Bobby Burchfield has had some pretty demanding bosses — former Presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, and Senate GOP leader Sen. Mitch McConnell — and faced some tough judges, notably the late Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia.
But today, as he retires from his post at Washington’s King & Spalding tomorrow, he’s set to take on potentially America’s biggest challenge, “civil discussion.”
Burchfield, one of the city’s top lawyers who had a finger in several historical events, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the 2000 presidential election recount, and campaign finance reform, said, “It has been a hell of a ride.”
Still, he promised, “retirement will not be a rocking chair and spittoon retirement.”
He said, “I will be pursuing my passion of promoting free, open, and civil discussion and debate, which I believe is the issue of our age, not just because it is the bedrock of a functioning republic but also because it is an essential element of any civilized society.”
While he is leaving law, Burchfield, 66, said that he will continue on as chairman of Crossroads GPS and One Nation, and with his work with the National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts, GWU’s law school, and the board of trustees of Wake Forest University. In 2006, he founded the Burchfield Family Charitable Foundation, which has given money to those outlets.
I dream of the day when I don’t have to take him out at 2am. Nino was born November 23, 2020. I’ve had him for 6 weeks and has tripled in size! pic.twitter.com/PgtbBsYVjR
— Bobby Burchfield (@BurchfieldBobby) March 17, 2021
Shifting to promoting civil discourse in a city where Republicans and Democrats rarely work together anymore is a tall order and one he is being encouraged to attack.
McConnell told us, “One of the wonderful things about my career is that I have been able to work with a lot of great lawyers, and none greater than Bobby. He has advised my campaigns and represented me in several important free speech cases over the last two decades, including four in the Supreme Court. He is truly top-of-the-line, and his landmark wins before the U.S. Supreme Court in defense of Americans’ First Amendment rights, in particular, will long be remembered. I am delighted that even as he leaves private practice, he will continue to defend free speech, open debate, and civil dialogue.”
Burchfield shared his appreciation for those he has worked with in his career, a 40-year span that has its own webpage.
Just launched my new website. More self-promotion than I’m used to, but exciting nevertheless. https://t.co/PhWiB64xEt
— Bobby Burchfield (@BurchfieldBobby) May 7, 2020
“I have had the privilege of working with scores of outstanding colleagues, including some of the brightest and most able lawyers in America. Whatever success I have had was certainly due to the shared efforts of many. Many of the younger lawyers who have worked with me have already gone on to far greater success and renown than me,” he said.
