Sports club VP flexes her legal muscles

Q. You’re the lawyer for Millennium Partners Sports Club Management. What does that entail?

A. I’m responsible for overseeing all legal aspects of the company — complying with laws, dealing with legal disputes, contractual matters. Part of my role also involves risk management; making sure we have the right type of insurance, sufficient coverage. It’s something I’ve been learning over the time that I’ve been here because, as a lawyer typically working in a firm, you don’t oftentimes deal with that. Risk management also includes prevention — what do you do to prevent accidents from happening for employees and members.

Q. Why did you decide to become a lawyer?

A. I initially wanted to go to law school to be an immigration lawyer. I did a lot of research on immigration policies, especially how they affected agri-business, as a lot of farming companies used foreign labor from Mexico or Latin America. I wanted to make [the world] better for immigrants. Once I got to law school, I completely did a 360. When I got there I thought, “I want to do business law.” Not that I wanted to abandon helping people, but I figured one way to do that would be to learn how businesses operate, how to run my own business one day so that I can help others.

Q. How did you land this job?

A. Before I came here I worked for [a Boston law firm] that represented Millennium Partners on real estate matters. Millennium Partners Sports Club Management is the management company that oversees six club locations, which Millennium acquired in 2006, so that’s when they formed this new entity to manage those clubs. They had to re-create the back infrastructure [and] were looking for in-house counsel; it’s the networking thing … who you know.

Q. What’s a day in your life like?

A. It’s always different. Oftentimes it involves being on the phone with our general managers, assistant general managers or folks at the clubs, helping them through issues or with a contract. Sometimes it’s structuring an arrangement, maybe for a new business program or a new tenant that they want to bring in to perform a service. Sometimes there are disputes that arise, and you’re putting out quick fires, and sometimes it’s quiet, and that’s when I do a lot of reviewing of documents and agreements. The hot topics now in any company are security-breach policies and document retention; there’s a lot of focus on these topics in the media.

Q. If someone gets hurt working out in Millennium’s health clubs and sues, do you handle that? Has that ever happened?

A. It doesn’t happen as often as you might think it happens. [For health club members, there is a] waiver of liability. When you undertake the activity of exercise, you do it at your sole risk. If you get hurt, we usually disclaim all liability. As a gesture, if you get injured and you want money back for medical bills, we do have insurance that pays up to a certain amount of out-of-pocket medical expenses.

Q. Millennium developed the Ritz Carlton Hotel and Towers opposite the Boston Common, along with the Sports Club LA, where Manny Ramirez and other famous people have been spotted. Have you met anyone famous while at work?

A. Whenever there’s a movie [being filmed] in town, usually the actors are staying at the Ritz. I saw [actress] Kate Hudson one day when I was working out. She had on these huge black glasses on the treadmill and had her trainer standing right next to her, and I thought, “Who would be wearing big, black glasses like that?” And then I looked and said, “That looks like Kate Hudson!” At times, especially in our New York and California clubs, when the NBA teams are practicing, they’ll rent out a court to practice there as well.

Q. What are the perks of working for a company that boasts “world-class” spa and fitness facilities?

A. You get a free membership. All of these clubs have spas, food and beverage, child care. Of course, you get a discount if you want to use a spa. In terms of fitness, they’re pretty ahead of the curve and cutting edge, and it’s right at your fingertips. It’s nice to know that what we do is really helping people and definitely changing their lives.