Story by Bronte Lawson Turk
Photos by Maria Iacobo
The USC Sports Law Society hosted its first event of the year this week, featuring a prominent legal figure from the National Hockey League.
Jeff Solomon, the Vice President of Hockey Operations and Legal Affairs for the LA Kings, talked to attendees about how he broke into the sports industry and eventually as a member of the management team, guided the Kings to win the 2012 Stanley Cup Championship.
“This last year has been the highlight of my career,” Solomon said. “There’s nothing like winning the Stanley Cup and holding it over your head on the ice. It’s the one time I can say that reality was actually better than what I’d dreamed it would be.”
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| Jeff Solomon, LA Kings |
Solomon graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1983 and originally worked in tax and estate planning. After establishing himself for a few years, he decided to venture into sports and try working as an agent in his free time and on weekends.
“The closest hockey cities to San Diego, where I was working, were Denver and Colorado Springs,” Solomon said. “Every other weekend I’d fly out to whichever one had more going on and I’d start looking for clients.”
To make himself marketable, Soloman emphasized his experience in tax work and financial planning. He specialized in international tax early on in his career and worked substantially with the United States-Canada Tax Treaty and was able to save his clients money if they signed with teams north of the border.
After a few years, he eventually caught a lucky break and was able to transition into becoming a full time agent. Solomon worked in the business for twenty years before joining the LA Kings seven years ago. As a member of the club’s management team, he helped build the current player roster “from scratch” and had an integral part in leading the team to win last year’s national title.
“I give people who are interested in being in the business four pieces of advice,” Solomon said. “Take initiative, follow your passion, be financially flexible and hone your sales techniques. You need to sell yourself to inspire confidence in your clients.”
Solomon also credited good luck as a driving force behind his success, but warned students that he believes you can only get lucky if you’re out making an effort, that “luck won’t find you if you’re sitting on the couch.”
He encouraged students interested in sports law to join trade organizations, take classes that focus on contract work and find a specialty that sets oneself apart from the competition.
“If you’re the type of person that has a hard time hearing the word ‘no’ then this isn’t the field for you,” Solomon said. “Nine out of 10 times you talk to a potential client, their answer is ‘no’. But that one out of 10 when the answer is yes, there is really no feeling like it.”
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