December 14, 2017
Pothier is a graduate of Rutgers Law School in Camden.

In a typical day, attorney Katherine Pothier ‘92 may work on legal issues involving taxes, leases, real estate financing, litigation, intellectual property, insurance or contracts.

That’s the life of an Executive Vice President and General Counsel who just happens to work for Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers.

Pothier, a graduate of Rutgers Law-Camden, is in her second stint with professional baseball. She joined the Rangers staff a little over a year ago and previously worked for the San Diego Padres for eight years.

“This is a small business with a high profile,” she said. “We do everything . . . It’s contracts, general torts, real estate, information technology, it crosses everything.”

Pothier is from Kendall Park, New Jersey and attended Rutgers for both undergraduate and law school. During law school, she clerked for a federal magistrate judge and had a summer clerkship with the federal government, where she was assigned to work with the United States Border Patrol in California.

She met her future husband that summer, and after graduation, went back to California where she landed a job at Coughlan, Semmer, Lipman in San Diego. That firm eventually did work for the Padres handling litigation to build a new ballpark. When a position opened with the Padres,  Pothier was encouraged to apply for it.

“I was in the right place at the right time,” she said.

Pothier said once in the job, she shifted from litigation work to transactional work, including contracts, general torts, and real estate. “In order to be effective, you really have to know the business and the business of baseball,” she said. “Every day is a little bit something different.”

After spending eight years with the Padres, Pothier became a partner at Wilson Turner Kosmo, the largest woman-owned law firm in San Diego, before joining the Texas Rangers in 2016. She said the Arlington-based team was finalizing its plans to build a new ballpark when she was hired. The ballpark is now under construction and is expected to open in 2020.

“I came in on the eve of that and a great run for the team, I’m coming at such a great time,” she said.

For law students who may be interested in working professional sports, she advised, “Get a variety of experience if you can.” Pothier said understanding contracts is key, as is learning to be a good advocate and a good listener. Young lawyers should network with attorneys practicing in the field and seek positions at firms that handle sports franchises.

One of the Rutgers Law experiences that helped her most with her job: participating in Moot Court.

Pothier, who is married and has two children, says when she’s not at work, her family enjoys the outdoors.

 

Rutgers Law Media Contact:
Shanida Carter

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