Joint degree alumnus Evan Green, J.D. ’17 and LL.M. ’17 in Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law, spoke about networking strategies and the importance of initiative to students in the LL.M. program.
Green works in New York City at Creative Artists Agency, one of the most prestigious sports agencies in the U.S., as Arbitration and Contracts Coordinator in the baseball division.
“It’s long days but I think that you guys can all probably attest to this, we got in this because it’s something we enjoy doing,” Green said. “You know you’re going to spend a lot of hours on something anyway, you might as well do something you enjoy.”
The Importance of Networking and Getting Out There
Green, who was a law student himself fewer than two years ago, offered advice for breaking into the sports law industry. “I truly cannot say it enough, but go to as many events as you can and don’t be shy about approaching people. And it’s hard sometimes, truly. But if you can just go walk up to someone, you never know how that person may impact your life a year, two years down the road.”
Green spoke from experience — he secured an interview at CAA after being recommended by an adviser of his from the 2017 Tulane National Baseball Arbitration Competition. “You just truly never know which person you talk to is going to help you get to where you want to get,” he said, “I would reach out to as many people as you can, starting now.”
Sports Law as a Varied Industry
At CAA, Green spends about three months of the year preparing and arbitrating annual salary-related player hearings. Besides arbitration, his work comes in many different forms. “Really every day is different,” he said. “I could be doing recruiting and then arbitration and then a grievance over a four-hour span.”
After finishing his 1L year at the University of Missouri, Green transferred to Miami Law, where he thrived, especially with the entertainment and sports law offerings. “The coursework helped a lot and was really good for when you’re in an interview setting because you can speak much more knowledgeably on a topic than if you didn’t take a lot of the classes the Miami offers.”
Practical Learning in Area of Interest While at Miami Law
During his 2L summer, he gained valuable hands-on experience working in Labor Law at Disney which would eventually help him in the sports law field. “That was actually a really good springboard because it worked with a lot of collective bargaining and labor law topics that then applies to the sports law landscape."
The following summer, Green completed a practicum at Roc Nation Sports where he assisted in contract drafting, reporting directly to the General Counsel. In that role, he took on more responsibility than was asked of him: “Finding ways to make yourself useful is pretty important I would say. They didn’t ask me to do a lot of that stuff,” he said. “I was treating every day as a job interview so if I had down time I would just find something else to do.”
Harold Flegelman, Associate Dean and Director of the EASL Graduate Program, referred to the previous week’s guest speaker, Aric Kurzman, in emphasizing Green’s initiative. “This is the second week in a row that we’ve had a guest speaker reflect upon the value of making himself useful,” he said. “People will notice if you put yourself out there.”
Green parted with encouraging words for the class, and a reminder of the importance of being prepared. “You should be confident in yourself. You guys have learned a ton in law school, you’ve worked just as hard as people that have been at this company,” he said. “I did get lucky, but it’s only because I put myself in the position to be lucky.”
“For me,” Flegelman said, “luck is the point where opportunity and preparation meet.”
