Jennifer Lacey, John Williams awarded annual honor

NASHVILLE, June 29, 2015 – Nashville lawyers Jennifer J. Lacey and John P. Williams were awarded the Tennessee Bar Association’s Justice Joe Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing at the association’s annual meeting in Memphis this month.

The winning article, “Stick to the Plan: The Vested Property Rights Act of 2014 Creates More Certainty for Developers,” was selected for its scholarly, yet practical, approach to an issue of great interest and importance to lawyers. It was chosen from among articles published in the Tennessee Bar Journal throughout 2014.

Lacey is a 2004 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law. She is “of counsel” with Farris Bobango in Nashville, where she focuses her practice in government affairs and public policy. Her law firm represents the Home Builders Association of Tennessee.

Williams is a member of the Nashville law firm Tune, Entrekin & White, which represents the Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee. He is a 1972 graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School. He has written for the Journal several times and previously received the Joe Henry Award in 2003.

The Justice Joseph W. Henry Award, established in 1981, is given each year to a lawyer “who writes the most outstanding article that is published in the Tennessee Bar Journal for the preceding year.” This year’s judges were Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon Lee, University of Memphis School of Law Dean Peter Letsou and outgoing TBA President Jonathon Steen.

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.