Full Transcript for Leveling the Playing Field with Grecia Barboza | Inside the Oval

me to think about what I wanted to do in the future, but I feel like they just didn't have the knowledge or experience of what types of careers were out there to fully tell me, you should think about being a lawyer or tell me really what career I should aspire to. 00:06:41 Speaker 1: Now looking back, do they just brag about you? Because I would. 00:06:46 Speaker 2: I think so. I mean, they watch, they definitely watch every game. They watch every game and they like, I have so much gear that I just give them. And they're like, whenever I visit Napa, they're always head to toe in Niner's gear, which is cute. I really appreciate it. And I think that's how, you know, they're showing that they really are proud of me and like believe in me and are happy to see me where I am today. 00:07:09 Speaker 1: What does your every day look like? You know, when you're working on contracts, you know, what, what contracts look like, what negotiations look like, what are you doing? 00:07:20 Speaker 2: It really varies. So I think I'm, I'm pretty lucky in the sense that I really work with every, like every department, um, at the 49ers. So like I work with like marketing, like the social team on sweepstakes content, like music licensing, um, Um, the sponsorships team on sponsorship agreements, um, just sales agreements, a bunch of different agreements, HR, uh, on employment law issues, and then like football ops on just whatever issues are coming up. And that's just a few of the departments amongst like, I don't know, finance accounting, like a bunch of others that I'm constantly like responding to. So every day does look pretty different, which I think makes things exciting. And I really appreciate that because it I think that is a way to make sure that like work doesn't really ever feel stagnant. There's always something different and there's always something exciting. 00:08:16 Speaker 1: I can't imagine what your email looks like when you sit down at the start of the day, like how many unread emails you would have and just everything you have to bounce around because you're not you're not just having one contract. You're bouncing around 10 sometimes at the same time. How do you stay organized and what are some personal traits that you think helps you excel in that? 00:08:37 Speaker 2: So sometimes it does get hard, I think, especially leading up to the season when we're preparing for so many things, preparing for games and preparing contracts. But I really just try to stay ahead and stay on top of what's the biggest priority. And that really depends on what the day of the week is, honestly. If it's a Friday... and there's like some game day thing happening on Sunday, obviously that's going to be a priority. Or if like a sponsor is visiting the stadium and they need something like that same day, that's going to be a priority. So I think I've really learned to figure out like what's important today, like what can wait until tomorrow, but it's also super important for me to just like be communicative, like talk to whoever's making the request and make sure that I'm actually staying on top of like whatever deadlines they have. 00:09:32 Speaker 1: Before you got here, I'm sure you faced, you know, so many obstacles, some setbacks. Can you talk a little bit about some setbacks or some walls you might have ran into and how you ultimately were able to overcome some of those? 00:09:47 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I think like prior to this role, I was working in corporate law at a law firm. And I that was a that was a really interesting exciting job but I I also realized that I was ready to leave um kind of like the private practice law firm life and I will say that it was a little bit difficult like just starting to look to see like what jobs are out there like where do I apply to and like There were rejections, you know, like there were rejections and there were some that I was pretty sad about. But what I ultimately realized was like, then this job came along. And it was the perfect job. So I. 00:10:29 Speaker 1: What's meant for you will be for you. Exactly. 00:10:32 Speaker 2: I know. And people say like rejection is redirection, which I feel like is kind of like a cheesy thing to say. But in this case, like, and I think in most cases, honestly, like it is true that like things don't work out and then you'll find something that happens to be what is right for you. 00:10:50 Speaker 1: So many people, you know, say they want to be attorney and say they want these jobs, but how ultimately are you able to successfully execute and, you know, and looking back, you know, what it's like serving as an attorney and being able to, you know, execute and, and work at such a high level. 00:11:12 Speaker 2: So I really, I think it takes a lot of like confidence and like really believing in yourself. Um, I was like, as a kid, I feel like I was very shy. Like in my report cards, it was always like, Gracie is great in school, but she needs to speak up more. And so I think it took me a while to really just like find my voice and like figure out like, how do I communicate or like feel comfortable and confident, like talking out loud and like saying what I believe. And I really think that like, as I've gotten, you know, more experience and really just like education, I've gotten to a place, and especially now, I feel like I'm really in a place where like, I really believe in the advice I'm giving. And I think that like, whenever you feel confident and comfortable in the legal advice, then it translates really well to the person receiving that. And then they believe in you too, because I know that it takes time for people to really trust, especially like as a young attorney, it takes time for people to really trust your Opinion and like really believe in what advice you're giving um, but I I definitely think that like confidence and like self-belief are Crucial for that. 00:12:25 Speaker 1: How do you walk into that room with

confidence? Because I know that's a little bit of the the tricky part is is believing you be you you're you're you know You can be there so. 00:12:37 Speaker 2: I just like I don't know I think of it as like i've worked so hard to be where I am today that like If I didn't have like if I hadn't accomplished everything that I have, I don't know if I would have the same confidence. But knowing that I just know that like I can trust myself to walk into a room and feel like comfortable and like I belong there. 00:13:01 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's harder than it looks, truly. But, you know, like you said, and it's funny, we had Serena Soriano in here last episode, and she said that exact same thing. When you work hard, the confidence just kind of comes. It's just kind of natural. So with your career, where are your aspirations? Do you see yourself maybe wanting to check out another type of law? Or is this something that's an end-all, be-all? 00:13:31 Speaker 2: I think it's hard to say right now because I am very happy here. The legal team is great. So we have a legal team of five attorneys. And my supervisor, who's the chief legal officer, has just been such an amazing mentor. So I think it would be really hard for me to think about right now, like, oh, what's the next step? Because I'm very happy. And like I mentioned earlier, there are so many learning opportunities. I'm constantly growing. the role is definitely like not a boring one. There's always an exciting new thing happening. 00:14:04 Speaker 1: At the team. 00:14:06 Speaker 2: So yeah, things are good. And I think like sports law, like I mentioned, was never like, this is my, and I'll be all, but I think now that I'm in it, I just can't imagine being in anything else. 00:14:19 Speaker 1: That's so nice. So, you know, with, you know, being, you're, I mean, any type of sports team, it's a bit male dominated. How are you able to kind of walk into a room as a woman and, you know, kind of overcome those stereotypes a little bit? 00:14:36 Speaker 2: I think beyond like, just believing in myself. I also want to be a role model for other women, like other, other attorneys, other Latina attorneys, especially, and just, I want to be there for them. And I really want to show that like, this is something that they can do. And I think that idea really helps me feel confident when I'm walking into a room because I, I know that it's somewhere I belong and I want others to also feel the same way. Yeah. 00:15:10 Speaker 1: What is a piece of advice that you would bring? Like say, you know, the person listening to this or the person watching this, you know, needs to take that first step. What would that first step look like if they were starting right now? 00:15:23 Speaker 2: I would say like. networking is so important. And I was really bad at it. So like, if you're really bad at it, that's okay too. But networking is really like, just so useful. And what I've seen is like, women, young women who are interested in

sports and like, reach out to me, reach out to so many people, like are the people that are getting like junior attorney jobs at sports teams. And I just feel like you really need to put yourself out there and like, feel as like, don't be afraid if someone just doesn't respond to you, which is like, it happens, right? Like sometimes I get busy, people reach out to me and it's hard, especially during the season. But I definitely think that like, try to just meet whoever you can, talk to whoever you can in order to fully understand like, what does sports law even look like? What does it look like to work at a team? And just like network and like talk to everyone you're able to. Yeah. 00:16:23 Speaker 1: Now, this has been quite a journey for you and going through college and going through law school and now working here. Now, go back to your younger self. And if you were able to kind of sum up to your younger self what this journey would look like, what would you say? 00:16:41 Speaker 2: I would say that it's exciting. I don't know if like anything that I've done or any specific step that I've taken has was, like, ever the right step. But I feel like, like, just choosing and doing what I felt was right was always the right thing to do. And, like, there were so many times when I was, like, either deciding between, like, law firms or, like, thinking about applying to a different law school. And, like, not second guessing myself is really something that I would, I would give my young, like, an advice, piece of advice I would give my younger self, just to make sure that, like, whatever you do will work out rather than like thinking like, was that the right decision? 00:17:29 Speaker 1: It's so tough. Cause you know, when you have multiple decisions in front of you, it's not knowing it's knowing that neither one is the right answer, right? You'll never be able to like actually figure out what that right answer is that all of them are yeses. 00:17:45 Speaker 2: Right. You know what I mean? Yeah. Okay. 00:17:48 Speaker 1: So, you know, as we close this out, As a woman working in sports, what is it that you want to convey? Something that, like, maybe something you love that you didn't know that you would love about being here? 00:18:01 Speaker 2: I don't, like, hmm. I mean, I just love, like, I... it's hard for me to not emphasize how much I love working for this team. 00:18:10 Speaker 1: I love it. Um, and that just from top to bottom. 00:18:13 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. It's so, it's just so exciting. Like I, like I said, I never really thought about sports, but like now that I'm in it, just every season going through the motions and like being amongst people who really care about the team, like we're all sharing a common goal, which I feel like is what makes the 49ers so special. Um, especially as an attorney, because when you're watching a game on TV or at the stadium, you don't think about, oh, what were all the legal issues that went into making this game what it is or potential legal problems or contracts or whatever. But I think the fact that there are so many things that make me a valuable asset to the team and ultimately we're all working towards the same goal is something that makes me makes my time at the 49ers so exciting. 00:19:06 Speaker 1: What are some of those things that make you a strong asset? Just give it to me. 00:19:11 Speaker 2: I don't know. Sponsorship agreements, compliance with NFL rules, compliance with California law. It's a big team, legal team effort. 00:19:22 Speaker 1: So anytime we see the San Francisco federal logo on something, just know that Grecia looked over that contract and said, yep, stamp of approval. Good to go. Just like this series. So thank you. Grecia made this one happen. 00:19:34 Speaker 2: Yeah. 00:19:36 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. We'll see you on the next. We'll see you at the next game. 00:19:42 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. 00:19:43 Speaker 1: Perfect. 00:19:44 Speaker 2: Thank you. 00:19:45 Speaker 1: Thanks for tuning into this episode of Inside the Oval, leveling the playing field presented by San Francisco. Federal. Make sure you hit that subscribe button so you know when the next episode drops. We'll see you then.