Jackson lawyer will lead the group in 2014-2015

NASHVILLE, June 12, 2013 — Jackson lawyer Jonathan O. Steen will take office as the Tennessee Bar Association’s president-elect at the group’s annual convention Friday in Nashville. The luncheon ceremony will begin at noon and take place in the Capitol Ballroom at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown, 623 Union St., Nashville, TN 37219.

Steen, a shareholder with Redding, Steen & Staton PC -- a firm he cofounded in 2006 -- serves as trial and appellate counsel for health care, manufacturing, banking and insurance companies. He also serves as local counsel for national and regional law firms and in-house counsel. Steen focuses his work in the area of civil litigation, with an emphasis on medical malpractice, professional malpractice, and products and premises liability defense. He also handles commercial and business disputes, and zoning, planning and land use cases. He has a strong interest in technology, particularly as it relates to electronic discovery issues, and has served as a special master in federal court, overseeing the gathering and production of electronically stored information (ESI) discovery requests.

Looking ahead to his term in office, Steen has identified three areas where he believes the TBA can positively affect the community and the profession. As the father of four young children and the spouse of an educator, Steen hopes to bring new focus to civics education in the elementary and middle school grades -- an age group often neglected. He also supports the development of medical-legal partnerships in Tennessee as a means of improving the quality of life of its citizens.  A third priority will be to expand continuing education and professional development programs throughout the state to assist lawyers in delivering first-rate services to their clients.

Steen has been an active member of the TBA serving as a member of the Board of Governors, the House of Delegates and the Tennessee Bar Journal Editorial Board. He also worked for many years with the TBA Young Lawyers Division and served as its president from 2002 to 2003. In addition, he has been actively involved with his local bar association, the Jackson-Madison County Bar Association, serving as president from 1999 to 2000. Steen is also a founding member of the Howell Edmunds Jackson American Inn of Court and served as its president from 2012 to 2013.

A native of Minnesota, Steen received his bachelor’s degree cum laude from St. Olaf College in 1988 and earned his law degree cum laude from the University of Minnesota in 1992.He is admitted to practice in Tennessee, Minnesota and Wisconsin state courts, as well as federal courts in the Western and Middle Districts of Tennessee, the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin and in Minnesota.

Taking office along with Steen will be President Cynthia Richardson Wyrick of Sevierville and Vice President William L. Harbison of Nashville. Wyrick is a member in the firm of Ogle, Gass & Richardson PC. She practices in the areas of wrongful death, personal injury, family law, business formation and litigation, wills and estates, and general civil litigation. Harbison is a member at Sherrard & Roe, where he practices in the areas of corporate law, trusts and estates.

The 2013 Tennessee Bar Association Annual Convention will be held in conjunction with five other legal organizations — the Tennessee Judicial Conference, Tennessee Alliance for Black Lawyers (TABL), Tennessee Association for Justice (TAJ), Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women (TLAW) and Tennessee Stonewall Bar Association. This joint meeting allows the groups to address common issues and concerns and offers opportunities for additional education, long-range planning, and recognition of attorneys who have performed outstanding legal work and community service.