Warren K. Zola

Warren K. Zola is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Boston office, where he advises clients on matters at the intersection of law, business strategy and the evolving sports industry. Drawing on a multidisciplinary background that spans legal practice, academia and executive leadership, he brings a practical, informed perspective to complex issues shaped by shifting market forces, governance considerations and regulatory frameworks.

Mr. Zola offers a sophisticated understanding of the operational and strategic challenges facing organizations, informed by extensive experience working with senior executives and institutional stakeholders. He is widely recognized for his insight into the business and legal dimensions of sports, with particular emphasis on the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics – including the complexities of name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transition from college to professional leagues.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Zola served as executive director of the Boston College Chief Executives Club, a flagship program of the institution's Carroll School of Management and recognized as one of the world's premier business forums. In that role, he convened an exclusive network of more than 200 CEOs, chairs and managing partners from New England's leading organizations to engage with keynote speakers – CEOs of Fortune 100 companies.

Mr. Zola's leadership in higher education also includes a decade as assistant dean for graduate programs and chief operating officer at the Carroll School of Management, where he oversaw all non-academic and operational functions for the school's graduate programs. He continues to serve as an adjunct faculty member in the Carroll School's Business Law and Society Department, teaching graduate courses on Sports Law and the Business of Sports.

A recognized authority in his field, Mr. Zola is frequently sought out by national media and regularly speaks at leading conferences on the legal and economic evolution of athletics, including as an invited expert at a congressional roundtable on college athletics reform. He has authored scholarly works appearing in legal textbooks, law reviews, books, periodicals and newspapers. He additionally serves on the board of directors of the Sports Lawyers Association and as a trustee of his alma mater, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Recent Media Coverage

• The Boston Globe, Judge Says Minor League Baseball Players Are MLB Employees Ahead of Class-Action Lawsuit Trial, March 16, 2022
• The Boston Globe, It's Been 25 Years, and Boston Still Doesn't Have a WNBA Franchise, May 13, 2021
• Conduct Detrimental: The Sports Law Podcast, SCOTUS Preview: NCAA v. Alston, Podcast Guest, March 24, 2021
• The Boston Globe, What Is the Financial Impact of Shutting Down Boston's Sports Teams Because of Coronavirus?, March 13, 2020
• The Boston Globe, Congress Commissions Evaluation of Minor League Baseball as Part of Ongoing Dispute, March 10, 2020
• Courthouse News, University Presidents Call New Student Athlete Pay Law a "Crisis", January 23, 2020
• ESPN 1080 The Team Orlando – The Beat of Sports with Marc Daniels, The Evolving Power of Commissioners in Professional Leagues, Radio Guest, January 22, 2020
• The New York Times, Tagliabue's Missteps on Concussions Don't Impede Entry to Hall of Fame, January 16, 2020
• Yahoo! Sports, How Basketball Reveals a Lot About Ryan Day's Success with Ohio State Football, December 29, 2019
• South China Morning Post, The Tweet That Threatened to Derail NBA's Decades-Long Relationship with China, October 18, 2019
• The Guardian, How the NBA's Rift with China Laid Bare the Cost of Free Speech, October 12, 2019