Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives
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I was in law school I thought I wanted the degree more for a business career," she says. "People thought, 'What are you doing, what did you go to law school for?' I went for the education and to learn how to think better." She then gave herself a year to get a job in entertainment. "At the time, sports just wasn't a likely thing," she says. Brudner has been with the sports com- pany since 1995 when she signed on with the fledgling Toronto Raptors. She had just finished working on a heritage pro- duction called The Paris Crew and had a brief stint at the CBC from 1989 to 1992. Prior to that she handled business affairs and contracts and later negotiations work. "I came in and there was one draft of the script and nothing more. I got to participate in discussions regarding the script, editing, financing, distri- bution. It was really a great education for me and exactly what I left CBC to do," she says of The Paris Crew work. But, she adds, it wasn't steady, and for law- yers without constant work in the pipeline, such a lifestyle can be challenging if there's nothing in development or production. "I started thinking about what I want- ed to do after that and whether or not I wanted to continue in the entertainment business," she says. "I decided I would rather prefer at that stage in my life to go back to something a little bit more rou- tine, Monday to Friday, every-two-week paycheque. Sport was certainly top of the list," she said. "At the time, they had this new franchise that was just beginning and hadn't played its first game. I thought that would be ideal. I actually thought about working for the Leafs but they didn't have in-house counsel at the time." So, she sent the then-vice president of legal affairs Glen Grunwald a cold resumé. She then followed up, twice. And, in May 1995, he offered her a six-month contract — at the same time as another company offered a full-time job. "You can guess which one I took," she says. Two years later, the other com- pany closed down. It has been 15 years, and Maple Leaf Sports has grown substantially. In that time, it purchased the Raptors bas- ketball team, which was a huge benefit to both the company and the city, says Brudner. "The growth has led to diverse work. I've never been bored for one day. If you don't feel like doing a broadcast contract, you do a sponsorship. If you don't want to do a sponsorship, you do a ticketing issue." And at the time she was doing the work alone, which she says gave her a chance to get to know the workings of the company intimately as she worked with all departments. "It is a different skill set doing different kinds of con- tracts," says the fan of TV's Criminal Minds. "Over time, because we've been able to grow the department . . . it's given me an opportunity to grow and have a staff and add another layer of opportunity for my personal development as well as growth for the company." Now the legal department is respon- sible for all of the legal work of Maple Leaf Sports. In the big leagues, it now encompasses the Raptors, the Maple Leafs, and Toronto FC — a franchise in Major League Soccer. The company also owns American Hockey League team Toronto Marlies, the farm team for the Maple Leafs, as well as three TV net- works, the Maple Leaf Square mixed-use development due to open this fall, and the Air Canada Centre. "It's quite a vast array of business- es," she says. "We're really becoming a media-content business as well." Until 2005 Brudner worked on Raptors' player contracts. "I've never done the player contracts on the Leafs' side," she says, adding those contracts are done within the team's department and are fairly standard. "If there's an issue on the player matters, then I am involved. We've had a couple of arbitrations in my time with some of the basketball players and hockey on both sides of the house. That would be my area of responsibility if it becomes more of a legal matter than a team matter." She also handles management con- tracts. "I would do Brian Burke's contract," she explains. But, she says, with a staff of three law- yers and two clerks, she now does the least day- to-day contract work in her department. "You start delegating as the team is built, as the legal department is built," she says. "The diversity makes it worth- while. I get to do something different every day." However, in holding a demanding job, Brudner says at times she has strug- gled to find a work-life balance. "I think it was much harder when I was younger," she says. "Family always comes first. I've never missed a doctor's appointment, a dentist's appointment or a school play." Taking time for herself has been more difficult. "I think that's the thing that's been sacrificed," she says. "I've always been totally honest with myself and rec- ognized when I'm in trouble and taken time off." One of many things Brudner finds to chuckle about in her job is the fact many see her name and assume it belongs to a man. After all, it's assumed to be a man's game. "I get mail more often here as Mr. Robin Brudner than here as Ms.," she chuckles. And, she says, when she first had her daughter, she was an anomaly in a world where the others at manage- ment level were married to stay-at-home housewives or had no children. "I was in a unique position," she says. "Things have changed. Sometimes it's dicey but you have to manage it. In the board meeting, I'm the only woman there," she says. "It's still sports — lots of testosterone." But, she adds, "everyone always says find a job that you're interested in. . . . I was very fortunate. It's worked out very well. I wouldn't change one career deci- sion I've made. I've taken a road that many people have scratched their heads on but I have been very fortunate." But after all the close-up involve- ment, is Brudner still a rabid fan? "Very much so," she says. "I probably still have over 1,000 hockey cards." IH INHOUSE APRIL 2011 • 45