In September at the National Singer Songwriter Awards Ceremony held annually at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Ashley Gorley accepted the Songwriter of the Year Award after writing 81 number one songs. Even if you haven’t heard of Gorley, you have heard his songs. He exuberantly exclaimed that we need “more of that.”  He elaborated that we need more of the joy and talent that was on display at the awards ceremony that evening. He celebrated the songwriters in Nashville and their commitment to the profession.

This year, the Tennessee Bar Association has its own award winner, our Tennessee Bar Journal. This issue celebrates the dedication and talent of our Journal staff, the regular columnists, the lawyers who submit amazing content and our editor, Julia Canada Wilburn. In the words of Ashley Gorley, “We need more of that!” The TBA is grateful to everyone who has made this publication possible for the last 60 years. Yes! It really has been 60 years. What began as a small professional newsletter is now recognized as one of the best legal publications in the nation.

As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Journal, I would like to recognize the editorial board for their tireless commitment to this award-winning publication. Each of our board members makes a significant time commitment to the Journal. Read more about these seven individuals on page 33. I have served as the editor in chief for a bar journal (albeit not an award-winning publication like the TBJ), and it is no easy task. It takes countless hours to compile content, chase down authors who missed a deadline, proofread content, choose a layout, design a cover and find advertisers to fund the issue, all on time and within a budget. It is a labor of love often overlooked. If you know anyone who has volunteered to serve on the Journal board or if you can find a moment to reach out to one of our communications staff members, please thank them for their service and dedication to the Journal. When you read an article you like, drop a line, a note or a text to that author and thank them for writing for us.

But you already know all of this. What you may not know is how many awards this publication has won over the years.

The Tennessee Society of Association Executives (TNSAE) awarded the Journal an Excellence Award for Magazines and Journals in 1994 and 2000.

In 2010, the TBJ received its third Luminary Award for Excellence in Regular Publications from the National Association of Bar Executives Communications Section (NABE Comms).

In 2021, Journal editor Suzanne Craig Robertson won a Luminary Award for Excellence in Authored Article from NABE Comms for her cover story “Stress, Law & Happiness: New TLAP Director Offers Hope Past the Pain.”

In 2024, Wilburn won a Luminary Award for Excellence in Authored Article from NABE Comms for her cover story on Justice Sharon Lee’s career, celebrating her retirement from the Tennessee Supreme Court, titled “A Justice for the People.” Don’t forget that Wilburn’s responsibilities at the TBA are not solely to produce the Journal. This is only a part of her job.

In short, the TBJ has won two awards from TNSAE and four from NABE Comms, plus two from NABE Comms for authored articles.

This issue celebrates the last 60 years with a timeline retrospective on page 28. It is a jumping-off place for the next 60 years because we need “more of that.”  We need more award-winning content, more authors, more success stories, more lessons on the law, more insights and more information about how to be better lawyers. Thank you to the Journal. I can’t wait to see what future issues have in store for us. |||

HEIDI BARCUS is a shareholder in Lewis Thomason’s Knoxville office where she practices health care liability law. Before joining Lewis Thomason, she served as a staff attorney and assistant general counsel at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, a Level IV trauma center. Barcus received her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law) and is a past chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Law Practice Division and currently serves on the ABA’s TECHSHOW Board. She is chair of the Knoxville Bar Foundation and a former president of the Knoxville Bar Association.