Joe Leccese distinctly remembers the break that launched his sports law career.

It was 1987, and Leccese (pronounced le-SEZ-ee) was a first-year associate at Proskauer Rose, a firm renowned for its work advising sports leagues and their constituent teams. At the time, young lawyers looking to dodge the typical associate drudgery with a coveted sports assignment had to hope for a piece of a contract dispute.