By JAMES FINK
Business First

When Dave Zygaj graduated from the University at Buffalo Law School, the thought of working for the Buffalo Sabres was probably the furthest thing from his mind.

Zygaj planned to work in the private sector, but not necessarily in sports law.

"I wasn't even concentrating on that, really," Zygaj said.

Fast-forward two decades, and Zygaj is focused on sports law. As director of legal affairs for the Sabres, Zygaj is the legal point man not only for the National Hockey League team, but the Buffalo Bandits and anything else that happens at HSBC Arena.

While he doesn't negotiate player's contracts - that usually falls to team general manager Darcy Regier - Zygaj does sign off on every contract that involves the Sabres or Bandits, or concerts and special events that occur inside the arena.

Zygaj is quick to down play his role.

"I approach every contract as a partnership," Zygaj said. "I'm not doing anyone any good if I sit there and try to strong-arm people."

Many of the deals for sponsorship pacts or suite leases are handled by others within the Sabres organization, but all contracts cross his desk at some point. Virtually all of the agreements are overseen internally by Zygaj. Only a small percentage get farmed out to outside counsel - and that is done only on rare occasions.

Zygaj has been with the Sabres for slightly more than two years, although he was first brought into the organization in 2005 to handle operational and legal matters for the Bandits. He is just the fourth in-house counsel the Sabres have employed during the team's 40-year existence.

"My own guiding principle is that I try to be practical in every situation," Zygaj said. "I want to make sure everyone is happy and they want to do business with us in the future."

While much of what he does is based on standard business law and contract practices, Zygaj says, "There are times when it is definitely unique."

That "uniqueness" might come into focus, for example, handling the nuances of player contracts.

"A lot of people say it must be fun - and it is, but it is also challenging," Zygaj said. "In a lot of respects, my job varies day to day, month to month and season to season."

One of the more unique factors Zygaj faces is dealing with intellectual-property issues when it comes to how the Sabres and National Hockey League logos are used and protected. In 2007, the NHL cracked down on street vendors selling bogus Sabres memorabilia during the team's playoff run.

"Let's face it, I'm not dealing with a company that buys and sells widgets," Zygaj said. "I've got a very unique product that I have to represent and protect."

That's true also of attorneys who serve as athlete agents.

Hamburg attorney Joe Shaw has represented a number of Buffalo Bills players during the past few decades.

As in other areas of law, he said, it's an agent's job to seek the best and fairest deal.

"The difference is, the time frame may be shorter and the numbers are larger," Shaw said. "Sometimes these contracts take on a life of their own. But at the end of the day, you want to do the best you can for your client."

William Grieshober Jr., Rich Products Corp. deputy general counsel and vice president, handles the bulk of the legal work connected with the Buffalo Bisons and the team's operations at Coca-Cola Field.

Unlike the Sabres, the Bisons organization is not involved with player's contracts. Those are handled by the New York Mets, the Bisons' parent club.

"We're not the ones in charge of what they do on the field," Grieshober said. "But we are the ones in charge of making sure the fans have a good ballpark to sit in and watch games."

Under the terms of a lease with the City of Buffalo, the Bisons run Coca-Cola Field.

Besides representing the Bisons and Coca-Cola Field, Grieshober knows that for many, he is the legal face of the Rich family and Rich Products Corp. What he does and how he handles negotiations reflects on the Riches, one of Buffalo's highest-profile families.

"I take a lot of pride in knowing that I am representing the Rich family," Grieshober said.

Still, business is business.

When it comes to the Bisons, Grieshober knows he is negotiating on a very public stage.

"You have to have a keen understanding of all of the business issues," he said. "I am dealing with a community asset. But I also want to make sure we thought through everything that has happened and also what might occur in the future."

In that respect, Grieshober admits that his work for the Bisons is not very different from other types of corporate and transactional law.

"Every business has its idiosyncrasies," he said. "In the sports and entertainment world, there are nuances you have to understand, but in reality, a lot of the contracts are similar. Contract law is such that it can easily be translated from industry to industry."