Title:GEMA Externship: Where Are They Now? Zachary Lyon (L’11)

Zachary Lyon (L’11) is a Senior Counsel at the National Hockey League, where he has served as the legal lead on various NHL tentpole events such as the Winter Classic, Stadium Series, All-Star Weekend, and Stanley Cup Playoffs.

What was your first “big break” into your industry? Or, what is the most significant experience you have had that has made your success possible?

I got a taste of the sports and entertainment industry when I was in law school – first with a local event production company as a legal intern, and then with the New York Islanders as a member of their inaugural rotational internship program, “Islanders University”. These opportunities provided me with a behind the scenes look at how major events are produced and how a professional sports franchise operates, all of which would prove beneficial in my current role. I then spent the first 7 years of my legal career at various law firms and in-house positions, essentially learning how to “be a lawyer”. Each stop along the way added to my skillset, whether it was refining my drafting skills, contract interpretation and strengthening my business sense.

What was your first job?

My first post-law school job was at a mid-sized commercial law firm on Long Island, where I rotated through several practice groups, including corporate, banking, real estate, and trusts and estates law. The learning curve for a junior legal associate is steep, but many of the lessons I learned at that job have stuck with me to this day – such as always understanding “why” I am working on an assignment and not being afraid to push for more information when handling a matter.

What do you do in your job now? What is your favorite part of your current position?

As a member of the NHL’s Legal Events team, I serve as the legal lead on some of the NHL’s highest-profile events, which involves a high-volume of drafting and negotiating commercial agreements, including venue licenses, team participating agreements and vendor agreements. Aside from being a life-long hockey fan, I really enjoy the close interactions with the business teams that I service and being a part of something bigger than myself. So much work goes into hosting large-scale events, and it is truly amazing to see the NHL’s operational teams bring them to life. It’s one thing to work on an agreement for a signage or décor vendor, but to then see the final product on the field in front of tens of thousands of spectators provides a tangible end-product that really makes me proud of my work.

What was the externship experience like for you? Did it have an influence on your career/help kickstart your career?

Initially, I was intimidated by the thought of meeting all of these successful individuals, each of whom had objectively “cool” jobs. However, I quickly learned that they were incredibly kind and eager to talk about their backgrounds and what led them to their current positions. The week flew past and left me wanting more. Returning home from Los Angeles, I felt incredibly motivated that a career in the sports and entertainment industry was possible and that I was starting down the right path to make my dreams a reality.

What part(s) of the Externship did you find most valuable?

The externship, together with GEMA in general, really opened my eyes to the career possibilities in the sports and entertainment industry. When I started law school, I had every intention of becoming a real estate lawyer. However, when I learned about GEMA and the types of internships and jobs that current Georgetown Law students and alums held, everything changed for me. Participating in the externship program reinforced my belief that there were more opportunities out there for me than traditional law firm roles. I believe my law firm and in-house experiences were essential building-blocks for me to reach my current role, but the sports and entertainment “spark” definitely started while I was at Georgetown and burned even brighter following my externship experience.

What was your experience like attending Georgetown? Were there any particularly formative experiences that were special to you?

Law school was difficult and oftentimes stressful, but looking back, I can honestly say that I enjoyed my time at Georgetown. Some of the most impactful experiences for me were writing a seminar paper on the changing landscape of sports media rights, and a drafting and negotiating commercial transactions course that was taught by a well-known adjunct professor. The paper required me to think critically about how sports would be consumed in the coming years – a topic that seems to be even more relevant today. The drafting and negotiating commercial transactions course served as an introduction to what would become the focus of my legal career – integrating a specific set of business points into a commercial agreement, while identifying and limiting legal risk. That professor also invited several prominent local sports lawyers to lecture during the semester, which was an amazing opportunity to pick their brains on the industry and potential career paths.

What’s your advice for an undergraduate trying to break into your industry? Is there anything you would tell your younger self now?

I don’t think the importance of networking can be understated. While the way people network is always changing (I actually sent physical letters to countless NHL agents and executives while in law school), I think it is vital to put yourself out there and always be willing to meet new people – whether you are looking to break into the industry, land your next job or just expand your network.

I would also stress the importance of patience – when I started practicing law, each day that I was not working for a sports league or team felt like a missed opportunity to me. Looking back, all of my experiences and the people I worked alongside helped prepare me for my current role at the NHL. By not landing my “dream job” right out of law school, I learned to appreciate the journey and feel like that made me an even better candidate when the right opportunity arose.

Name someone in your career who has been a valuable mentor or role model to you and why?

During my career, I’ve been fortunate to connect with two individuals that I deem my mentors – each of whom I met while working at my first law firm, although only one of them was a colleague. The colleague was a partner at the firm, who was kind and willing to put the time in to teach me how to become a better lawyer. She involved me in substantive projects and allowed me to have direct client interactions. We have each worked at several different firms and organizations since that job, but she has continued to serve as a sounding board and trusted confidant throughout my career. The other individual is the spouse of a former colleague. Our paths briefly crossed earlier in my career, but it was not until I was working with his spouse that we really connected. He was instrumental in introducing me to established sports lawyers at legal conferences, via email and LinkedIn. I’m a firm believer that no one is truly self-made, and these two individuals, together with countless others, have provided me with invaluable guidance and support throughout my career to date.

To read other “GEMA Externship: Where Are They Now?” posts, click here.