2025 TBALL Class Announced

Thirty-five attorneys from across the state have been selected for TBA's 2025 Leadership Law (TBALL) Program. Now in its 22nd year, TBALL is designed to equip Tennessee lawyers with the vision, knowledge and skills necessary to serve as leaders in their profession and local communities. The class meets for its first session in January and will spend the next six months learning about leadership in the legal profession, issues in the courts, policymaking in state government and the importance of community service.

Bahar Azhdari — Brookdale Senior Living, Brentwood; Michael Beehan — Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette, Clinton; Hunter Branstetter — Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, Nashville; Gordon Byars — Byars Law Office, Cookeville; Dawn Campbell — LifeLinc Corporation, Memphis; Antonio Carroll — Nashville Electric Service, Nashville; Will Choppin — Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, Nashville; Crystal Cole — Crystal R. Cole, Attorney at Law, Nashville; Meagan Collver — Lewis Thomason, Chattanooga; Devin DeVore — Easter & DeVore, Knoxville; Brittany Faith — Grant, Konvalinka & Harrison, Chattanooga; Charles Ferguson — State of Tennessee: Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Nashville; Chicoya Smith Gallman — Ortale Kelley Law Firm, Nashville; William Gill — Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference, Franklin; Patrick Hillard — Burch, Porter & Johnson, Memphis; April Holland — Miller & Martin, Chattanooga; Jennifer Vallor Ivy — State of Tennessee Department of Transportation, Jackson; John Jolley — Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Chattanooga; LB McCullum — Thompson Burton, Nashville; Kate Melby — Davidson County District Attorney General’s Office, Nashville; Nathaniel Ogle — Burks & Ogle, Knoxville; Olivia Park — McAngus Goudelock & Courie, Brentwood; Mitchell Raines — Tennessee Public Defenders Conference — Appellate Division, Franklin; Tyler Ricker — Sims Funk, Nashville; Jennie Silk — Baker Donelson, Memphis; Jennifer Sneed — ALSAC - St. Jude, Memphis; Jacob Swatley — Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh, Collierville; Rebekka Freeman Terrell — Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk's Office, Germantown; Chris Tutor — Butler Snow, Memphis; Jacob Vanzin — Dodson, Parker, Behm & Capparella, Nashville; Zach Walden — 8th Judicial District Criminal Court Judge, Jacksboro; Darius Walker Jr. — Ogletree Deakins, Nashville; Ronda Webb-Stewart — State of Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville; Bianca White — Lincoln Memorial University, Knoxville; Emily Wright — Wright & Wright, Livingston.

For more information about the TBALL program, visit www.tba.org/TBALL, or contact coordinators Tanja Trezise at ttrezise@tnbar.org or Jarod Word at jword@tnbar.org.

YLD Diversity Leadership Institute Announces 2025 Class

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) has selected members for the 2025 Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) class. This year's invited participants represent law school students from across the state. Congratulations to Samantha McCrory and Mary Martha Willson from Belmont University College of Law; Rebekah Ballard, Shana Singleton and Sharon Strahan from Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law; Ilse Bloss from Nashville School of Law; Divine Dent from University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law; and Shery Girgis and Fady Megaly from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Starting this month, class members will embark on a six-month leadership and mentoring program designed to develop skills to succeed as law students and attorneys, build relationships among students of diverse backgrounds, and encourage involvement in the TBA and the legal community. Students will be matched with mentors in a variety of practice areas. Volunteers are needed to serve as mentors and program speakers. Please indicate your interest in getting involved by filling out this form: bit.ly/3VH39Yj.

TBA YLD 'Rookie Series' CLE Wins Statewide Award

The TBA received the Excellence in Continuing Education Programming Award for the YLD’s "Rookie Series" from the Tennessee Society of Association Executives (TNSAE) at the group's annual meeting in November. The curated series fills a unique need in the legal community, offering a “crash course” for young lawyers to learn the basics of a range of practice areas. Members of the TBA YLD suggested the series concept based on their own experiences in the first few years following law school. For many lawyers, the law school experience focuses on overarching legal concepts but does not provide practical insights into the range of legal issues lawyers are asked to handle, leaving a gap following graduation. The series fills that gap by providing an honest look at the practice areas covered, including basic issues a lawyer should expect to encounter as well as the ethical and other pitfalls to avoid when handling cases in this area. TNSAE President Edithann Buckles Wadewitz (pictured, left) presented the award to TBA's Executive Assistant Karen Belcher (right), who was at the award ceremony representing the association.

TBA's Inaugural AI Conference Received Top Marks from Attendees

TBA hosted its inaugural Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Law (TCAIL) in December, covering topics such as AI in ethics, the judiciary and access to justice; practical changes that this technology will bring to the practice of law; and digital evidence and AI use in public safety. One attendee shared that AI "is going to become a vital part of our practice moving forward. [This program] can only benefit those joining the practice and those wishing to stay relevant." Browse more than 70 AI-focused CLE programs.

East Tennessee's Legal Needs in Hurricane Helene Recovery Will Be Ongoing

On the November episode of TBA's BarBuzz podcast, Executive Director Sheree Wright spoke with Executive Director of Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services Laura Brown, Executive Director of Legal Aid of East Tennessee Debra House and Equal Justice Works Disaster Resilience Fellow Nicholas Gau about pro bono opportunities in Tennessee, specifically those related to disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The guests suggested partnering with a local legal aid organization and to keep in mind that the need for disaster legal intervention comes up months if not years after the incident. Gau pointed out that the need for disaster pro bono skillsets is only going to grow. Listen to the full episode. TBA has actively been working with partner organizations to plan disaster legal assistance efforts and eventual legal clinics, which will take place following recovery efforts. Visit www.tba.org/DisasterResponse_Helene to learn more about the legal needs following clean up efforts.

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