Sports Law

[brett favre]

If you get a JD that specializes in sports law, what exactly type of job can you expect to get.  Does it mostly prepare you to be an agent or what type of job can you expect to find.

[slacker]

In my experience, sports law jobs are tough to find/get. I think agent would be one possibility. Another thing to look at is being an attorney for or with a professional sports organization, which could include a team, a conference, whatever. A lot of this is contract law, some employment law, um, and other stuff.

[Booyakasha2]

Please dont think that sport/entertainment law is a glamorous field where one mingles with stars all day and party all night.

[RedWine]

Also, no good law school will send you out into the world prepared to do only sports law.  You'll probably be able to take some classes in sports law, maybe even do a concentration, but you're not going to get a "J.D. in Sports Law" the way you could get a "B.A. in Philosophy" or whatever.  The vast majority of specialized legal training occurs on the job, law school just gives you the skills and background to apply what you will learn.

[slacker]

Any J.D. is a generalist degree. (Cf., state ethics rules about being able to advertise as an expert in practice areas; these vary by state.)

I know Marquette has a concentration in Sports Law. I'm not sure about other schools, but I'm sure it's something you could do many places through course selection/independent study options. I have a friend who spent a semester visiting so he could do a semester's internship with a major sports organization. Where there's a will, there's a way.

[Forget Money, Read a Book]

All of these answers seem to be right on target.  Additionally, I'd probably just go to the best school I can and try to make sure its located near a major city- NYC, LA, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, etc. so that I can intern or network with others in the field....Most people go in thinking they want to do one thing, but end up changing their minds....You may be totally set on Sports Law, I'm just saying (as someone else thats a little interested), going to the best school you can get into may be the best option.

To answer your question though:  agent, NCAA, professional team, lobbyist

[LittleRussianPrincess, Esq.]

If you get a JD that specializes in sports law, what exactly type of job can you expect to get.  Does it mostly prepare you to be an agent or what type of job can you expect to find.

JD's don't specialize.

Sports law programs are far and few in between. Jobs in the field are difficult to get unless you have some prior connection to the industry.

About 5% of agents make 90% of the money. It's like real estate -- the possibility of riches beyond one's wildest dreams draws a lot of people in, but most can't hang with the big boys, can't out up the capital necessary to get started and don't have the business sense to come out anywhere but in the red.

If you're still interested, Duke has a sports law center and a fairly decent curriculum in that area, but it's not like your JD will say "John Doe, JD with a specialty in sports law."

[waclawjr]

There are a lot of good sports law programs out there the three schools that I know of being considered the best are USC (who has Tom Brady's Agent as a prof.), UCLA, and Tulane (who graduated the Jets GM just a few years ago).  The general discussion so far seems to be hitting it right on the head!  Sports Jobs are scarce and extremely difficult to get.  It normally requires you to either know somebody or be the top student in your class to get a job like this right out of law school.  I just met with the future Dean of Tulane's Sports Law program and he said most people either take a non-legal job in the sports field and after a few years work their way up the ladder (as did the Jets GM) or they go into private practice doing contract negotiations, personal injury, or antitrust law and then after getting some good experience apply for jobs.  I do know that Tulane actually graduates students with a Sports Law Certificate as does another school but I am not sure which school it is. 

As for becoming an agent... I seriously hope that people do not enter Sports Law just to become an agent.  One reason being that you don't need to be a lawyer to be an agent.  Another being very few agents make the big bucks like Drew Rosenhaus, and for every Drew there are probably over 100 people who tried to do what he does.  And if you know his story then you realize that it had little to do with his law degree and more to do with his affiliation with Univ. of Miami (who at the time had a once bad football program blossom into what we all know it to be today).

Also if you are interested in Sports Law then you should read Leveling the Playing Field by Paul Weiler. 

[Johnny Stuffs His Mouth]

Becoming a sports agent has little, if not nothing, to do with getting a JD in Sports Law and has EVERYTHING to do with who you know.

[LBJFan]

UCLA doesnt have a sports law program.

They have an entertainment law concentration and sports law is one class you can take. But thats it. Theres only ONE CLASS and its only offered once a year.

Im in that class now. As far as the material goes...It was 70% antitrust (snooze) 10% professional associations and 20% title IX. I was very disappointed actually but then again I just didnt know that there would be so much antitrust.

But the prof had an independent research elective where people could actually work in the field (with the Dodgers or Lakers) as a 1-unit project. Thats cool I suppose.

Yeah, but I agree with the others...the opportunities are very limited.