Grazzhoppa wrote:I have an interview with the general counsel of a MLB team coming up. It is for a summer position. What kind of work do these guys do and what should I be expecting in the interview? I know next to nothing about baseball. Thanks.
It would be helpful to at least have a cursory knowledge of baseball going into the interview. Sports teams are like art for a lot of people, they love to just talk about it. Doesn't matter what. At a minimum, you should familiarize yourself with the team, some of their players, recent history, etc.
As to what responsibilities this position could entail, it will likely involve a combination of contract review/drafting (could be business contracts with vendors, marketers, advertisers, etc. or could be contracts for player or team personnel/staff/employees, or contracts with season ticket holders). It's possible to also be responsible for reviewing marketing materials or handle some small-claims litigation (a lot of people get hurt/sick at large sporting venues so they $ue, and some season ticket holders don't pay so the team may go after them to collect). It could also include compliance review of state/local laws, tax issues, company policy, emploment issues, collection matters, consumer warranties, etc.
I'm not familiar with many teams that have a formal program for in-house legal interns, and there aren't many in-house legal positions for professional sports teams, so the in-house counsel probably wants help with some of the routine, menial, or time-consuming projects/contracts/issues that they don't have the time to spend on it. Or they want a highly educated box mover or coffee fetcher.
In any case, I would go into the interview assuming that most of the parties involved have a least a passing knowlege/interest in the sport and team and you should prepare yourself accordingly. Fit/Personality >>>> Grades in this situation.
The school I attended is close to an MLB team and they did have a semi-regular posting for legal intern positions so if you want more info, PM me and I can try to track down one of those postings so you can get a better idea.