In an industry "controlled by massive agencies" like
IMG, SFX Entertainment and Octagon, Williams & Connolly's
LON BABBY has "taken a unique, if not novel, approach" to
representing pro athletes, according to Johnny Ludden of the
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, who wrote, "unlike most agents who
command a standard 4 percent fee for negotiating contracts,
Babby bills his clients by the hour, a practice used by most
attorneys." The same goes for endorsement deal, which
"usually net standard agents" up to 10%. Although the $400-
per-hour rate Williams & Connolly generally charges "ranks
among the highest in the country," Babby "claims his
approach saves athletes a bundle." When Babby negotiated
GRANT HILL's last contract -- a $45M deal with the Pistons -
- Babby said that he recieved about $100,000. An agent
charging 4% would have received $1.8M. Babby: "If I
represented a corporate executive and I sent them a bill for
4 percent, they would laugh at me. They would think its
absurd." One NBA exec, on Babby, who became the Orioles'
general counsel in '90: "Personally, I have a little more
respect for (Babby) than a lot of the other guys. He's been
part of team management before, so he inherently knows that
it's going to be give and take. It's not win-lose every
time" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 7/26).
BABBY HAS SOME DETRACTORS: But Babby's style also has
its critics. Player agent Mark Bartelstein: "I think he's
trying to create a niche for himself, which is fine, but he
often takes a lot of shots at other agents. ... I don't know
that he understands the amount of time and effort that goes
into representing players who aren't superstars." Said
another agent, "It's not hard to represent TIM DUNCAN.
That's two phone calls. It's not hard to represent Grant
Hill. That's two phone calls. A trained seal could
represent Duncan and Hill" (S.A. EXPRESS-NEWS, 7/26).
