TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jun 16, 2025

Nashville attorney Dot Dobbins, a trailblazer in family law and legal advocacy, died last week at age 77. A Celebration of Life will be held June 18 at 2 p.m. CDT at Brenthaven Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 516 Franklin Rd., Brentwood 37027. Visitation will begin at noon. Donations may be made to The Alternatives To Violence Project Inc. (AVP-USA), 2136 Ford Parkway, Saint Paul, MN 55116. A 1971 graduate of Vanderbilt Law School, Dobbins was one of only 12 women in a class of 150. She began her career at the Legal Aid Society of Nashville, where she led the family law unit for more than a decade, handling cases involving adoption, divorce, custody and domestic disputes. A founding member of the Lawyers’ Association for Women in 1981, she also served as general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Human Services and played a key role in drafting the state’s first order of protection law. Dobbins retired in 2015.