Sherie Edwards Takes Office as TBA President

Brentwood Attorney Plans Focus on Business Education, Attorney Wellness and Diversity

NASHVILLE, June 18, 2021 — Brentwood attorney Sherie Edwards today took office as president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA). She received the oath of office from Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeff Bivins during the group’s annual convention in Memphis.

Edwards is vice president of corporate and legal for State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Company (SVMIC) in Brentwood. Before joining SVMIC in 1998, she was director of risk management for Sumner Regional Medical Center in Gallatin.

In an address to TBA members during the annual Lawyers Luncheon, Edwards outlined her plans for the coming year, which will focus on three areas: business education, attorney wellness and diversity. The TBA will offer new programming in these areas and integrate them into all programming. In addition, Edwards said the TBA "will continue to support Access to Justice and encourage pro bono service, advocate for members at the General Assembly, produce first-class subject matter CLEs and offer more and better member benefits."

Prior to assuming the presidency, Edwards had been the District 5 governor on the TBA Board of Governors, chair of the board’s Membership Committee and the association’s treasurer for six years. She is a member of the TBA’s Access to Justice and Attorney Well-Being committees and is a 2010 graduate of the TBA Leadership Law program. Edwards has also served as the Nashville Bar Association’s (NBA) delegate to the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, as past chair of the NBA Sister Cities Committee and as a mentor for the Nashville Bar Foundation’s Leadership Forum. In 2018 she was awarded the Association of Corporate Counsel’s prestigious Jonathan Silber Network Member of the Year and was an Athena Award nominee in 2014. She is a graduate of the Nashville School of Law.

Taking office along with Edwards were President-elect Tasha Blakney of Eldridge & Blakney in Knoxville and Vice President James “Jim” Barry of Germantown. More than 200 Tennessee lawyers took part in the convention, which provided opportunities for continuing legal education, long-range planning and recognition of attorneys who have performed outstanding legal work and community service.

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.