PERSPECTIVE

I have been active in the organized bar since I started practicing law in 1981. When Howard Vogel and Pam Reeves asked me to serve on the YLD Law and Liberty Committee, I never dreamed some day I would be president of the state's largest professional organization. But, to my surprise, that very thing occurred on June 13, 2003. Before a couple hundred members of the association, I became the 124th president of your state bar.

When I became president, I expected lots of things. After all, I had been involved in this organization for more than 20 years. I knew that I would have an opportunity to establish new programs and to represent the 8,600 members of our association around the state and country. What I was not prepared for was the outpouring of support and gratitude I received from friends, lawyers and judges whom I had never met.

For those of you who know me and even those of you who do not, you can tell by looking at a sketch of me that accompanies this article that I have a large cranium. Well, with all this newfound adulation I received, I think my head even got a little bigger. My mother calls this syndrome "getting the big head." She says that it is a Tarpley trait; therefore, I must come by it naturally.

One of the groups that has expressed incredible thanks to me for my support is the Young Lawyers Division. In fact, last September, the YLD invited Laura and me to its Fall Board Meeting. It was a tremendous event and very inspiring for me to see the ideas and leadership at work. After all, I am widely known as the oldest living member of the YLD in Tennessee. True to form, the group treated me like a king.

On the way home from the meeting, Laura and I sat with an Army officer who was on his way "home" to Fort Campbell after a tour of duty in Iraq. I was fascinated with his stories, and my questions did not stop. I heard about Saddam Hussein's palaces, the heat, the desert, the insects, and the battles he had experienced. I was in the presence of a real American hero, and I wanted all of the scoop from him I could get. As we neared Nashville, I thanked him for everything that he had sacrificed for my family and me. Then, the most incredible thing happened. He looked at me squarely and said, "No, thank you. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve."

Wow, I was blown away. What humility! This guy's attitude made me reflect on my own situation. I remember all of you who had thanked me for serving as president of the TBA this year. I realized quickly that I should be the one thanking you for this wonderful opportunity to serve.

Thank you for all of your work this year. Thanks to the Leadership Law Team for making this dream program a reality. Through the year, this team has enabled 32 lawyers to be better leaders in and for the profession. Thanks to the Lawyers Care Team, which has established hundreds of volunteers to do pro bono work. Thanks to the Membership Team their results have been incredible. Thanks to literally hundreds of volunteer leaders throughout the state who have carried the flag for the TBA this year. Your work on committees, sections, and the overall effort has been phenomenal.

There is also a cadre of others who have made this opportunity possible for me. The TBA staff is top notch. There has been no job too large or too small for them this year. Likewise, the attorneys and staff at my firm, Lewis-King, have worked very hard to make it possible for me to devote time to the TBA and not worry about my caseload. Finally, my family and friends have supported me in a tremendous way. Many of my family and friends have also suffered the ultimate sacrifice — they have been the subject of one of my columns. Thank you all for everything.

This has been quite a year. It has been a tremendous amount of work for you and me, but it has been very rewarding. With your help, we have accomplished great things. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve.