TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

Retired Nashville Attorney Dot Dobbins Killed in Pedestrian Crash

Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Jun 10, 2025
News Type: Passages

Retired Nashville attorney Dot Dobbins, age 77, died Monday after being struck by a vehicle while walking her dog in Nashville's Germantown neighborhood. Dobbins, a leader in the legal aid and family law communities, practiced law for over 40 years. She began working at the Legal Aid Society (LAS) as a law clerk while at Vanderbilt Law School. After graduation, she stayed on at LAS, practicing at the Matthew Walker Health Center office in North Nashville. According to a Facebook post from LAS, while in law school, Dobbins helped start a women’s center at Scarritt-Bennett and joined the YWCA Board where she helped to raise awareness of domestic violence, including playing a foundational role in opening Nashville’s first domestic violence shelter through the YWCA. She wrote the first order of protection legislation for Tennessee and worked with the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) to get the legislation passed. When LAS founder and former Executive Director Ashley Wiltshire created the Nashville Family Law Unit, Dobbins became its lead attorney, a position she held for 11 years before leaving LAS to become general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Human Services. Prior to retiring, Dobbins practiced family law, including collaborative divorce. Dobbins was featured in a May 2021 video interview as part of the Nashville Bar Association's Historical Committee. Service information is pending.

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