How did you make the transition from practicing law to becoming a negotiator for Major League Baseball players?
As Maryland’s Securities Commissioner, I was forced to negotiate because I was a staff of one. I had to learn how to negotiate because I could not possibly litigate everything that came in front of me — although I let people think I would. As a result of my background in business law and securities law, the Baltimore Orioles baseball team asked me to help Brooks Robinson — now a Hall of Famer — with serious financial difficulties. After I successfully represented Brooks, he asked me to negotiate his last baseball contract. I did. Then all of a sudden other players were asking me to do the same for them. Then I set up, separate from my law firm, a sports agency which negotiated contracts and managed finances, initially, for Major League Baseball players and then subsequently for broadcast television personalities. What are some of the lessons you learned as a young lawyer? I represented Oprah Winfrey early in her career. After a period of time, she signed with another agent and someone
