SU alumnus Dalton Odendaal talked to undergraduate students at the Alumni Relations Office's second Careers Café about how his passion for sports and law allowed him to follow a rewarding legal career in sports marketing.
He may call himself the “longest serving article clerk in living history", but Dalton Odendaal, an LLB graduate from Stellenbosch University, entrepreneur and consultant for the UK-based sports, media and entertainment law firm Harbottle & Lewis, knows that the years he spent pursuing further study opportunities furnished him with essential skills for his future career.
Dalton, who is also an entrepeur and the owner of Dalton Sports Limited, was the guest speaker at the Alumni Relations Office's second Careers Café on 9 October. The event was held in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences building and was attended by more than 330 students.
“I was lucky in a certain sense because I always knew I was going to do law," Odendaal told the students. “At the same time, I assumed I would become a barrister or advocate. The first case I worked on involved a building dispute. Our client was a builder who was being sued for doing some shoddy building work. To be honest, if he had done that kind of work in my house, I would have sued him too. However, our client won that case, not because the builder was not at fault, but rather because we had prepared more thoroughly for our case than our opponents. I realised then that the 'truth' or 'what is right' do not necessarily prevail in legal proceedings. That experience helped me to realise that I did not want to do court work and that I definitely did not want to be stuck arguing about procedural matters."
While he believes it is imperative to work hard, Dalton told the students that marks alone were not a good indicator of how well a graduate will fare in the working world. “All the people you are sitting next to today are going to be doing different things and some of them great things with their careers. Marks, whilst important, do not determine whether you will get to follow your passion or whether you will be successful or not."
Taking your time, he said, is not a bad thing either. “Shortly after I started working on my articles at a Cape Town law firm in 1992, I got the opportunity to study for a Masters degree in law (LLM) at Cambridge University and postponed the completion of my articles."
In 1994, having been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, he registered for a further degree, namely a BCL (Bachelor of Civil Law) degree at Oxford University.
“It took me five years to complete my articles, but in the process I took all opportunities that crossed my path and that seemed interesting, not knowing where they might lead." Sometimes you have to take calculated chances to succeed."
Whilst studying at Cambridge and Oxford, Dalton learnt the importance of networking and making small talk at social engagements, something he says does not come naturally to him at all.
It is through networking that he also managed to hear about a job at a London law firm and secured a position in the firm's corporate tax team. However, he knew that he did not want to be a tax lawyer forever, but rather that it would be good training and stand him in good stead for the next phase of his career.
Later on, to improve his chances of working in sports law, he enrolled for evening classes on a part-time basis at King's College London and completed a specialist Postgraduate Certificate in Sports Law. In 2000 he joined Harbottle & Lewis as a Senior Associate where he started focusing on the commercial side of sports law such as the negotiating and drafting of sponsorship, licensing, broadcasting and other commercial agreements. Seven years later he had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work on the London Olympic and Paralympic Games where he was the Head of Legal: Commercial, a testimony to his expert knowledge in the commercial sports field.
“In 2012 I started my own business and through this venture we advise sports people, teams and events with the exploitation of their commercial rights. It has been great fun and I really enjoy it. It has also allowed me to continue to work at Harbottle & Lewis one day a week as a consultant doing a mix of legal and commercial work. I thoroughly enjoy the variety of the work."
He encouraged the students to also find their own version of success instead of letting outside forces determine it for them. “People view careers and success in a very different way these days. You should try to do things that you are interested in, but you have to be prepared to put your heart and soul into it. All entrepreneurs have to at some stage take the plunge and do something different. I have been lucky in what I have done but I have also worked hard at it. Gary Player used to say “the more I practice, the luckier I get" and I agree with that. Success is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration."
“Don't be afraid to do something different too. Some of the most successful people in the world have failed at some point. Ask questions and ensure that you learn from others who have done something similar to what you wish to do, because if you can avoid the same mistakes they made, why not."
Dalton was also very excited to be back at his alma mater. “I hadn't been back in a lecture theatre for over 25 years and whilst many things were different there was still a reassuring familiarity about the buildings and the students. It was a privilege and an absolute pleasure to be back at Stellenbosch University sharing my story with a new generation of students. I was most impressed by their willingness to ask questions, solicit advice and learn from what others had done. I am not sure that we were so confident and outspoken when we were students – which was encouraging to see!"
Below follows Dalton's top 5 tips, which he shared with the students at his talk:
TIP 1
Don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand something
If you don't understand something, don't be afraid to ask questions. No question is ever a stupid one, so don't let your pride or fear of appearing uninformed prevent you from speaking up. The knowledge you will gain is worth more than your pride or fear.
TIP 2
Be proud of yourself and where you come from
South Africans are rightly known throughout the world as industrious, positive and great team players. Be proudly South African!
TIP 3
Be open to new opportunities
You never know where new opportunities might lead you, but that should not stop you from pursuing them and seeing where they lead. No opportunity, whether it works out or not, is ever wasted.
TIP 4
Try to do something you enjoy or are interested in
This will increase the likelihood that you will be successful at it. Remember, you spend most of your waking time working so try to do what you enjoy and love!
TIP 5
Don't be afraid of hard work
You might have heard it a thousand times, but it's true – hard work never killed anyone. So remember to work hard at all times. It will not only be to your benefit but will also open up opportunities for you.
- Photo: At the Careers Café were Dr Pierre Viviers (Campus Health Service), Karen Bruns (Senior Director: Development & Alumni Relations), SU student Nondumiso Dlamini., SU alumnus Dalton Odendaal and SU student Shaznay Bernardo. (Photographer: Hennie Rudman)
