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Agent Spotlight: Ron Shapiro

Ron ShapiroCombining a great understanding of sport with an impeccable intellect makes for quite a potentially successful agent. Baltimore, MD based Ron Shapiro embodies both elements as one of the most popular baseball agents who also happened to graduate cum laude from Harvard Law School. The USA Today and Sporting News have even thrown him some awards (“one of baseball’s most respected agent-attorneys,” and one of the “100 most powerful people in sports.”) for being at the top of the agent industry. Representing Cal Ripken, Jr., Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Kirby Puckett, and Eddie Murray may have had something to do with Ron receiving those honors.

Not only has he taught at several institutions of higher education (including a couple of law schools), he has also authored over 20 law journal articles and is an author of brilliant negotiating books. His most famous work is The Power of Nice: How to Negotiate So Everyone Wins- Especially You! He hopes that The Power of Nice is eclipsed by his most recent published book, Dare to Prepare: How to Win Before You Begin, which was released earlier this month.

He really does not need me to help give his newest book some press. He has Oprah on his side. Oprah’s magazine, O, is considering running a feature on the book, which would lead to a sure spike in sales. Ron Shapiro is liked by Oprah, he has negotiated clients for some of the best professional athletes, and he has even has chaired over 25 boards of charitable and community organizations. What else has the man done? His selection for inclusion in the next edition of The Best Lawyers in America has to be somewhere near the top of his lengthy list of achievements. And I might as well throw out the fact that his son is Mark Shapiro (GM for the Cleveland Indians) and his son-in-law is Eric Mangini (head coach of the NY Jets).

By Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner created Sports Agent Blog as a New Year's Resolution on December 31, 2005. Originally titled, "I Want To Be A Sports Agent," the website was founded with the intention of causing Heitner to learn more about the profession that he wanted to join, meet reputable individuals in the space and force himself to stay on top of the latest news and trends.

Heitner now runs Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., which is a law firm with many practice areas, including sports law and contract law. Heitner has represented numerous athletes and sports agents as legal counsel. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington from 2011-2014, where he created and taught a course titled, Sport Agency Management, which included subjects ranging from NCAA regulations to athlete agent certification and the rules governing the profession. Heitner serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches a Sports Law class that includes case law surrounding athlete agents and the NCAA rules.

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