The state legislature is back in session with the opening of the 109th Tennessee General Assembly. Seven lawyers have joined the General Assembly this year, raising the number to 21 members of the 132-member body who are lawyers. This reverses a general downward trend of the number of lawyers in the Tennessee legislature over time, and increases the overall number of lawyers in the legislature by three, up from 18 lawyers in the last General Assembly.

Lawyers as a group have historically relied on their fellow lawyers in the state legislature to be mindful of issues important to the practice of law. But with so few lawyer legislators, we cannot leave all the work to our colleagues in the legislature to speak for lawyers on issues of importance to the bar. While lawyers have not cornered the market on what it takes to be a good legislator and nonlawyer members of the legislature bring valuable perspectives, knowledge, skills and judgment to lawmaking, lawyers do bring valuable expertise to the legislative process through their legal training and experience working in the law. We must continue to encourage our colleagues to seek office in the legislature and work to continue increasing the number of lawyers in the General Assembly. And just as importantly, we must get to know our own legislators and offer to them our expertise, insight and the benefit of our legal training.

One of the core missions of the Tennessee Bar Association is advocacy for the profession and for our system of justice. The TBA accomplishes this mission effectively in many ways. Three ways I hope each of you are familiar with and access regularly are through our corps of legislative counsel, our TBA Impact member tool and our LAWPAC.

Governmental Affairs Committee

The Governmental Affairs Committee, ably chaired this year by Matt Scanlon, oversees this entire operation. Our highly effective group of lobbyists advocate for the profession and for our system of justice by supporting TBA legislative initiatives, tracking legislative matters of interest to the bar, and promoting the TBA’s efforts to influence policy and legislation through its lobbying efforts. The program is led by our executive director, Allan Ramsaur, who is himself a card-carrying lobbyist. Our team of lawyer-lobbyists is made up of former state representative Steve Cobb and Adams and Reese standouts Gif Thornton and Brad Lampley.

I encourage you to come and talk with members of the Governmental Affairs Committee at the TBA’s annual “Big Shrimp” Reception honoring the members and staff of the 109th Tennessee General Assembly. Better yet, invite your legislators to Big Shrimp and make them feel welcome at the reception. This year’s reception will be held at the Tennessee Bar Center in Nippert Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 17, from 5 to 7 p.m.

You can also keep up with the TBA’s activities on the Government Affairs Update webpage, and of course the TBA will continue to provide important information on legislative matters through TBA Today.

TBA Impact

Another way you can keep informed about legislative matters, as well as make your voice heard, is through TBA Impact. The TBA advocates on your behalf for the passage of legislation important to the practice of law, but from time to time we need you to lend your stories and voice to the efforts. TBA Impact is a unique member tool to ensure you are up-to-date on important legislative developments. Through TBA Impact you can become informed on bills of interest to the Tennessee legal community. You can also let your representatives in the General Assembly know where you stand by taking action through TBA Impact. Just log into the TBA website and you will see above your professional profile a tab for TBA Impact. Click on the tab, and you will access your personal TBA Impact page where you will see your state legislators, TBA legislative initiatives, other legislation of interest to our members, and links to take action.

TBA Impact is administered by the TBA’s Public Policy Coordinator Josie Beets. Josie also assists sections and other association entities in the development of legislation and public policy positions affecting law and the legal profession through research and contact with individual lawyers and policy makers. If Josie contacts you, I urge you to take advantage of the opportunity to share your expertise and contacts to help the TBA in fulfilling its mission of advocacy for the profession and for our system of justice.

I also urge you to get to know your own legislators. Don’t let your only contact with your legislators be occasional advocacy on a particular issue. Invite your legislators to your office and introduce them to your colleagues and staff or go visit your legislators; get to know them and give them an opportunity to know you. Lawyers can be of more assistance to their legislators than campaign contributions or votes. Lawyers can be a source of substantive information and legal expertise. Lawyers can be a source of referrals for constituents with legal issues. But your legislators need to know you first.

I have had the pleasure to get to know Sen. Lowe Finney, one of our former lawyer-legislators, and Rep. Jimmy Eldridge over the years. In fact at the beginning of the last legislative session, I invited Rep. Eldridge to my office to have lunch with the lawyers and staff in our office. Everyone in the office had an enjoyable time getting to know Rep. Eldridge and giving him an opportunity to get to know us. I learned to my surprise during the conversation that as the result of redistricting he was no longer my representative. I have continued to stay in touch with Rep. Eldridge, and now look forward to opportunities to get to know my new representative, Johnny Shaw, as well as my newly elected senator, Ed Jackson.

LAWPAC

Another way you can work with your association to meet its mission of advocacy is by contributing to LAWPAC. LAWPAC is the TBA’s non-profit, non-partisan statewide political action program that is committed to helping strengthen the legal profession in Tennessee. Funds raised are used to support the campaigns of those candidates who have demonstrated an interest in preserving the legal profession in this state.

TBA members consistently say that advocacy is one of the most important tasks performed by our association. When the General Assembly meets, the TBA is there for you, advocating for the profession, the judicial system and the reforms that improve the practice of law and ensure equal justice for all of our citizens. You can make a difference. Come to Big Shrimp, get to know your legislators and make a contribution to LAWPAC.

Tennessee Bar Association President JONATHAN O. STEEN is a civil trial lawyer with Redding, Steen & Staton PC in Jackson. He is a past president of the TBA Young Lawyers Division and former member of the Tennessee Bar Journal Editorial Board.