Dixon, who takes office this week, is in line to lead group in 2012

NASHVILLE, June 1, 2010 — Nashville lawyer Jacqueline B. Dixon will take office as the Tennessee Bar Association's vice president this Thursday at the association's annual convention in Nashville. The move puts her in line to assume the presidency in June 2012.

A native of Grainger County, Dixon is a shareholder in the recently formed firm of Weatherly McNally & Dixon PLC, where she focuses on personal injury, wrongful death, domestic relations and probate cases. She is a Rule 31 listed family mediator. Prior to forming Weatherly, McNally & Dixon PLC earlier this year, Dixon was a shareholder at Hollins, Wagster, Weatherly & Raybin PC where she practiced for over a decade. Prior to that, she worked for nearly a dozen years at Maddin Miller & McCune. Dixon earned her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1986.

Dixon has long been active in the Tennessee Bar Association, having served as president of the Young Lawyers Division in 1997 to 1998, on the association's Board of Governors for the last 10 years and as chair of the Membership Committee since 2004. During her tenure as chair of the Membership Committee, the TBA has grown by 3,000 members, which Dixon attributes to the outstanding member benefits offered by the association. She also serves on the TBA's Access to Justice Committee and Public Education Committee.

Dixon is passionate about encouraging lawyers to participate in pro bono work and helping low-income individuals obtain greater access to affordable civil legal services. She is a past chair of the TBA's Access to Justice Committee, the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services and Nashville Pro Bono Inc. In 2008, she chaired the annual fundraising campaign for the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, which raised over $700,000. She received the Nashville Bar Association's Joseph G. Cummings Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year award in 2009.

Dixon is also active in women's bar groups and has served as president of the Nashville chapter of the Lawyers Association for Women (2003-2004) and as president of the Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women (2006-2007). She also is a long-time member of the Harry Phillips American Inns of Court chapter.

Dixon's community involvement includes service on the Carson-Newman College Alumni Association Board of Directors for the last two years, and service on the board of First Steps Inc. -- a non-profit that provides services to children with special needs - for more than 15 years, including a term as president of the organization.

Taking office along with Dixon will be President Sam Elliott of Chattanooga and President-elect Danny Van Horn of Memphis. Elliott is a member in the Chattanooga firm of Gearhiser, Peters, Lockaby, Cavett & Elliott, where he practices in the field of civil litigation. Van Horn is with the Memphis law firm of Butler, Snow, O'Mara & Cannada, where he leads the Commercial Litigation Group and handles cases involving business torts, unfair competition, insurance coverage and product liability.

The 2010 Tennessee Bar Association Annual Convention will be held in conjunction with three other legal organizations -- the Tennessee Alliance for Black Lawyers (TABL), the Tennessee Asian Pacific American Bar Association (TAPABA) and the Tennessee Lawyers' Association for Women (TLAW). This joint meeting structure allows the groups to address common issues and concerns. It also offers opportunities for additional education, long-range planning, and recognition of attorneys who have performed outstanding legal work and community service