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Former CAA Baseball Agent Finds Success Outside Of Sports

Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Former CAA employee, Landon Williams helped negotiate Matt Cain’s landmark deal with the San Francisco Giants. Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Landon Williams was a part of Creative Artists Agency’s (CAA) baseball division when the company negotiated the largest contract (at the time) in baseball history.  It was a $127.5 million deal for San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain.  Prior to joining CAA, Williams helped build and brand a baseball division at Athletic Resource Management (ARM), increasing the firm’s baseball prospects from 5 to more than 20, establishing ARM Baseball as a legitimate player in the industry.

Now Williams is a Senior Associate at Cushman & Wakefield/Commercial Advisors, where he will focus on advising the company’s occupier clients with a focus on Memphis and global multi-market work.  “Landon is a rare find and joins several other of our young super stars as the next generation of leadership of our firm,” said Kemp Conrad, Principal. “We are building a durable business that can serve our clients for the next 20 years, and Landon will be a key part of that. His proven track record in contract negotiations will dovetail well into arranging complex real estate transactions for our clients.”

Williams’ departure from CAA and the athlete representation business was a family decision. “CAA is an amazing group of agents!” Landon commented, “They certainly do business the right way, and their clients’ contracts prove that.”

Sports Agent Blog wishes Williams the best as he makes the transition from sports agency to real estate transactions.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.