TBA’S ANNUAL CONVENTION HELD IN FRANKLIN

The 144th Annual Tennessee Bar Association Convention was held in Franklin June 11-14 at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs. President Heidi Barcus of Knoxville was sworn in by Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater, taking the gavel from Ed Lanquist Jr. Charlotte Knight Griffin of Eads moves into the role of president-elect and Nashville attorney John Farringer now serves as vice president.

Members of TBA’s 2025-2026 Board of Governors

Lanquist recognized outgoing Board of Governors members Sarah Akin, Jim Barry, Brittany Thomas Faith, Judge Russ Parkes, Judge David Veile and Angela Williams.

Thursday’s Bench Bar Luncheon keynote address was given by Ed Yarbrough, former U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. He highlighed the work of a dozen lawyers who went on to make great contributions to the profession by staying true to their convictions, telling attendees, “Integrity is the most important thing — the only thing that lets you make history.”

Judge Chris Craft

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft was honored with the Tennessee Bar Association’s prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award. The Drowota Award is given to a judge or judicial branch official of a federal, state or local court in Tennessee who has demonstrated extraordinary devotion and dedication to the improvement of the law, the legal system and the administration of justice as exemplified by the career of former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Frank F. Drowota III — the award’s first recipient. The Drowota Award is the TBA’s highest award for service to the judiciary and has been given annually for more than a decade.

Craft’s service to the legal community has been significant. For more than 30 years he has served on the Tennessee Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions Committee, including more than 20 years serving as committee chair. Craft also has been an active member of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, the policy-making body for state court judges, and has made significant contributions in the field of judicial ethics. For a number of years, he chaired the state’s board responsible for handling ethics complaints against judges.

Margaret Behm

Nashville lawyer Margaret Behm received the Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award from the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) and the Tennessee American Inns of Court. The Reeves Award is presented each year to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee.

Behm is an attorney with Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella where she focuses on business law, employment and municipal law, estate planning and commercial litigation. She is being honored for her selfless contributions to the legal profession, which include a number of “firsts.” In 1994, Behm was appointed by the speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives to serve as the first chair of the Tennessee Judicial Selection Commission, which was created to review and recommend candidates for judicial vacancies. In 2015 and 2016, Behm led what was then a record-breaking fundraising campaign for the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, which provides legal advice to low-income residents in 48 counties. Finally, Behm was instrumental in formation of the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission and served as its first chair beginning in 2009.

Judge David Veile, left, and YLD Fellows President Michelle Greenway Sellers

Judge David Veile received the TBA YLD Fellows William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award. The Leech Award is given to a Tennessee lawyer who has been of outstanding service to the profession, legal system and the community. It is named for former Attorney General William M. Leech, and the recipient is selected by the Fellows of the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.

Veile, a Nashville native, served as a police officer and sergeant with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department for seven years. While an officer, he attended the Nashville School of Law, where he earned his law degree in 2004. In 2024, he was elected to serve as circuit court judge and chancellor for Division III of the 21st Judicial District, which serves Williamson County. Veile has been involved in TBA leadership since 2006, when he was first elected to serve on the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Board. Veile continued to serve as both a district governor and grand division governor on the TBA Board of Governors from 2013 to 2025. He was a member of the TBA Leadership Law Class of 2012 and was named a fellow of the TBA YLD in 2014.

Dumaka Shabazz was honored with the Tennessee Bar Association’s Sixth Annual Claudia Jack Award. This award is presented annually to an outstanding public defender or court-appointed private practitioner who has served the legal community and her clients in an exemplary fashion. It is named after the late Claudia Jack, a long-time champion of the poor and underprivileged, and a public defender in Maury County.

Shabazz is the federal public defender for the Middle District of Tennessee, where he represents clients charged federally with white-collar and violent crimes. His appointment to the post in March was historic, making him the first Black person to hold the position. Shabazz also has been praised for his commitment to community service outside the courtroom. Since at least 2015, he has been a driving force behind the Gentleman’s Academy, a six-month rites of passage program for inner-city young men. This award-winning program provides mentorship and training focused on leadership, achievement and service.

Judge David Veile, left, and YLD Fellows President Michelle Greenway Sellers

Nashville lawyer Laura Kidwell was presented with the Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing. The award was established nearly 40 years ago and is given each year to the lawyer “who writes the most outstanding article that is published in the ... Tennessee Bar Journal for the preceding year. Named for Henry, a former chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court known for his forthright and clear writing, the purpose of the award is to encourage practicing Tennessee lawyers to write scholarly yet practical articles that will be of maximum benefit to the members of our bar.”

Kidwell was recognized for her article “It Is So Ordered: A Primer on Tennessee’s Final Judgment Rule,” which appeared in the March/April 2024 issue of the Journal.

Kidwell is a legal consultant for the University of Tennessee (UT) – Municipal Technical Advisory Service where she serves cities and towns in Middle Tennessee. Prior to joining UT last fall, she served at the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General (AG) and Reporter in the Solicitor General’s Office. Over the course of serving nearly 25 years at the AG’s office, Kidwell represented the state as well as individual state employees in a multitude of complex state and federal actions, and authored more than 100 Tennessee AG opinions.

The TBA’s Fourth Estate Award was established to recognize and encourage journalists who promote public understanding of the rule of law and improvements in our system of justice through their vigorous exercise of their First Amendment rights. This year’s winner was the reporting staff of the Nashville Banner.

Throughout 2024, the Nashville Banner published a series of stories designed to bring transparency and accountability to the Davidson County Criminal Court. Among the issues covered was the court’s decision to remove computers that previously had provided public access to court records, and subsequent changes in the process of how to access those records.

Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly Kirby, left, and President Ed Lanquist Jr.

Lanquist presented a number of President’s Awards, first to the TBA Building Committee for their work in securing a new home for the association. Representatives from the executive and judicial branches, including Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly Kirby, were recognized for their work securing funding for a new indigent representation system. TBA’s legislative team also received awards for its efforts. In her remarks, Kirby thanked the TBA for its strong support on the issue and presented it the “Chief Justice Partnership for Justice Award.”

Young Lawyers Division Updates

The TBA Young Lawyers Division held its annual meeting on Saturday during the Convention, installing Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge Alex McVeagh as president, Memphis attorney Jen Sneed as president-elect, Darius Walker Jr. as vice president, Jacksboro Judge Zack Walden as secretary, and Nashville attorney Ashley Tipton as treasurer. Sean Aiello of Franklin is immediate past president. The TBA Young Lawyers Division Fellows met for their annual meeting Friday night as part of the TBA’s 2025 Annual Convention. The group elected Memphis lawyer Mason Wilson as president, Chattanooga lawyer David McDowell as vice president, Memphis lawyer Nicole Grida as secretary and Clarksville attorney Jamie Durrett as treasurer. Jackson lawyer Michelle Greenway Sellers moves to immediate past president.

Members of the DLI Class of 2025

The Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) Class of 2025 held its graduation at Convention, completing a six-month leadership and mentoring program. Graduates are 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. 2025 DLI co-chairs, Memphis attorneys Brande Boyd and Cole Harrell-Morris, organized sessions for the program.

TBALL Class of 2025

The TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) class held its graduation and awards ceremonies on Friday of Convention, presenting Memphis attorney Rebekka Freeman Terrell with the Larry Dean Wilks Leadership Award. Terrell was chosen by fellow members of the TBALL class. The award is named for former President Larry D. Wilks and recognizes a TBALL class member with exceptional leadership qualities. |||