Aaron Schwartz brings an uncommon perspective to high-stakes disputes: he has been a litigator, an NHL front-office executive, a player agent, and a professional athlete. His practice spans sports law, white-collar criminal defense, antitrust, labor, and complex commercial litigation, with a particular ability to navigate matters at the intersection of law, business, and professional sports.

Aaron most recently served as Director of Hockey Operations and in-house legal counsel for the Carolina Hurricanes, where he advised on and managed a wide range of hockey operations, labor, and legal matters. In that role, he helped oversee the club’s salary-cap strategy, led player contract negotiations and salary-arbitration matters, and ensured compliance with the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement. He also worked closely with NHL legal personnel and outside counsel on significant arbitration and labor disputes involving the club.

Aaron’s sports-law experience is informed by every side of the professional hockey business. Earlier in his career, he worked as a player agent representing professional hockey players in contract negotiations. He also played five years of professional hockey in the United States and Europe, giving him a practical understanding of the pressures facing athletes, teams, executives, and advisors in high-stakes sports matters.

Before joining the NHL, Aaron practiced as a litigation associate in Chicago, where he led and co-led matters in federal and state courts and arbitration forums. His work included complex commercial disputes and other high-profile litigation requiring strategic judgment, careful case management, and effective advocacy.

Aaron earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, where he ranked in the top three percent of his class and received multiple academic honors, including the CALI Award in Evidence. His scholarship includes an article published in the Georgetown Entertainment & Media Law Review, Amending the NHL CBA to Limit (Brain) Damages: A Proposed Solution to the NHL Concussion Litigation.