Former National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has rejoined the law firm Covington & Burling LLP.

Tagliabue took up his post as senior counsel on Dec. 1, according to a statement the firm released Monday.

Tagliabue retired from the NFL in September 2006 and was succeeded by Roger Goodell. In the past year, he served on Georgetown University's board of directors and was chairman of State University of New York's Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce.

In his new role at Covington & Burling LLP, Tagliabue will serve in both the D.C. and New York offices and focus on communications and media, technology and international sectors. He will also continue to advise the NFL on business matters, the statement said.

Tagliabue was the NFL commissioner for 17 years. During that time, the league grew to 32 teams from 28, and more than 20 stadiums were constructed.

Before joining the NFL, Tagliabue worked for Covington & Burling for more than 24 years. During that time, he represented the NFL and served on the firm's management committee.

Covington & Burling LLP is the fourth largest firm in the Washington area based on the number of metro-area lawyers, according to Washington Business Journal research.

The company employs more than 335 lawyers in Washington and more than 650 lawyers total. It also has offices in London, New York, San Francisco, London and Brussels, Belgium.