TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Barry Kolar on Jun 16, 2021

NASHVILLE, June 16, 2021 — Germantown attorney James “Jim” Barry will take office as vice president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) on Friday during the group’s annual convention in Memphis. Barry will advance to the presidency in 2023. 

Barry has long been active in the Tennessee Bar Association, serving on the TBA’s Board of Governors, as chair of the TBA’s Access to Justice Committee and as co-chair for many years of the TBA’s Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Initiative. Outside of the TBA, Barry has held leadership roles with the Association of Corporate Counsel, the Community Legal Center in Memphis, Memphis Area Legal Services, the Memphis Bar Association, the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) and the Tennessee Justice Center. 

Before his retirement from the International Paper Company, Barry served as the company’s chief counsel for corporate litigation. He also held top legal positions at Union Camp Corporation, Mobil Corporation and the United Company, and in 2016 was honored with the Janice M. Holder Award from TALS for his contributions in advancing the quality of justice statewide by ensuring the legal system is open and available to all. He is a graduate of the University of Richmond School of Law. 

Taking office along with Barry will be President Sherie Edwards of State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Company in Brentwood and President-elect Tasha Blakney, a partner at Eldridge & Blakney PC in Knoxville.

The Tennessee Bar Association was founded in 1881. Its membership represents the entire spectrum of the legal profession in Tennessee and beyond. The TBA is open to all licensed attorneys in good standing, and it is dedicated to enhancing fellowship and professionalism among the members of Tennessee’s legal community.