Law School to be a Talent/Sports agent? Forum

[Cjojeda]

I simply wanted to preface that I am extremely blessed to be in the position that I am in and am simply seeking guidance. Thank you in advance for the help!

Now I have seen this question answered many times with the quick and concise response of "do not go to law school if you do not want to be a lawyer", but I personally believe my situation is a tad different than others. I am currently a third year undergraduate student at USC and have always known that I wanted to get into talent representation (also I have a close connection with someone in the talent representation industry, so that also helps). Nonetheless, my true passion is definitely to become an NFL agent and it always has been. I currently have a few friends who are about to enter the NFL or already are in the league (so that also helps). Anyway, to be a NFL agent you have to attend any sort of graduate school, not necessarily just law school, but law school makes the most sense for me. That being said, knowing that, I have been I have been studying for the LSAT for a little over 6 months now and I am expecting to score well enough to be accepted to a top 20 law school.

Now here is where the tricky situation comes in... my connection to the talent representation world recommended that I actually do not attend law school and instead just go straight to the mail room right out of college. That way I could likely become an agent at around 25-26 representing actors and or athletes (for sports that do not require a graduate degree such as baseball/basketball). Now as enticing as that may sound... it has always been my mother's dream for me to attend law school and because of that she has told me that she is more than happy to pay for me to go. So that's where I become stuck.

Should I attempt to go the mailroom route right out of undergrad or should I go to law school (debt free) and attempt to go the sports agent route?

And listen, if all goes to s*** with the talent representation, having a law degree does provide a pretty solid backup.

[SowhatsNU]

I think we’d need a little more data here, but I’d go to law school. The security LS gives you as a fall back option is more than worth the opportunity cost (especially since you won’t be paying tuition) given how risky being an agent is.

Speaking of which, as I’m sure you know the ability to make it as an agent will depend largely on your NFL (and soon to be NFL) friends’ caliber as players. Are they first or second round picks? Reliable starters? NFL careers are (unfortunately) notoriously short.

Feel free to PM me, but absent some other factor you haven’t raised in your post, law school is a no brainer to me.

[cavalier1138]

I think we’d need a little more data here, but I’d go to law school. The security LS gives you as a fall back option is more than worth the opportunity cost (especially since you won’t be paying tuition) given how risky being an agent is.

No. None of this. A JD is not a "fall back option" for anything. If you don't want to practice law, don't go to law school.

OP: If the standard for becoming the type of agent you want to become is attending "any sort of graduate school," there are several hundred cheaper, faster, and easier graduate degrees available. Why not pursue one of those? Alternatively, why not listen to your industry contact who actually knows how these things work and start working right out of undergrad?

[nixy]

OP, I realize that you wouldn't have law school debt because your mother would pay for it, but is she really so wealthy that the $300k price tag is meaningless? Isn't there something better that she could do with that money? Just because you won't have debt doesn't mean it's cost-free.

In any case, it also sounds to me like you don't have to decide this now. Go do the work that your connection says you should, and then if you get to the point where you want to do sports agent stuff that does require a grad degree, go get a degree then (when you will also have a much better idea of what degree will be more useful. I suspect an MBA or sports management degree or something will help more than a JD, though that's just speculation). It's not like you have to go to grad school now or not at all.

Re: law as a backup - if you go to law school, then try the talent/sports agent route, and it doesn't work, it's not actually that easy to go back into law if you do something else before you ever practice.

[crazywafflez]

I'd echo Cav's comments. I know it sucks to hear that. I would listen to your contact, unless you are sold on the NFL (in which case, maybe I'd try to just grab a 1 year masters somewhere or an MBA). I'm at school that's supposed to specialize in sports law, we have a sports law program (supposedly one of the top ones in the country, don't listen to that drivel), a ton of people came expecting to be sports agents (we even had a few canadian ones hoping to do it). We had like 1 person do stuff with the vikings. But out of my handful of friends who attempted to do it, one who was on LR and worked in Cooperstown and had MLB connections, all struck out except the one person who did some summer work with the vikings (however, she did not receive an offer to return).
I really think their are other avenues that would better suit your time, efforts, career advancement, and save your mother some money.

[SowhatsNU]

I think we’d need a little more data here, but I’d go to law school. The security LS gives you as a fall back option is more than worth the opportunity cost (especially since you won’t be paying tuition) given how risky being an agent is.

No. None of this. A JD is not a "fall back option" for anything. If you don't want to practice law, don't go to law school.

OP: If the standard for becoming the type of agent you want to become is attending "any sort of graduate school," there are several hundred cheaper, faster, and easier graduate degrees available. Why not pursue one of those? Alternatively, why not listen to your industry contact who actually knows how these things work and start working right out of undergrad?

Lol. Reasonable minds may differ, but I’m not sure you’re thinking about the whole picture. First, OP said it would be debt free, so not sure why “cheaper” matters (again assuming that OP’s mom is truly okay spending the money and it’s a responsible decision, etc). Second, do you have any idea how hard it is to become a SUCCESSFUL sports agent? The qualifications/exam/registration fee is not a significant barrier to entry- the exam is open book, and like you said, (almost) any grad program works. However there are VERY few NFL players to begin with, fewer still that have “staying power” for more than 3 years (google average tenure at the NFL) and EVEN fewer players who fit those measures who are NOT represented by a huge agency. It is notoriously hard to maintain a successful career as an agent.

Unclear to me why OP can’t APPLY to law school, work at the agency during college, intern during law school semesters, and then reassess. If, as others have noted, it doesn’t appear to work out WHILE IN LAW SCHOOL, it would be “easier” to pivot into another career (I.e., as a lawyer- assuming OP would be okay with that route- as they said “that would make the most sense to me”) then it would with a “useless” degree OP got just to be able to take the agent test.

[cavalier1138]

Lol. Reasonable minds may differ, but I’m not sure you’re thinking about the whole picture. First, OP said it would be debt free, so not sure why “cheaper” matters (again assuming that OP’s mom is truly okay spending the money and it’s a responsible decision, etc). Second, do you have any idea how hard it is to become a SUCCESSFUL sports agent? The qualifications/exam/registration fee is not a significant barrier to entry- the exam is open book, and like you said, (almost) any grad program works. However there are VERY few NFL players to begin with, fewer still that have “staying power” for more than 3 years (google average tenure at the NFL) and EVEN fewer players who fit those measures who are NOT represented by a huge agency. It is notoriously hard to maintain a successful career as an agent.

1. I don't want anyone--especially an applicant's parents--to drop $300k on a useless degree.

2. Of course it's hard to become a successful sports agent. I don't see the value in spending three years in an intensely focused environment that has nothing to do with sports or agency work.

3. As has already been pointed out, if the OP actually spends all their time in law school focusing on their future agency career, then they won't have built up the necessary resume for that "backup" legal career.

This always bears repeating: Don't go to law school if you don't want to be a lawyer.

[The Lsat Airbender]

OP, have you considered being a punter? You could walk on to a college football team during law school (assuming you still have NCAA eligibility) and then get drafted by an NFL team. Then you'll get to build connections in the league while pocketing a cool $500k/year.

I say this because it's a more realistic path to becoming a sports agent than whatever the fuck your current plan is

[mandrewsf]

FWIW I'm an old man (29) who's applying to law school this cycle and I just came off an interview with a T20 school where the admissions dean told me that I'm not a "non-traditional candidate" and that she went to law school at 39 and succeeded. OP, why not go the sports agent route now and then go to law school later when (or if) you feel the need to? Heck, being a sports agent is an experience that will look good on law school applications. How many applicants can boast work experience like that?

[SowhatsNU]

Lol. Reasonable minds may differ, but I’m not sure you’re thinking about the whole picture. First, OP said it would be debt free, so not sure why “cheaper” matters (again assuming that OP’s mom is truly okay spending the money and it’s a responsible decision, etc). Second, do you have any idea how hard it is to become a SUCCESSFUL sports agent? The qualifications/exam/registration fee is not a significant barrier to entry- the exam is open book, and like you said, (almost) any grad program works. However there are VERY few NFL players to begin with, fewer still that have “staying power” for more than 3 years (google average tenure at the NFL) and EVEN fewer players who fit those measures who are NOT represented by a huge agency. It is notoriously hard to maintain a successful career as an agent.

1. I don't want anyone--especially an applicant's parents--to drop $300k on a useless degree.

2. Of course it's hard to become a successful sports agent. I don't see the value in spending three years in an intensely focused environment that has nothing to do with sports or agency work.

3. As has already been pointed out, if the OP actually spends all their time in law school focusing on their future agency career, then they won't have built up the necessary resume for that "backup" legal career.

This always bears repeating: Don't go to law school if you don't want to be a lawyer.

1. We don’t know OP’s financial situation. The facts we were given were that OP’s family will pay for law school, not that it would be a financial stretch (or whatever) to do so.

2. That’s my whole point. OP is slated to go to a Top-20 school (if their LSAT pans out). Being in the top 33% to get a big law job 2L is a helluva lot easier than making it as a sports agent. Many would see the value in going to law school if they can make 190K at the outset of their career. Of course this isn’t guaranteed and they have to do well academically, but again we’re comparing this to being a sports agent.

3. Couldn’t disagree more. You can intern 2L and 3L year in a niche field unrelated to the biglaw job you’ll start once you graduate. I know because I did it. Firms care about the school you went to and the grades you earned once there. That’s it.

[nixy]

1. We don’t know OP’s financial situation. The facts we were given were that OP’s family will pay for law school, not that it would be a financial stretch (or whatever) to do so.

But seriously, you're fine with someone's family, however wealthy, paying $300k for an unnecessary degree? like if they literally have so much money they cannot figure out what to do with it, maybe, but "mother willing to pay" is absolutely not cost-free.

3. Couldn’t disagree more. You can intern 2L and 3L year in a niche field unrelated to the biglaw job you’ll start once you graduate. I know because I did it. Firms care about the school you went to and the grades you earned once there. That’s it.

But that's premised on going into biglaw after you graduate, not pursuing sports representation/agency. Sure, of course you can intern in relevant gigs for the sports thing during law school. But then once you graduate, and you pursue the sports thing for a while, and it doesn't pan out, it's not going to be especially easy to get back into biglaw at that poingf. This is why people are saying law isn't a good backup. On the other hand, if you do biglaw right after graduation, you're not pursuing the sports thing, and probably not developing pertinent skills/connections to do so.