TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Liz Slagle Todaro on Jan 20, 2021

The Tennessee Bar Association has named two attorneys and a law student as the 2021 Public Service Award winners. The annual awards recognize an exceptional commitment to increasing access to justice for underserved individuals and communities. Kaitlin Beck, assistant public defender in the Shelby County Public Defender's Office, is the Ashley T. Wiltshire Public Service Attorney of the Year. Beck is being recognized for her tireless and dedicated work as an attorney at an organization primarily involved in providing legal representation to the indigent. The Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award recognizes a private attorney who has contributed significant amounts of pro bono work and who demonstrates dedication to the development and delivery of legal services to the poor. This year, that award goes to Richard Gossett from the Chattanooga office of Baker Donelson for his commitment and extensive pro bono hours assisting clients through Tennessee Free Legal Answers, the ABA's virtual legal clinic platform that originated in Tennessee a decade ago. The Law Student Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes Gerald Bradner, a 2L at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis who worked with the Eviction Settlement Program for Shelby County. The honorees will be profiled in the March/April issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal. More information about the Public Service Awards is available on the TBA website.