Sperling Kenny Nachwalter

Phil began his legal career as a trial attorney in the Honors Program of the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division. There he gained invaluable experience and an insider’s perspective, which he leverages along with his antitrust knowledge, 25 years of experience, and his understanding of economics to develop case strategies and build strong cases.

In the high-profile civil rights realm, Phil has brought cases asserting the rights of immigrants, women, the LGBTQ community, prisoners, and others, as well as voting, privacy, death penalty relief, and marriage equality rights. For these efforts, he has received the Tennessee Bar Association’s Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award and the ACLU-TN Benjamin S. Pressnell Bill of Rights Award. Phil also teaches a class in civil rights litigation as an adjunct Professor of Law at Vanderbilt Law School.

Upon graduating from law school, Phil served as law clerk to the Honorable Karen LeCraft Henderson of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. A former Rhodes Scholar finalist, he has authored three books, including The Fight for Marriage: Church Conflicts and Courtroom Contests, which recounts his journeys within his church and the Supreme Court in the fight for marriage equality.

Why Debate?

First, debate for me was an incredible outlet for my intellectual curiosity, competitive nature, and creativity. Second, when I look back, I owe so much of what is meaningful to me today to debate. It is responsible for my spouse (we starting dating in college after she joined the debate team). It is responsible for my best friend (we met in high school and formed a close friendship that exists to this day). And it is responsible for my professional career (it provided me with the skills, mentality, and creativity that I have used every day as a lawyer for the past 25 years). So I am extremely thankful to debate and don’t want to think about where I would be without it.