Nominations Open for TBA's Annual Awards - Articles

All Content

Nominations Open for TBA's Annual Awards

Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Mar 18, 2026

The Tennessee Bar Association is now accepting nominations for a number of awards that will be presented at its 2026 Annual Convention. The Claudia Jack Award honors an outstanding public defender or court-appointed private practitioner who has served the legal community and clients in an exemplary fashion. It is named for the late Claudia Jack, a public defender and long-time champion of the poor and underprivileged. The Justice Frank F. Drowota III Outstanding Judicial Service Award is given to a judge or judicial branch official of a federal, state or local court in Tennessee who has demonstrated extraordinary devotion and dedication to the improvement of the law, the legal system and the administration of justice, as exemplified by the career of former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Frank Drowota. Submit nominations for either of these two awards by April 6. The 2026 Public Service Awards recognize outstanding commitment to access to justice in three categories: work performed by an attorney employed by an organization primarily involved in providing legal representation to the indigent, pro bono work performed by a private or corporate attorney and pro bono service by a Tennessee law student or recent graduate. Nominations for these awards are due April 17. Finally, the Fourth Estate Award honors courageous reporting on justice and the law. Nominees must be Tennessee-based journalists and work must have been published in 2025. Read more about the award in TBA's press release. Nominations are due by April 30.