NASHVILLE, April 25, 2024 — Retired Memphis lawyer and former Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) President William H. “Bill” Haltom Jr. will be honored in June with the prestigious William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award. Named for former Attorney General Leech and presented by the Fellows of the TBA Young Lawyers Division, the award is given to a Tennessee lawyer who has been of outstanding service to the profession, the legal system and their community.

In selecting Haltom for the award, YLD Fellows President Rachel Mancl, a federal bankruptcy judge in Greeneville, said, “Bill Haltom exemplifies the values embodied in the Leech Award. His contributions to the Tennessee Bar Association, as well as to the state and Memphis legal communities, demonstrate his lifelong commitment to improving the legal profession and serving the public. The Fellows are proud to award him the 2024 William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award.” The award will be presented at the TBA’s Annual Convention in Memphis on June 14 during the Lawyers’ Luncheon.

Haltom earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1978. He then joined the Memphis firm of Thomason Hendrix Harvey Johnson & Mitchell, where he focused his practice in the areas of medical and legal malpractice defense, personal injury litigation, business litigation, health care law and media law. The firm merged with Lewis, King, Krieg & Waldrop in 2014 to form Lewis Thomason. He retired in 2018, but has remained active as a continuing education speaker and writer for numerous legal publications.

Haltom was elected vice president of the TBA in 2003 and served as president of the association from 2005-2006. His platform included a statewide grassroots public education campaign focused on the importance of the rule of law as well as a statewide public service effort. Haltom previously had served as president of the TBA Young Lawyers Division, president of the Fellows of the Young Lawyers Division, chair of the Tennessee Bar Journal Editorial Board, and chair of the TBA Litigation Section. Haltom also wrote the standing humor column “But Seriously Folks” in the TBA’s print publication, the Tennessee Bar Journal, for more than 20 years. Haltom also was active with the Memphis Bar Association, serving as president in 2000, serving as a member of the Memphis Bar Foundation and receiving of the association’s Judge Jerome Turner Lawyers’ Lawyer Award in 2016; and the American Bar Association, serving as chair of the board of editors of the ABA Journal and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

A newspaper and magazine humor columnist for more than 30 years, Haltom also has authored numerous books, including: “Never Over The Hill,” a look back at his time at the University of Tennessee; "Full Court Press: How Pat Summitt, a High School Basketball Player, and a Legal Team Changed the Game" with Amanda Swanson; “Why Can’t Mother Vote? Joseph Hanover and the Unfinished Business of Democracy,” which tells the story of the suffrage fight in Tennessee; “The Other Fellow May Be Right: The Civility of Howard Baker;” and “Milk & Sugar: The Complete Book of Seersucker.” Learn more about Haltom’s books at www.billhaltom.com.

The TBA was founded in 1881. Its membership represents the entire spectrum of the legal profession in Tennessee and beyond. The TBA is open to all licensed attorneys in good standing, and it is dedicated to enhancing fellowship and professionalism among the members of Tennessee’s legal community.

The TBA Young Lawyer Division (YLD) provides continuing legal education opportunities uniquely designed for new attorneys. It also organizes a host of professional development programs and public service projects for attorneys to give back to their communities. Any member of the TBA who is under 36 years of age or within their first 10 years of practice is automatically a member of the division. The Fellows of the Young Lawyer Division is comprised of former YLD leaders who remain committed to the mission of the group.