya landed at Red Bull because a more senior colleague passed on the opportunity and suggested she take the interview instead. John started in real estate law, moved to Amazon, and somehow ended up as general counsel of the Seattle Seahawks. Strackbine started in healthcare law of all places, and found her way to the Jacksonville Jaguars, then to the Sharks.
The takeaway was that there is no single road into sports law. Whatever you’re doing right now, whether it is healthcare, real estate, family law, or something that feels completely unrelated, it is probably more relevant than you think. Brand made the point that almost everyone is surprised to hear that real estate experience leads to sports, but when you actually think about it, what is a sports stadium if not a massive piece of real estate?
The panel kept concluding to the same idea. To just become a really good lawyer first. Not a sports lawyer. Just a good lawyer. Dixon put it simply, basically telling the room to stop obsessing over the destination and focus on being excellent at whatever is in front of you, because the opportunities that end up defining your career are often ones you never saw coming.
The panel also got into a topic that I had never thought to think about myself. We spend so much time obsessing over how to break into sports law that we rarely stop to think about the question that comes right after it, “how do you actually become valuable once you’re in?” Strackbine talked about how she has spent years shifting the legal department at the Sharks toward something more like a strategic partner. That meant sitting in on business meetings, walking around the office, and making sure people felt comfortable coming to the legal team early rather than after the fact. John said something similar about the Seahawks, noting that changing the reputation of legal from a blocker to a collaborator has made her team more effective than anything else she has done in the role. And then Dixon said something that I keep coming back to. Do not be a post office. If all you are doing is receiving information and passing it along, you are replaceable. But if you are actually thinking, adding context, understanding the business, and bringing something to the table that nobody else can, that is when you become someone people genuinely need.
This was my second time at the Santa Clara Sports Law Conference, and I’m so grateful for what Sports Law Professor Leonard Lun has put together here at Santa Clara Law. What started as a vision years ago has grown into one of the most valuable sports law events in the country. It pulls in students from law schools all across California and practitioners from all over the nation, and somehow it manages to feel like a community rather than just a conference. Back when I was first trying to find my way into this world, something like this wasn’t easy to find, and I’m fortunate I finally got here. And if you are a law student trying to break into sports law, someone considering law school with this path in mind, or a lawyer looking to make the transition into this industry, this is the kind of opportunity you have to experience first-hand. I’m thankful for all the attorneys that attended the conference sharing their perspectives, stories, and guidance, and am looking forward to the conversations that next year will bring.
