Adrienne Lawrence (@AdrienneESPN) came to ESPN in August 2015 with a unique skillset and her presence has had a positive and unplanned impact on SportsCenter and other ESPN news platforms.
Lawrence is one of the first two recipients of ESPN the Fellowship, a recruiting initiative designed to help ESPN be proactive in the hiring and retaining of diverse candidates.
In Lawrence’s case, she was interested in moving from her previous career as an attorney to an on-air sports role. Her two careers have intersected as she has appeared on ESPN platforms as both an anchor and a legal analyst.
LISTEN:#BTL features @AdrienneESPN is the Spotlight Hear how she went frm full time attorney to ESPNs fresh new face https://t.co/S4GdHB2JTH pic.twitter.com/dAvhE8coWI
— Maria Taylor (@MariaTaylor) October 19, 2016
In her first few months, Lawrence worked in ESPN Digital, where she recorded some 400 videos including Uni Watch Friday Flashback, then she moved to studio production, where she shadowed SportsCenter anchors and did on-air updates.
She also has anchored during live press conference coverage and recently filled in for news anchor Toni Collins on the 11 a.m. ET SportsCenter Coast to Coast.
And about that career intersection:
With her legal background, Lawrence was recruited by espnW to write a response to the attorney for former Yale basketball player Jack Montague, who was expelled due to a sexual misconduct investigation. Lawrence then appeared on Outside the Lines the next day.
The door was opened and she has since been called upon numerous times to provide legal analysis across ESPN platforms, including in the high-profile cases of Ryan Lochte and Derrick Rose.
“It’s nice to be able to provide that to viewers from the vantage point of being a female and a minority,” she said. “And also being a younger attorney having litigated for eight years I’ve been closer to the ground so I have a fresher insight and look into what’s going on in the legal world and also how judges are thinking.”
ESPN the Fellowship is a two-year program that Lawrence feels has been beneficial.
“It’s been enlightening,” she said. “It’s also been extremely rewarding in that I’ve been able to make it what I’ve wanted it to be, knowing that the skills I have to contribute and seeing opportunities for them, and I’ve had the opportunities to share them with the various platforms. I enjoy that because it makes me work harder and truly feel like I’m making a contribution.”
COMING SOON: Front Row will catch up with Lawrence’s “fellow” Fellow, Treavor Scales (@TScalesESPN).
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