Adams and Reese partner will lead association in 2017-2018

NASHVILLE, June 29, 2015 — Memphis lawyer Lucian T. Pera took office as vice president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) at the group’s annual convention June 19 in Memphis.

After serving a year as vice president, Pera will ascend to president-elect in 2016-2017 and then lead the association as president in 2017-2018. Building on the work of his predecessors, Pera plans to focus during his time in office on changes in the business of law, including whether Tennessee’s regulatory structure for legal services meets the demands of today’s marketplace.

Pera is a partner in the Memphis office of Adams and Reese, where he focuses on commercial litigation, media law, legal ethics and professional responsibility. A Memphis native, Pera has practiced law in the city since 1986. He joined Adams and Reese in 2006 to assist with its expansion to Memphis. His extensive work in the law of legal ethics and professional responsibility has led to representing attorneys and law firms in disciplinary proceedings, providing expert witness testimony in matters concerning legal ethics, and frequent writing and speaking opportunities in the field. In addition to legal ethics, Pera has distinguished himself in the field of media law. He has represented a number of media outlets in matters ranging from defamation and invasion of privacy, to access to courtrooms, public records and meetings of government bodies.

Pera’s involvement in the TBA dates back to his first year of practice when he became active in the TBA Young Lawyers Division. He has served on a number of committees including the ABA Resources Committee, Committee on the Judiciary and Special Committee on Law Practice by Foreign Lawyers. As vice president, he holds a seat on the TBA Board of Governors and its Executive Committee. For 14 years he led the Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility. Under his leadership, the committee developed and proposed new legal ethics rules for Tennessee to the state Supreme Court. The court adopted the recommended changes in 2002 – updating rules that had been in place since 1970.

Pera also has been active in the American Bar Association (ABA), serving for five years on the Ethics 2000 Commission, which was responsible for rewriting the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. In addition, he has served as treasurer, as a member of the board of governors and executive committee, as chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Technology and Information Systems and as chair of the editorial board of the ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct. He is a current member of the House of Delegates, where he has served for all but three years since 1991.

Pera has been involved in a number of other associations, including the Media Law Resource Center; the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, including service as its president; and the Miller-Becker Institute for Professional Responsibility at the University of Akron, including service on its advisory board.

Pera graduated from Princeton University with honors and earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1985.

Taking office along with Pera was President Bill Harbison of Nashville and President-Elect Jason Long of Knoxville. Harbison is a member with Sherrard & Roe PLC and works in the areas of corporate law, commercial litigation, general civil litigation, probate and trust law, and estate planning. Long is a partner with Lowe, Yeager & Brown and works primarily in the areas of professional malpractice defense and licensure issues, commercial litigation, general civil litigation, and adoption law.

The 2015 Tennessee Bar Association Annual Convention was held in conjunction with several other legal organizations, including the Tennessee Judicial Conference, the Tennessee Association for Justice (TAJ) and the Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women (TLAW). This joint meeting allows legal groups in the state 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.