Women Earn a Place on the Team

Courage of conviction, perseverance and a strong background in sports led guest panelists Nona Lee, senior vice president and general counsel for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Raquel Braun, associate director of the International Sports and Emerging Networks Group at Fox Cable Networks, to differentiate themselves from the competition and land their dream jobs.
 

Braun began her sports law career more recently. She said that while at Georgetown University Law Center several years ago, she found herself wishing there were more opportunities on campus involving entertainment and sports law. She decided to be proactive and founded Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance, Law Division (GEMALaw).  She also took classes in Georgetown’s Sports Industry Management Program such as Sports Law, Contracts and Negotiations and Sports Business and Finance.
 

“I realized that because Georgetown didn’t have a lot of sports or entertainment law classes, I had to learn more about the industry and gain more experience any way I could,” said Braun. “Through [GEMALaw], I was able to network, meet alumni and get internship experience.”

Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Arizona Diamondbacks Nona Lee, Sports Law Society President Casey Schwab, Associate Director of the International Sports and Emerging Network Group Raquel Braun

Braun landed a summer internship with the National Basketball Association in New York City after her first year in law school and has since worked for the Washington Nationals, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Superior Court of the District of Columbia and Fox Cable Networks.
 

Lee is a former collegiate basketball player, a seasoned sports law attorney, and a pillar in the landscape of women in sports law. At the outset of her legal career, she said she did not initially realize there were sustainable job opportunities in sports and law.  She became aware of the existence of such opportunities while she was working as a litigation associate at Meyer Hendricks, a firm specializing in litigation.  As she was researching how to get into a legal position in sports, she was told by the general counsel for the Phoenix Suns that she needed transactional law experience, rather than litigation.

Lee took the general counsel’s words to heart and accepted a position at Gallagher & Kennedy, where she worked in corporate transactions and securities. After only two months, and with the support of her firm, she interviewed with the Phoenix Suns and was offered a job as Associate General Counsel. That role included shared responsibilities as counsel for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Mercury, Arizona Rattlers, Chase Field, US Airways Center and the Dodge Theater. Her job duties increased in breadth and responsibility over the years for those organizations until 2005, when she became Vice President and General Counsel for the Diamondbacks and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2010.

“It is heavily contract based,” Lee said of her work with the Diamondbacks. “Whether it’s negotiations, broadcast agreements, facility related contracts or cup holder and elevator agreements, you will be reviewing and revising many contracts.”
 

When asked by a student if either of them had encountered opposition on the basis of their sex, Braun answered in the affirmative. Braun recalled a point in her career when she was faced with a situation in which she was told by a baseball agent she would not be able succeed in sports law because she was a woman. The agent told her she should consider working for a celebrity in Los Angeles instead.
 

“’I told him, ‘I can’t wait to prove you wrong,’” Braun said.  “It was one of those experiences that you never forget, but it makes you stronger.”
 

Lee, on the other hand, acknowledged

Sports Law Society President Casey Schwab and  Associate Director of the International Sports and Emerging Network Group Raquel Braun

that there are women in sports law positions, but not as many General Counsel. “I can think of maybe two or three other General Counsel in baseball who are women,” said Lee.  “It’s difficult to break through that glass.  It’s a little more challenging and it’s not that people are making an effort to keep women down, it’s that they just aren’t used to having women in the industry.  That’s why you have to walk the walk and talk the talk.  You need to believe you can do this or nobody else will.”
 

Braun said that USC Law students can best prepare themselves to break into the industry by being involved in campus clubs, taking advantage of summer internships opportunities and finding unique ways to synergize their love for law and sports.  She recommended students become active in USC’s Sports Law Society and other entertainment or sports related organizations on campus.
 

In addition, Lee recommended that students become involved in the Sports Lawyers Association to meet practicing sports attorneys and to stay abreast of current sports law issues.
 
Earlier in the academic year, students heard from attorneys for the NFL network, the Dodgers, Angels, Lakers, AEG, and others. This time, they specifically wanted to hear from women in the industry. Thus, the Sports Law Society and adjunct faculty advisor Vered Yakovee sponsored the event featuring two accomplished women at different points in their sports law careers.
 

Lee received her bachelor’s from Pepperdine University and her J.D. summa cum laude from Oklahoma City School of Law School in 1995.
 

Braun received her bachelor’s from the University of Florida with honors and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.