Last month, the Vanderbilt Law School Entertainment and Sports Law Society welcomed Adolpho Burch, a notable figure in sports law. Burch is the Senior Vice President and Chief External and League Affairs Officer for the Tennessee Titans. He shared insights from his career and offered valuable advice for those interested in fields like sports and entertainment law.
Burch grew up in Nashville and attended Father Ryan High School. He pursued his undergraduate studies at Harvard and always intended to go to law school. His original plan was to engage in local politics, which led him to Vanderbilt to earn his law degree.
After graduating, Burch followed his father’s advice to gain practical experience. He started with a clerkship for Judge Thomas A. Wiseman in Tennessee. Later, he joined Fulbright & Jaworski (now Norton Rose Fulbright) in Houston. There, he tackled issues in antitrust and complex litigation and also worked in public law. His career soon took an exciting turn when he started collaborating with leadership from the Houston Oilers.
When the Oilers relocated to Nashville, Burch volunteered to help with the transition but initially did not land a position. Soon after, the NFL reached out to him with an opportunity to work on the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. “It was by utter and complete accident that the things they were looking for were the things I knew how to do,” he noted.
Burch spent 23 years advising NFL Commissioners Paul Tagliabue and Roger Goodell. He concluded his time at the NFL as Senior Vice President of Labor Policy and League Affairs. In 2020, he transitioned to the Tennessee Titans, where he now focuses on relationship building in Nashville, stadium developments, and much more.
During the event, Burch answered questions from students and offered tips for aspiring sports professionals. He emphasized the importance of working with a firm that focuses on teaching essential legal skills. To stand out in a competitive field, he encouraged students to engage with local councils and sports organizations.
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