CBA Record March-April 2025

THE YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION

became an agent. That experience gave me commonality and credibility with prospective clients. I have also seen suc cessful agents who were friends with well known professional athletes; agents who were former scouts, trainers, or coaches; or agents with well-established ties to major college programs that produced professional-level talent year after year. Establishing Trust But access to prospective talent, regard less of your hook, is only the first step in recruiting. The second, and likely the most important, step in recruiting is establishing trust. You have to be able to convince the athlete—and usually their parents—that you have their best interests at heart, that you will protect them from negative influences, and that you will pro vide guidance on the myriad issues that professional athletes face. The adage that agents wear many hats is not just a cliché. At times you are a coach, a therapist, a financial advisor, a business consultant, a second-opinion orthopedist, and the list goes on. Athletes and their parents often have their guards up because so many people observe athletic talent and auto matically see dollar signs. Establishing trust is a key factor in getting an athlete to sign on the dotted line. In my first year as an agent, even with the hurdles of lack of experience and not being at a large agency with an estab lished roster, I was able to sign a player who ended up playing several years in the NFL. I was able to connect with him and build a rapport based on our mutual con nection to my alma mater, Northwestern University. That year, I left the law firm environment to start up my own agency with a partner. Also in that same year, I was able to sign my first client’s room mate, who went on to play for several years in the NFL. Learning Business Lessons Along the way, I also learned very difficult lessons about running a small business. One area stands out in particular: there is a much smaller margin for error when it comes to expenses. One of the key dif

I have had what most would describe as a unique career path. My first job out of college was as a professional football player with the Dallas Cowboys. Making it to the NFL was a unique experience. However, because of my short time in the NFL, I had to learn how to pivot very early in my career. That experience led me to the practice of law, which gave me transferrable lessons that I carried with me throughout my career journey. I started my legal career as an associate in Big Law, although I still remained inter ested in working in the sports industry. My transition from law firm associate to NFL agent started gradually. While working at the law firm, I drafted a proposal to my practice group chair requesting permission to pursue my agent certification as part of an overall business plan to attract more sports clients to the firm. With the firm’s blessing, I participated in a seminar hosted by the NFL Players Association that con cluded with the agent certification exam. After passing the exam, I was officially an NFL agent. I knew a lot about football from my years of playing. My exam prep had taught me the basics of the collective bargaining agreement and other key rules and regulations related to the business of Sports Agent By Dominique Price

football. However, the vast majority of lessons one needs to become a successful agent are learned on the job. Recruiting Clients Recruiting clients is a budding agent’s number one job. You must be able to go out and get clients. If you don’t have cli ents to represent, you are essentially an agent in title only. Given the large num bers of licensed agents and the relatively small number of athletes on professional team rosters, that is the reality for a lot of people in the industry, especially those just starting out. Often the key to recruiting as a new agent is having some type of connection or access to prospective professional ath letes. Unlike a seasoned agent with years of experience, you don’t have a large roster of current clients who can vouch for your skills as an agent. If you are fortunate enough to be hired at a large, established agency, you can rely a bit on the brand recognition of your agency and its exist ing roster of athletes. Unfortunately, I had neither my first year as an agent. Instead, what I had in my favor was a fairly unique story: I was a former player who went to law school and

26 March/April 2025