NASHVILLE, June 17, 2025 — Knoxville attorney Heidi Barcus took office as the 145th president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) during the group’s Annual Convention in Franklin last week. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater administered the oath of office.

During remarks following her swearing in, Barcus announced several initiatives, including a focus on member engagement, helping first generation lawyers, those who fail the bar the first time they take it and lawyers in the twilight of their careers. Barcus, who will serve through June 2026, has been active in the TBA for many years, serving most recently as TBA president-elect, Second District representative on the TBA Board of Governors, and as a member of the TBA’s Law Office Technology & Management Section and its Tort and Insurance Practice Section.

She also has been active in the Knoxville Bar Association — serving as president in 2013 and a frequent speaker at its Law Practice Today Expo — as well as the American Bar Association (ABA) — serving as past chair of its Law Practice Division and current member of the TECHSHOW Board. She also is a member of the Hamilton Burnett American Inns of Court in Knoxville, chairs the Knoxville Bar Foundation Board, and is a fellow in the Knoxville, Tennessee and American bar foundations.

A shareholder in the Knoxville office of Lewis Thomason, Barcus has dedicated her legal career to advocating for professionals and institutions in the complex arena of health care liability. Her clientele includes hospitals, physicians, nurses, medical practices, long-term care facilities and insurance companies. In recognition of her accomplishments, she has been named a specialist in Medical Professional Liability by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys. Barcus also handles product and professional liability cases and helps clients resolve conflict through alternative dispute resolution as a Rule 31 mediator.

Prior to joining Lewis Thomason, Barcus was a staff attorney and assistant general counsel at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, handling a range of legal matters including health care liability, HIPAA compliance and employment law. She is licensed to practice law in Tennessee and Kentucky. Barcus is a 1993 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law), where she previously taught legal writing, pre-trial litigation and trial practice, and was an active member of its Legal Clinic Advisory Board. She earned a master’s degree in English from Ohio University in 1989 and a bachelor of arts degree in English from Baylor University in 1987.

Her service to the Knoxville community has included work with the Community Mediation Center, the St. John's Cathedral Board of Directors, the James White Fort Board, the East Tennessee Juvenile Diabetes Board, the Helen Ross McNabb Board and the Knoxville Botanical Garden Board.

Taking office along with Barcus were President-elect Charlotte Knight Griffin of Eads, who served as manager of legal services at Memphis Light, Gas and Water until her retirement in 2023, and Vice President John Farringer with the Nashville law firm of Sherrard Roe Voigt Harbison. Lawyers from across the state gathered in Franklin last week for the TBA’s Annual Convention, which provides opportunities for continuing legal education, networking, and recognition of attorneys who have performed outstanding legal work and community service.

The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) is the largest professional association in Tennessee with nearly 14,000 members. Founded in 1881, the TBA represents the entire spectrum of the legal profession in Tennessee and beyond and is dedicated to enhancing fellowship and professionalism among the members of Tennessee’s legal community.