TBA to Move to New Permanent Home

Following its departure from downtown Nashville in May 2022 and a period in temporary offices, the TBA has found a new permanent home. The new building is located in the heart of Nashville’s West End Avenue corridor, providing convenient access and ample parking for members. Over the next few months, interior renovations will create modern office spaces, a state-of-the-art multimedia studio and a cutting-edge CLE and seminar classroom. The TBA is expected to begin operations at the new location in early 2026.

TBA's new office on Poston Ave. in Nashville

2025-2026 Section, Committee Chairs

Section and committee chairs have been announced for the 2025-2026 bar year! The TBA supports 33 sections — specialized groups that focus on a particular legal or practice area. Each of these sections provides its members with a number of resources and activities, from continuing legal education to news, information and advocacy. TBA members can join a section at any time during the year, and section members receive exclusive CLE discounts and leadership opportunities. Reach out to these leaders to see what’s happening in your practice area and how you can get involved. Visit www.tba.org/sections to learn more.

• Administrative Law — Sarah Booher
• Adoption Law — Will Vetterick
• Animal Law — Jessica Schultz
• Appellate Practice — Jacob Vanzin
• Bankruptcy Law — Austin McMullen
• Business Law — T.J. Gentle
• Communications Law — Todd Hambidge
• Construction Law — Regan Steepleton
• Corporate Counsel — Alex Nicoll
• Creditors Practice — Nathan Lybarger
• Criminal Justice — Melanie Reid
• Disability Law — Lena Beal
• Dispute Resolution — Rebecca Ketchie
• Elder Law — Amy Bryant
• Entertainment & Sports Law — Anthony Adewumi
• Environmental Law — Payton Bradford
• Estate Planning & Probate — Rob Malin
• Family Law — K.O. Herston
• Federal Practice — Alan Jackson
• General, Solo & Small Firm — Crystal Cole
• Health Law — Imad Abdullah
• Immigration Law — Dawn Garcia
• Intellectual Property — Ryan Levy
• International Law & Practice — Terry Olsen
• Juvenile & Children’s Law — Stacey Odeneal
• Labor & Employment — Maha Ayesh
• Law Office Technology & Mgmt. — Zack Glaser
• LGBT — Maureen Holland
• Litigation — Will Perry
• Local Government Practice — Will Patterson
• Real Estate Law — Ashley McKee Jones
• Tax Law — Brad Sagraves
• Tort & Insurance Practice — Jamie Leaver

TBA committees are actively engaged in serving the public, strengthening the profession and ensuring the association remains strong and well connected to lawyers across the state. Visit www.tba.org/committees to learn more.

• ABA Resource — Danny Van Horn
• Access to Justice — Linda Warren Seely
• AI Task Force — A.J. Bahou
• Attorney Engagement & Opportunity — Amy Bryant, Akram Faizer, Grace Stranch, Deborah Yeomans-Barton
• Attorney Well Being — Brigid Caldwell, Joanna McCracken
• Bench Bar — Heidi Barcus
• CLE — Kortney Simmons
• Ethics & Professional Responsibility — Mark Vorder-Bruegge
• Future Practice of Law — A.J. Bahou
• Government Affairs — Zoe Sams
• Leadership Law — Geoffrey Lewis, John Wilks
• Mentoring — Ross Smith
• Probate Study Group — Al Secor
• Tennessee Journal Editorial Board — Andrée Blumstein
• Women in the Profession — Rachel Lawson

TBALL Nominations

The 22nd Annual TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) program has launched its annual call for nominations for the 2026 class. Nominees should have from five to 15 years of experience in practice. Last year, 35 lawyers from across the state were accepted into the program. TBALL programming will kick off in January 2026 with an opening retreat at Montgomery Bell State Park and end in June with class commencement during the TBA Annual Convention in Knoxville. Email TBALL coordinators Tanja Trezise (ttrezise@tnbar.org) or Jarod Word (jword@tnbar.org) with questions. The nomination form is available at www.tba.org/TBALLnominationform. Nominations are due Sept. 19.

TBA ATJ Director to Depart

Director of Access to Justice Liz Slagle Todaro (left) will depart TBA this fall after 13 years on staff. She will remain active in Tennessee’s access to justice and larger non-profit communities, including serving on the boards of the Nashville Urban Debate League and Family Reconciliation Center. Linda Warren Seely, chair of TBA’s Access to Justice Committee, says, “For the many years I have worked with Liz, she has been a dedicated and true advocate for access to justice and the rule of law — she has kept me on track and on point more than once! She is one of the kindest, sweetest people I have ever known and there will be a huge hole in the TBA’s heart upon her departure.”

October is Celebrate Pro Bono Month

In October, Tennessee lawyers are joining colleagues across the country to increase meaningful access to justice and commitment to pro bono work. Tennessee’s statewide Celebrate Pro Bono Month initiative brings together legal services providers with bar associations, law schools, law firms and individual volunteers to offer free services to those unable to afford a lawyer. The month of October is an opportunity to focus attention on the significant need for pro bono services as well as a time to celebrate the outstanding work of those in the legal community who volunteer their services throughout the year. In-person and virtual opportunities to volunteer will be promoted in TBA Today, via social media and on the TBA website. If you have information about an event, please share it with us at tbatoday@tnbar.org.

Missed a Recent TBA Publication? Check Out the Archives!

Do you want to read a Tennessee Bar Journal article from 30 years ago? Did you miss an issue of TBA Today or a section Connect newsletter? You can access the archives of all TBA publications online. Journal issues going back to 1965 are available as PDFs; TBJ Select, which was launched in 2020, can be viewed as an online publication; nearly 20 years of TBA Today issues are available for viewing; and section Connect newsletter archives are available on each section’s homepage in the right-hand column under “Group Menu.” Log in to your MyTBA account for full access to all of these stellar publications.

Write to the Journal

Letters to the editor are welcomed and considered for publication on the basis of timeliness, taste, clarity and space. They should include the author’s name, address and phone number (for verification purposes). Please send your comments to editor@tnbar.org. |||