TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 31, 2022

Nearly a month into her year-long term, Memphis Bar Association President Tannera Gibson sat down with the Tri-State Defender to talk about her role as the first African-American woman in the role. Gibson says she is looking for opportunities to change racial and ethnic perceptions during her term. Her goals for the year include a greater focus on the benefits of diversity, launching a leadership program for law students to raise awareness about the need for diversity, and starting a mentoring program for high school and college students who are looking at a career in law. Most of all, Gibson — the first African-American partner at Burch, Porter & Johnson — says she wants her term to be about more than symbolism. “I don’t want it to be an anomaly that black women serve in highly influential capacities,” she says.