Intersectionality of Legal Profession
The Intersection Between Sports Officials & The Legal Profession
As someone who has been a soccer referee since 2016 and spent five years as a hockey off-ice official, I’ve come to appreciate the significant overlap between sports officiating and the legal profession. Karim Esqhoor, Barbarian Law’s Managing Partner, has been officiating soccer for 15 years in various leagues around Ontario. Both of us have observed that lawyers make good referees and referees make good lawyers. This can be attributed to the numerous transferable skills that both professions require for success.
Transferable Skills
1. Deep Knowledge of The Law: Both lawyers and referees need a strong understanding of numerous rules and regulations within their fields. It is not just about memorizing rules, rather having a deep understanding of how different laws interact and applying them in various complex situations, even when their application may not be clear. For example, the handball rule in soccer is notoriously unclear and often causes significant controversy amongst players. Similarly, many legal concepts like the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt in criminal law or the reasonable person standard used in a negligence claim require interpretive guidance. Lawyers like referees must use their interpretive skills to apply them correctly. This robust understanding is critical to serving legal clients as well as being a top-quality match official.
2. Management & Adaptability: Game management is a key skill for referees. Adapting to the conditions presented in each game, maintaining control of multiple stakeholders, and allowing the game to flow naturally are essential for success. Similarly, each client file a lawyer takes on is not black and white. Every client matter presents different challenges, which a good lawyer can navigate through to produce a desired result.
3. Communication: While it may seem trivial compared to the real-life matters with high-stakes implications lawyers regularly deal with, referees must know how to effectively communicate decisions made to parties who are often displeased with their situation. In the same way, lawyers are often dealing with people engaged in matters deeply important to them and must be able to effectively communicate information in a clear and concise manner.
Professional Referees
Several top referees in various sports have backgrounds in law, leveraging their transferable skills to excel in both professions.
Ed Hochuli (American Football): Known for his clear and concise on-field explanations, Hochuli was an NFL referee for 27 years and officiated two Super Bowls. He is also a founding partner at an Arizona law firm, practicing as a civil trial lawyer.
Felix Brych (Soccer): A Bundesliga referee since 2004 and a former FIFA referee, Brych whom officiated the 2017 Champions League final and a Euro 2021 semi-final, is also a financial lawyer in Munich.
Wayne Barnes (Rugby): Barnes has presided over more Rugby World Cup matches than any other individual, including the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final. He is also a partner at a London-based law firm specializing in government investigations and white-collar practice.
Chris Flores (Boxing): Flores, who has presided over 33 world champion fights and 34 national title fights, is also a practicing criminal defense attorney.
Brent Barnaky (Basketball): A 13-year NBA veteran, Barnaky practices family and personal injury civil litigation at a Florida-based law firm.
Dan Bellino (Baseball): A 14-year MLB veteran who also umpired the 2021 World Series, Bellino practices civil litigation in Chicago.
Peter Manikowski (Soccer): Assistant Referee in the MLS since 2007, Manikowski led the Professional Soccer Referees Association’s most recent labour negotiations. Manikowski utilized his skills as a labour and employment lawyer in Chicago to get a deal for his union.
Conclusion
If you’re someone who is considering the legal profession, consider giving officiating a try. It equips one with countless life skills beneficial to the legal profession, which can be utilize for years to come. Additionally, it can help one make numerous connections in their community, that cannot only be helpful in building a personal network, but a career and professional network as well. The similarities and transferable skills in both being a lawyer and a sports official are undeniable. Being able to learn the rules or laws of a sport, being adaptable, managing stakeholders, and being able to communicate clearly and concisely in high-pressure situations is why good officials make good lawyers, and good lawyers make good officials.
Written by Andrew Lawrence (Summer Law Intern and Recovering Referee)
