NASHVILLE, TN (April 28, 2025) — Barnes & Thornburg is pleased to welcome Timothy J. Browne as a partner in its Nashville office and the newest member of the firm’s Entertainment, Media and Sports Practice Group. 

“With the addition of Tim, we continue to boost the breadth of services that our national sports practice offers to clients,” said Jason Karlov, who chairs the firm’s Entertainment, Media and Sports Practice Group. "Along with our growing music practice in Nashville, Tim’s transactional legal experience in the live events and media legal space will also play a paramount role in the expansion of our entertainment work both in Nashville, as well as throughout the country.”

Tim has been extremely active in high-profile sports, media and entertainment transactions since transitioning to private practice after working as in-house attorney at the National Basketball Association (NBA) for over ten years. After moving to Nashville, he served as lead counsel for Nashville Soccer Club in its initial expansion bid to join Major League Soccer, as well as for the naming rights deal for the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. (Geodis Park). In addition, Tim has represented groups bringing several high-profile sports and entertainment properties to Nashville (including the Music City Grand Prix and this month’s inaugural Music City Rodeo at Bridgestone Arena).

On a national basis, Tim has advised multiple clients on their acquisition of professional sports teams (including the purchase of the Columbus Crew by the Haslam family in 2019 and several expansion bids in Major League Soccer, National Women’s Soccer League and the United States League). He also has been outside counsel for several high-profile sporting events and productions (including multiple All-Star weekends) and otherwise serves as outside general counsel for professional sports leagues and teams and a variety of emerging growth businesses in sports and media, including media companies, talent agencies, event venues, production companies and app developers, focusing on complex commercial transactions in the areas of technology, sponsorship, endorsement (including NIL collective-related work) and media rights agreements. 

"Nashville has become a hub for both sports and entertainment, and Tim’s experience and connections in these areas are pivotal to our office growth," said Jay H. Knight, partner in charge of the Nashville office. "We are excited to expand our services here beyond music to meet the demand for sophisticated counsel in these industries."

Prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg, Tim chaired the Sports & Entertainment Group at another Amlaw 100 firm. He had returned to private practice in Nashville in 2017 after more than a decade at the NBA’s headquarters in New York, where he served as vice-president of legal and business affairs and co-head of the Media Legal Group, where he focused on broadcast and digital media, events and content distribution transactions.

In addition to his sports and entertainment work, Tim is a fixture in the local Nashville youth sports community and has an expansive pro bono practice, having represented entrepreneurs, artists, creators, local youth sports clubs, and minority-owned businesses.

He earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center after graduating with a B.A. from Harvard University. 

With more than 800 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm service clients worldwide from its offices in Atlanta, Boston, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, South Florida, Texas and Washington D.C. For more information, visit us at www.btlaw.com.