Rising 2L Turns Passion for Baseball Into Viable Career
Rising second-year day student Andrew Leon ’21 is spending his summer working at Paragon Sports International and at Glaser Weil, LLP. Prior to starting at Loyola Law School last fall, Leon worked as the Assistant Director of Professional Scouting for the Miami Marlins. Leon has also worked in baseball analytics, international player operations and player development for the Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Miami Marlins, respectively.
Q: HOW DID YOU LAND YOUR SUMMER JOB?
A: During my time with the Marlins, Professor Joe Longo ’90 and his baseball agency, Paragon Sports International, represented a handful of players on our major league roster and in our minor league farm system. Part of my role with the Marlins was roster management, which often entailed communicating with player agents regarding contracts and collective bargaining compliance. After I left the Marlins to enroll at Loyola Law School, I reached out to Prof. Longo to seek advice on how I could mesh my legal career aspirations while still remaining active in the sports industry. Prof. Longo offered me an opportunity to split my time as his summer associate at Glaser Weil, LLP in his probate law practice and as a baseball contracts and arbitration extern at Paragon.
Q: WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING PART OF YOUR JOB?
A: I’ve been fortunate enough to turn my passion for baseball into a viable career path. I am particularly fascinated with analyzing statistical data trends, evaluating markets and contract negotiations. I love the challenge of being analytical and strategic during the preparation phase of contract negotiations, and then ultimately commencing the process with a deal that will benefit the player, the team and the fans.
Q: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST CHALLENGING ASSIGNMENT THUS FAR?
A: The most challenging task at Paragon thus far has been adjusting to contract negotiation and evaluation from the players’ perspectives instead of from the team’s perspective. Since I started my career in baseball back in 2012, I have worked almost exclusively on the team side as a member of baseball operations departments for the Athletics, Red Sox and Marlins. The closest legal analogy I can make to this type of adjustment would be by spending nearly a decade as a prosecutor, and then taking on a new role as a public defender. The law stays the same, but the tactics used to “win” the deal are modified.
Q: WHAT NEW LEGAL SKILLS HAVE YOU ACQUIRED DURING YOUR SUMMER JOB?
A: Although I just recently started in my summer role at Paragon, I have already learned a lot of legal research and writing techniques that are more geared toward transactional practice. My Legal Research and Writing courses during my 1L year helped provide me with a good foundation for litigation research and litigation writing styles. However, at Paragon, I have been exposed to new research criteria and differently formatted briefs and memos that specifically correspond to the corporate law arena.
Q: WHAT LEGAL KNOWLEDGE HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO DISPLAY?
A: I’ve spent many years dealing with contracts and arbitration in the baseball industry, but I never knew the legal reasoning behind why certain clauses contained such unique and specific language or why arbitration proceedings needed to adhere to an explicit format. During my 1L year, I took Contracts with Professor Victor Gold and Alternative Dispute Resolution with Professor Hiro Aragaki. Both of these classes and professors armed me with the legal knowledge as to why certain language must be used, and also with knowledge of the potential legal consequences when detailed legal processes are ignored.
Q: HOW HAS LOYOLA HELPED MAP YOUR CAREER PATH?
A: Loyola’s Career Development Office has helped me tremendously this past year. My advisor, Jill Myers, assisted me with resume and cover letter revisions, which I submitted to Glaser Weil and Paragon prior to receiving my offer. She has also steered me toward events in Los Angeles that have helped create a foundation for my legal network. Moreover, Loyola’s dedicated faculty and strong alumni network have been incredible resources in helping me take the next step toward pursuing a career within the legal landscape.