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February 2018 YLD Attorney Spotlight – Brittany T. Faith

Posted by: Stephanie Vonnahme on Feb 28, 2018

This year the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division will be recognizing its outstanding members each month by featuring them in the TBA YLD Attorney Spotlight. For the month of February, the YLD is highlighting Brittany T. Faith.

Brittany T. Faith, an Oak Ridge native, practices in the Immigration Group at Grant, Konvalinka & Harrison, P.C. in Chattanooga with a focus on family based immigration, employment based immigration, and other individual immigration matters. Faith was recently re-elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers’ Division Board as East Tennessee Governor.
 
Faith attended Penn State for her undergraduate studies, where she graduated with honors in only 3 years earning a Political Science degree and a double-minor in history and sociology.  She then went on to the University of Tennessee College of Law, where she was Director of UT’s Pro Bono Program, Treasurer of Law Women, the ABA Representative for the Student Bar Association, and a law school member of the local Inns of Court, among other activities. While in law school, Faith became immersed and gained invaluable experience in immigration law working at several immigration non-profits throughout Tennessee such as Community Legal Center in Memphis and Catholic Charities of East Tennessee in Knoxville. She created the law school’s U Visa Alternative Spring Break Program, a program where students completed U Visa applications on behalf of low-income domestic violence victims. Faith’s public servant attitude and hard work did not go unnoticed as she was selected as the 2011 Tennessee Bar Association Law Student Volunteer of the Year and the 2011 Legal Aid of East Tennessee’s Donald F. Paine Volunteer Student of the Year Award.
 
Since entering private practice, Faith has been extremely active in the Bar and in immigration work in Chattanooga and throughout the Southeast. Her accomplishments and leadership roles are too numerous to fully list but a sampling includes the following: Vice Chair of American Immigration Lawyers’ Association (AILA) Mid-South Chapter; Past President of Chattanooga Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (CBA YLD); Past President of Southeast Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women (SETLAW), a group she helped reinvigorate; East Tennessee Governor and Executive Committee Member of Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (TBA YLD) and former Public Education Chair, East Tennessee Wills for Heroes Chair, and East Tennessee CLE Chair; among others. Faith has continued to earn accolades and honors including AILA’s Pro Bono Hero Award (2014), the Chattanooga Bar Association YLD Volunteer of the Year Award (2014), a finalist for the Young Professionals of Chattanooga Civic Impact Award (2015), the TBA YLD President’s Special Recognition Award (2017), and La Paz’s Volunteer of the Year Award (2017). 
 
Faith was named a Mid-South Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2017. She has organized, hosted, and volunteered at dozens of clinics, presentations, and CLEs throughout Tennessee, and she has been published multiple times in various legal journals. She also frequently appears on local news and media outlets discussing immigration issues. Faith is very proud of the Know Your Rights program that has educated literally thousands of Tennesseans on their legally afforded protections and rights. She also facilitated the Power of Attorney project partnership with the TBA YLD and the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), which has given hundreds of families in Tennessee peace of mind in cases where children are at risk of falling into the foster care system due to one or both parents being detained or deported. Her passion and desire to volunteer extends beyond the legal arena as she has served for several years on the Board of Directors for La Paz, a non-profit organization that empowers and advocates for Chattanooga’s Hispanic and Latino population.
 
Brittany’s take action leadership has inspired countless others to get involved and give back to their community. On a personal note, Brittany had a big month – she just celebrated a milestone birthday that starts with a “3” and ends with a “0.” Faith is married to Chattanooga attorney and fellow TBA YLD Board Member, Justin B. Faith, and their world is about to forever change as they are expecting their first child, a baby boy, in early May. When Faith’s not busy working or volunteering, she enjoys traveling and some of her favorite recent trips within the past year include Paris, Florence (Italy), and St. Maarten.
 
Please join us in congratulating Brittany T. Faith as this month’s Tennessee Bar Association YLD’s Attorney Spotlight!
 
Please send nominations for the March 2018 YLD Attorney Spotlight to YLD Publications Chair Justin Faith.

Health and Wellness Tip of the Month

Posted by: Stephanie Vonnahme on Feb 28, 2018

Physical and mental well-being go hand-in-hand. Even small changes can have a big effect. Check out this article with 30 small suggestions for a healthier you!

Turn Your Expertise into a Magazine Article

Posted by: Stephanie Vonnahme on Feb 28, 2018
Have you considered turning your expertise and experience into an article for the Tennessee Bar Journal? Sharing your knowledge with colleagues is one of the best ways to help the profession while also getting your name out there.
 
How can you become a Journal author? Think of and refine your topic. It should be of interest to Tennessee lawyers, which is a broad criteria. This could mean you might explain a new state law, explain a complicated area of law, or take a larger issue and connect it to what it means for Tennessee attorneys and the justice system. Find a global issue within your particular experience or knowledge and tell about it and how it affects Tennessee law. Then take a look at the writer’s guidelines, which will tell you about length, notes and other details. Once it’s in the proper format, send it in! It goes to the editor, Suzanne Craig Robertson, who will then get it to the seven members of the Editorial Board for review.
 
If you are published, you may apply for CLE credit for your work under Supreme Court Rule 21 Section 4.07(b). For details on claiming the credit, check with the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education.

Deadline March 12 for Tennessee Bar Journal’s Second Annual Fiction Contest

Posted by: Stephanie Vonnahme on Feb 28, 2018

The Tennessee Bar Journal is now accepting submissions for its 2nd Annual Fiction Contest! The period for submissions runs through March 12, 2018. The winner will be notified by May 1. The winning entry will be published in the June 2018 issue and the author will receive a $100 gift card from a favorite independent bookstore. Review the rules and more information here.

Save the Date: ABA 2018 Paris Sessions

Posted by: Stephanie Vonnahme on Feb 28, 2018

The ABA 2018 Paris Sessions will be June 7-10 at Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel in Paris, France. More information can be found here.

Registration Now Open for ABA YLD Spring Conference 2018 in Louisville

Posted by: Stephanie Vonnahme on Feb 28, 2018
Looking to expand your knowledge and contacts? Register for the ABA YLD Spring Conference, May 10-12, in beautiful Louisville, Kentucky.
You can register and find out more information here.

Supreme Court Soliciting Comments on Proposed Changes to Rule 8

Posted by: Stephanie Vonnahme on Feb 28, 2018

The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility and the TBA recently filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to amend Rule 8, RPC 8.4 of the Rules of the Tennessee Supreme Court by adopting a new RPC 8.4(g). The court is now soliciting written comments from the bench, the bar and the public. The deadline for submissions is March 21. Written comments may be emailed or mailed to James M. Hivner, Clerk, Re: Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 9, section 32 Tennessee Appellate Courts, 100 Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave., North, Nashville, Tennessee 37219-1407. Read the proposed amendments here plus more information from the TBA here. Watch for TBA President Lucian Pera's March column in the Tennessee Bar Journal, which details this issue.

Are You on the Rise?

Posted by: Stephanie Vonnahme on Feb 28, 2018

Nominations are being accepted for the ABA YLD Annual On the Rise - Top 40 Young Lawyers Award. This award provides national recognition for ABA young lawyer members who exemplify a broad range of high achievement, innovation, vision, leadership, and legal and community service. The deadline to submit nominations is tomorrow, March 1, 2018.

TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) Meets with Tennessee Legislature

Posted by: Stephanie Vonnahme on Feb 28, 2018
The TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) Class of 2018 learned about issues in policy and politics this past month as the group heard from Tennessee legislators, lobbyists, attorneys, and other individuals involved in state policy in Nashville.  The TBALL Class then joined Tennessee Bar Association leaders, legislators and their staffs for the annual Big Shrimp Legislative reception.  More than 200 people attended this year’s Big Shrimp event. 
 
Pictured above from left to right: Ted Goodman, Laura Martin, Ryan Porter and Jesse Morris. They’re all members of the TBALL Class of 2018.
 
TBALL’s next meeting will be on March 23-24 in Jackson as the group learns about issues in the Courts. This year’s class is being led by Co-Chairs Loretta Cravens of Knoxville and Judge Brandon Gibson of Jackson.

TBA YLD Continues to Host Successful Workshops, Clinics, Service Projects

Posted by: Stephanie Vonnahme on Feb 28, 2018
The YLD hosts Wills for Heroes clinics around the state to provide free wills, powers of attorney and advance directives for Tennessee's firefighters, law enforcement officers and other emergency responders. The Wills for Heroes program started shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as a way to give back to first responders in need of estate planning services. Since its inception in Tennessee, Wills for Heroes has served several thousand heroes and their families.
 
The YLD will continue hosting various clinics and volunteer events this upcoming year.  Here are some events coming up in March:
March 1 – Know Your Rights Presentation – Clarksville
Austin Peay State University, UC 303/305, beginning at 11:30 a.m.  To volunteer, contact Jamie Durrett.
 
March 3 –  Wills for Heroes Clinic – Lewisburg
Law Office of David McKenzie, 205 West Commerce Street, Lewisburg, Tennessee, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. See flyer for details. To volunteer or for more information, contact Debbie Zimmerle Boudreaux (debbie@davidmckenzielaw.com) or (931) 359-7305.
 
March 10 – Wills for Heroes Clinic – Dyersburg   
McIver’s Grant Public Library, 410 W Court Street, Dyersburg, Tennessee, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. See flyer for details. Attorney volunteers are needed and encouraged to contact Megan Warden by email or at 901-821-0044.
 
March 24 – Wills for Heroes Clinic – Chattanooga
Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C., 605 Chestnut Street, 17th Floor, Chattanoog, TN, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  For appointments and to volunteer, please contact Logan Threadgill (wfh@chamblisslaw.com).
 
Stay tuned for more opportunities to volunteer.
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