Sports Law with Rustam Sethna
Rustam Sethna joins us on LegalTea this week to talk about his experience working in Sports Law. Part of the Sports Disputes and Regulatory team at Mills & Reeve, Rustam’s journey encompassed two degrees and four countries. For any lawyer or law student with a passion for sport, Sports Law might sound like a perfect, though poorly understood, match. So, what is Sports Law and what advice does Rustam have to offer?
As a law student, it’s likely that you’ve not heard much about Sports Law. It doesn’t feature prominently in courses and, even when it is discussed, it’s usually packaged up with a number of other areas. So, although it might sound interesting, it’s understandable that you’d have some questions about what it actually is. While historically it has been seen as the application of other substantive areas of law to a sports content, whether that be things like Employment, Contract, or Immigration law, there’s a growing school of thought which sees Sports Law as a substantive area of the law in of itself. Many legal concepts are unique to sports and there has been a growing body of jurisprudence from the ‘supreme court’ that is the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, a lex sportiva. As sport becomes ever more commercialized and attracts more money, more regulation is required. More regulation leads to more disputes, and more disputes require more lawyers. In this way, an ecosystem of Sports Law has been created.
For a sports lawyer, the old cliché that no two days are the same definitely holds true. Your primary workload will likely be dealing with disputes, by representing an individual or body before a sports tribunal, or advisory, explaining regulatory issues and their implications to clients or advising on things like contracts. What these core tasks actually involve varies massively on a case-by-case basis, so anyone looking for a dynamic and challenging practice area would do well to consider Sports Law.
The challenge, of course, is actually landing a role. Both the law and sports are notoriously competitive industries to break into, so it’s probably no surprise to hear that making a career out of Sports Law will be difficult. Lawyers love sport as much as any other group of people and so, sadly, having a passion for it, while a great motivator, won’t be enough.
So, what can you do? Rustam’s advice would be to concentrate on the law side of things first. At the end of the day, a solid background in the law is an absolute necessity, so concentrate on qualifying and developing your skills as a lawyer first. These years won’t be wasted; think of them more as laying a foundation on which to build later on. Rustam himself worked as a corporate lawyer in India before making the transition and, although there are a lot of differences between Commercial Law and Sports Law, the general skills he picked up through working as a lawyer at a firm have been easily transferable and very important. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it has to be sports or nothing – focus on gaining experience as a lawyer in any field.
Once you're confident in your general key competencies, the next thing to think about is how to differentiate yourself from all the other people looking to make the same move as you. The first step is to take some time to really think about why you want to work in this area; what is it that excites and inspires you? Is it the intricacies of doping regulation? Challenges and disputes around gender? Once you’ve worked this out, do your research and educate yourself. You might consider a Master’s in Sports Law similar to the one Rustam did in Madrid but, even if that’s not the right option to you, there are plenty of resources out there. Law in Sport is a treasure-trove for anyone looking to move into this area, so make sure to read up on issues of particular interest.
Also take some time to understand the market you want to enter. It’s important that you know who the key players in the area are, and what the nature of the work will be. Not only will this help you target your job search, but it will be absolutely vital in any application process to show that you really know what you’re talking about and that your expectations are in line with those of your potential employer. Although it can seem intimidating, reaching out to people already in the industry can be invaluable. Not only will this broaden your network, but you’ll be able to get an understanding of other people’s paths into this area and gain insights which will be helpful to your own journey. Rustam did a lot of this and found that, as long as you're polite and appropriate in your approach, most people are very forthcoming and helpful.
A move into Sports Law probably won’t happen overnight; it took Rustam three years between quitting his last job to starting his current role. Patience really is a virtue when it comes to launching a career in this area, but if you persevere and send time preparing so that you’re in the best possible position when a role does come up, the wait will definitely be worth it.
These are our three takeaways for all aspiring sports lawyers:
Differentiate yourself. Passion and strong lawyer skills are a prerequisite, but there aren’t enough. Make sure to do your research and read up on the most important and interesting issues. Although you might consider a Masters, there are also tons of great resources online.
Understand the market. Make sure you know who the key players are and be proactive about reaching out to people already working in the area. Not only will this grow your network, it will also give you insight into other people’s journey’s.
Remember the 3 Ps. Patience, perseverance and preparedness are all vital for anyone looking to transition to sports law. Although it can be frustrating waiting for the right opportunity to open up, use this time to make sure you’re as prepared as possible when it does. Being in the ‘right place at the right time’ will only work out if you’ve done the legwork!
Contact Rustam Sethna on LinkedIn
