Volunteers recognized for service to the public and the legal profession

NASHVILLE, June 26, 2009 — A number of Nashville lawyers recently were honored for their service to the legal profession and the community at the Tennessee Bar Association’s annual meeting in Memphis.

The late Ross Alderman, former Davidson County public defender, was awarded the William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award for his 36 years of service in the Nashville and Davidson County Public Defender’s office, including nine years as head of the office. Alderman was tragically killed in an accident in August 2008. His wife, Judge Patricia Cottrell of the Tennessee Court of Appeals, accepted the award on his behalf. The Leech award is given annually by the TBA Young Lawyers Division Fellows and is named for former Attorney General William M. Leech.

Nashville lawyer J. Ross Pepper received the Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for the most outstanding article published in the Tennessee Bar Journal during the preceding year. He was recognized for his August 2008 article, "Recovering Lost Profits," which explored how Tennessee case law on the issue has evolved. Pepper is a solo practitioner in Nashville who handles litigation matters with a primary focus on business and commercial, personal injury and employment related cases. He graduated from the University of Tennessee School of Law in 1990. The judges selecting this year’s recipient were Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Janice Holder, Dean Kevin Smith of the University of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, and outgoing TBA President Buck Lewis.

Lucinda Smith, executive director of the Nashville Pro Bono Program, and Kristal Hall Boone, a solo practioner in Nashville, were recognized for their work on the 4/4 Pro Bono Public Service Day, which made free legal advice available to Tennesseans across the state on April 4. Boone also was recognized as a Star of the Quarter by the TBA Young Lawyers Division for her work planning the year’s most successful Wills for Heroes clinic, which provides free wills and other end of life legal documents for firefighters, police and other first responders.

The following Nashville lawyers were inducted as Fellows of the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. The group, which is composed of former leaders of the division, works to support young lawyers in the state.
The Honorable Cornelia A. Clark, Tennessee Supreme Court
Stephen A. Cobb, Attorney at Law
W. Scott Sims, Walker Tipps & Malone

Also this past weekend, a number of Nashville lawyers graduated from the Tennessee Bar Association’s Leadership Law program, which equips Tennessee lawyers with the vision, knowledge and skills necessary to serve as leaders in their profession and communities. This year’s class was comprised of 35 attorneys from across the state. On Saturday, class members helped more than 50 clients at a free legal clinic in Memphis operated by Memphis Area Legal Services. Among the graduates were:
Jonathan Cole, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz
Marshall T. "Marty Cook," Bone McAllester Norton (Nashville & Hendersonville)
Joy Day, Sutter O’Connell & Farchione (Franklin)
Dawn Deaner, Metro Public Defender
Tremecca Doss, Tennessee Department of Transportation
Alexandra Mackay, Stites & Harbison
Jonathan Richardson, Smith & Hirsch
Chay Sengkhounmany, Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands
Jim Todd, Attorney at Law

Finally, Nashville lawyer and TBA Executive Director Allan Ramsaur was awarded one of three President’s Awards for his work advocating for judicial merit selection and retention elections before the state legislature and in public forums. After a protracted debate, the General Assembly reauthorized merit selection for many Tennessee judges before adjourning for the year.

The 2009 Tennessee Bar Association Annual Convention was held in conjunction with four other major Tennessee legal organizations -- the Tennessee Judicial Conference (TJC), the Tennessee Association for Justice (TAJ), Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women (TLAW) and the Tennessee Alliance for Black Lawyers (TABL). 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.

For photographs or additional biographical information on any of the officers or award winners, please contact the TBA at (615) 383-7421.