Rising Field of Pro Athlete Management
30% of KBO Agents Are Legal Experts
Comprehensive Management of Salary Negotiations and Risk Resolution
Expanding into eSports and Arts Markets
The role of an ‘Agent’ managing contracts for professional sports players is gaining attention as a new field for lawyers. As the number of players involved in various incidents and accidents increases and salaries rise significantly, the demand for lawyer agents who can handle not only salary contracts but also ‘legal risk management’ is growing.
With the growth of the freelance market not only in professional baseball but also in e-sports and the arts, it is expected that the role of lawyers will become even more significant in the future. Lawyers who have entered the market early advised that a deep understanding of the specific sport they handle is an essential condition for success.
According to the status of KBO League agents provided by the Korea Professional Baseball Players Association (KBO Players Association), as of last month, 26 out of 82 agents (31.7%) were legal professionals. Among the officially licensed player agents in domestic professional baseball, 3 out of 10 are ‘legal experts’ such as lawyers and judicial scriveners. This figure is second only to those working in the sports industry (46.3%).
Since some lawyers who operate or belong to sports agencies report themselves as sports industry workers, the actual proportion of legal expert agents is expected to be even higher. Although there are no agent statistics for professional soccer, it is analyzed that the number of lawyers individually working as agents continues to increase.
Within the industry, the greatest competitive advantage of lawyer agents is considered to be ‘comprehensive management.’ While general agents are only involved in salary negotiations, lawyer agents provide both risk management and legal advice simultaneously, which enhances their competitiveness.
This year, the average salary of KBO professional baseball players reached a record high of 154.95 million won, which is also favorable for lawyer agents. Not only do commissions increase, but as salaries rise, contract details become more complex, and the risks players must handle in various crises grow, making the comprehensive management capability of lawyer agents more competitive.
Kim Joon-tae (38, 7th Bar Exam), a lawyer at JP Law Firm who is active as a professional baseball agent, said, “Recently, malicious rumors about players through SNS and other channels have been increasing,” adding, “Considering that various disputes involving the media, teams, and associations significantly affect players’ activities, it is a great advantage that lawyers can directly take charge of crisis management throughout the players’ careers, enabling swift and effective responses.”
Lawyer agents also stand out in salary arbitration. In the history of Korean professional baseball, only two players’ salary arbitration requests have been accepted: LG’s Ryu Ji-hyun in 2002 and KT’s Joo Kwon in 2021. Among them, the agent who handled Joo Kwon’s salary arbitration was Kang Woo-jun (46, 35th Judicial Research and Training Institute), CEO of MVP Sports and a lawyer at Gaon Law Firm.
Overseas, the activity of salary arbitration specialist lawyers is common. In 2021, the agency GSM representing Choi Ji-man, who played in the U.S. Major League Baseball, hired an external salary arbitration specialist lawyer and successfully led the arbitration.
Lawyers currently working as agents advised that success in the industry is difficult with legal knowledge alone. In addition to providing legal services, it is essential to immerse oneself in the relevant sport and make efforts to build relationships with players and teams.
Han Min-hee (41, 44th Bar Exam), who worked as a KBO certified agent and is currently a certified agent for the LCK (League of Legends Korea Championship), said, “Acquiring expertise in the field is a priority,” adding, “Having expert-level industry knowledge is advantageous for negotiations and facilitates smooth communication.” Son Su-ho (46, 1st Bar Exam), a lawyer at Jihyuk Law Firm who recently handled the contract for Jesse Lingard, a former England national team player, joining FC Seoul, said, “By staying close to sports teams, players, and coaches, doing a lot of work, and achieving good results, opportunities to work in various areas of sports naturally arise,” and advised, “One should consider both the goal of becoming a sports agent and the difficulties faced in actual activities before entering the market.”
By An Hyun and Jo Han-ju, Legal Times reporters
※This article is based on content supplied by Law Times.
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