Canada, In-House Counsel, Sports

The View From Up North: Meet The Blue Jays' Top Lawyer

Canada columnist Steven Dykstra interviews Matthew Shuber, legal counsel to the Toronto Blue Jays.

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In 1992, the Toronto Blue Jays won their first World Series title. I was a huge Blue Jays fan at the time. Moments after the team won, I sprinted from my downtown Toronto apartment to Yonge Street, where hundreds of thousands of fans gathered in ecstasy. It was an amazing time for all of Canada.

The next year, the Blue Jays did the improbable—they won the World Series again. I have to admit it was not nearly as thrilling for me. Sadly, I had a bit of a “been there, done that” attitude to their second win. But I didn’t know then what I know now. Had I realized the Blue Jays would not make the playoffs for another 22 years, I might’ve enjoyed the 1993 World Series a little more. We live, we learn. Only the people in Boston can take sporting success for granted. The rest of us should cherish every championship.

As you probably know, however, the Blue Jays are back! They’ve made the playoffs once again after a two-decade drought. I see Blue Jays hats and shirts everywhere. All of Canada is back on the Blue Jays train, and loving it. Tomorrow they open up their American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers. The Rogers Centre will be rocking and the whole country will be watching.

What the heck has this got to do with the law, you ask? From time to time I do profiles of lawyers with interesting law jobs. In light of the Blue Jays’ recent success, I thought it would be cool to profile the club’s top lawyer, Matthew Shuber. Matthew is a 1999 call to the Ontario Bar and holds the title of Vice President, Business Affairs and Legal Counsel for the Blue Jays.

How’s that for a cool job? Especially now with the Blue Jays back on top? Imagine going to the office knowing your workplace has the opportunity to win the World Freakin’ Series? If that doesn’t get you out of bed in the morning, nothing will.

Matthew works directly with the club’s top management, including the team’s president, Paul Beeston, a man who was instrumental in building the Blue Jays’ two World Series-winning teams. Paul is retiring from the club after this season, culminating a brilliant career as a baseball executive worthy of enshrinement in Cooperstown, in my opinion. It would be amazing if Paul could leave with another World Series win. Truly fitting. In a few weeks, we’ll know whether that dream will come true.

In the meantime, here is my lightly edited interview with the Blue Jays’ top lawyer. Meet Matthew Shuber, a man who has the job I—and I’m sure many or you—would love to have (especially now):

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SD: How long have you worked for the Blue Jays?

MS: Since the 2003 season.

SD: So you’ve worked with the team for quite some time. It’s been a while since the Blue Jays have scaled these heights, how does it feel to be part of the team now that they’re soaring? I bet the front office staff has a lot of energy.

MS: It’s rewarding in a way that can’t completely be reduced to words. There’s a certain quiet pride that is palpable in the front office; a pride in being a part of something bigger. This is a rare and special experience and I know that everyone is thankful to be a part of it.

SD: I know you started out in private practice. How did you make your way to the Blue Jays?

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MS: That’s something that I get asked fairly regularly by both young lawyers and by other business professionals and (with a smile) I usually tell them, “If you want a sure path to a business and legal role in professional sports then you need to do exactly as I did: become a criminal defence lawyer.” Of course, I’m joking, but that is, in fact, what I did to start my career. I joined Austin Cooper, Mark Sandler and others at the firm of Cooper, Sandler & West, in Toronto. And after a time I realized that my interests were going to lead me to a role in which I could have a business function that was equal to or greater than my legal function. And I set out down a different path. So while my career in criminal law certainly didn’t take me on a direct path to where I am today, there are skills and lessons I learned there that have stood me in good stead since that time.

SD: What kind of work do you do on a day-to-day basis? Do you negotiate player contracts?

MS: Broadly speaking, my day-to-day work probably breaks down into three or four buckets. The first is negotiation, review and/or giving business and legal advice in connection with the organization’s business contracts and relationships. I’m referring to business contracts between the different departments (e.g., ticketing, sponsorships, baseball operations, etc.) and outside parties. Much to your readers’ disappointment, I’m sorry to report that I don’t generally have a hand in player contracts. The second bucket is the management of the high-level relationship with Major League Baseball in connection with league governance, regulation and business management (e.g., licensing matters, trademark registrations, etc.) and rights matters (e.g., interactive media rights, broadcast rights, etc.). The third bucket is probably the management of certain significant cross-department projects. In that case, I’m referring to things that perhaps don’t fit neatly into a single existing organizational department. Things like the team’s 2012 rebranding, or the management of matters relating to the team’s Spring Training facilities. A fourth bucket would be oversight of traditional “legal-type” matters, such as managing outside litigation counsel, intellectual property, and so on.

SD: How many lawyers are in your department?

MS: Myself and one other, Jessica Fingerhut.

SD: Do you and Jessica perform different tasks, or are you both generalists?

MS: Above all else, our role is to provide value to the business. From a lawyer-centric perspective, that means that we are by our nature “generalists”, because our business is very unique, and new and different matters arise daily. Truly, however, my function is probably better described as “senior business advisor with a legal background”, rather than “lawyer working in-house.” To do this job well, first and foremost, a person needs to gain a deep understanding of the organization, its business arrangements and relationships, and the framework(s) within which is operates. The legal training and skill set is a help in doing that and in adding some value to the role. But the legal training and skill is far from the sum total of the role.

SD: What’s it like working for Paul Beeston?

MS: It’s been a privilege to have had the opportunity to work for, and alongside, Paul. That has nothing to do with what he’s accomplished over his career or what honours he may one day receive. It has to do with the fact that he combines experience, smarts, personality, practicality and a real understanding and concern for people in a way that is truly unique. He has been a great leader to the organization, and he’s been both a friend and a mentor to me. I’m so glad that the team is performing the way it is right now, as it’s great to share that with Paul and everyone at the organization who has worked so hard.

SD: Do you get to take daily batting practice?

MS: Not daily. Not weekly. Not ever. Let’s just say that there was never a risk that I might end up playing for the Blue Jays.

SD: Do you get to go on the road with the team ever?

MS: I’ve been lucky enough to be in the same city as the team just by happenstance (such as being in town for a business meeting or some other reason). But it’s not something that happens regularly.

SD: Are you a lifelong sports fan? Did you play baseball growing up?

MS: I played baseball and various other sports when I was growing up. While I’ve been a fan of different sports at different times, the Blue Jays have always been the team that most interested me, starting back in 1985.

SD: Do you have ambitions to grow beyond a legal role? Would you like to be a GM, for example?

MS: I’m fortunate that I already have a role that extends beyond “legal”, so that isn’t a concern. For me, the most important things are that my day-to-day is varied, that I’m learning, and that I have an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to something that is meaningful to me. Right now, I have those things. The way I look at it, is that I’m lucky to have the chance to do what I’m doing right now and I hope that whatever the future holds will be great.

SD: Thanks for taking the time to join me, Matthew. That’s the View From Up North. Go Blue Jays!

Steve Dykstra is a Canadian-trained lawyer and legal recruiter. He is the President of Steven Dykstra Law Professional Corporation, a boutique corporate/commercial law firm located in the greater Toronto area. You can contact Steve at steve@stevendykstralaw.ca. You can also read his blog at stevendykstra.wordpress.com, follow him on Twitter (@Law_Think), or connect on LinkedIn (ca.linkedin.com/in/stevedykstra/).

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