Kentucky and Tennessee lawyer William T. (Bill) Robinson III is the new president of the American Bar Association (ABA). Robinson is the member-in-charge of Frost Brown Todd’s Florence, Ky., office where he practices civil litigation with a focus on commercial, product liability, environmental and medical malpractice cases. An ABA member for more than 35 years, and former treasurer and House of Delegates member, Robinson plans to use his year in office to focus on issues related to state court funding, volunteerism, membership and diversity in the profession.

Six lawyers were recognized for their contributions to the law and their communities at the annual Pillars of Excellence program, hosted by the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Alumni Chapter. The event, held on Aug. 13, honored Leo Bearman Jr. with Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC; David E. Caywood, attorney at law; W.J. Michael Cody with Burch, Porter & Johnson PLLC; Robert L.

Knox County Law Director Joe Jarret has been appointed to the board of directors of the East Tennessee Military Affairs Council and as the judge advocate for American Legion Post #2 in Knoxville.

If you have called the Tennessee Bar Association in the last 12 or so?years, you have likely talked with Sharon Ballinger. She has also been the person who checks on your membership if you send an item in for the “People” section.

Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Cornelia Clark gave the keynote address at the 100th anniversary celebration of the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County. Clark emphasized the role the juvenile court has played during its century of service to the children and families of Memphis and Shelby County, including serving as a model juvenile justice system for municipalities and states around the nation.

Nashville lawyer Pele I. Houk has joined the law firm of Cornelius & Collins LLP as an associate. Prior to joining the firm, Houk worked in private practice as a civil litigator and then with the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development as a supervising attorney and workers' compensation specialist. Houk is a Supreme Court certified Rule 31 Mediator and practices in the area of civil litigation. She received her law degree from Seattle University School of Law in 2003.

Samuel J. Bartholomew, a partner with the Nashville office of Adams and Reese LLP, has been selected as one of 11 inductees into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame for 2009. He will be recognized in February as the "Lifetime Achievement Inductee" for his leading role in bringing the Titans to Tennessee, and as a founding member and director of the Nashville Sports Council and Music City Bowl, president and board member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, member of the Middle Tennessee Football Foundation and Tennessee NFL Committee, and chair of the 1996 Tennessee U.S. Olympic Committee. Bartholomew is a member with the firm's Transactions and Corporate Advisory Services Practice Group, where he focuses on corporate, health care and aviation law, as well as governmental relations and economic development. He was co-founder and chairman of Stokes Bartholomew Evans & Petree PA, which merged with Adams and Reese in 2005. Bartholomew earned his law degree in 1973 from the Vanderbilt University Law School.

The law firm of Buerger, Moseley & Carson PLC recently announced that Robert Cook has become a member of the firm. Cook, who focuses his practice on government and corporate law, joined the firm as an associate in August 2000. In addition to firm clients, he has served as Williamson County's attorney for the last eight years and as vice president for the Tennessee County Attorney's Association Board of Directors. Cook also has played an active role in the drafting of state and local legislation. Most recently, he represented the Tennessee County Services Association in negotiations over the Competitive Cable and Video Services Act.

Knoxville attorney Monica J. Franklin is one of the first Tennessee attorneys to receive accreditation from the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs. The department's approval is now required by law before an attorney represents a veteran claimant. Franklin is certified as an Elder Law Specialist by the National Elder Law Foundation and the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Certification. Her practice is focused exclusively on elder law, which includes life care planning, veterans' affairs, Medicaid advocacy, estate planning and special needs trusts and conservatorships. Franklin is a 1992 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Clarksville attorney M. Joel Wallace was recently elected to the Clarksville City Council. Wallace is a member of the board of the Montgomery County Bar Association and an associate in the Clarksville law firm of Cunningham, Mitchell & Rocconi. He took office Jan. 1 as a representative of the city's ninth ward.

Adams and Reese attorney Linda Edell Howard has been selected to serve on the Future of Music Coalition's advisory board. The coalition is a national nonprofit organization that examines the intersection of music, law, technology and policy. Howard has more than 20 years' experience in the areas of entertainment, new media and technology, and domestic and international intellectual property law. She opened the firm's Music Row office in Nashville in 2001 and currently heads the entertainment and new media team. She received her law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1985.
  
The Memphis law firm of Burch, Porter & Johnson recently announced that Charles S. Blatteis has become a member of the firm, and that Paula P. Daniel and C. Farris DeBoard have joined the firm as associate attorneys. The firm also announced that member R. Porter Field has been licensed to practice in Arkansas.

Miller & Martin PLLC has named Melvin Malone the new managing member of its Nashville office after Robert M. Holland Jr. decided to return to the full-time practice of real estate law. In his new role, Malone will direct all operations of the office and serve on the firm's policy committee. He is believed to be the first African American to serve as manager of a large Tennessee law firm. Malone has been a member of Miller & Martin since 2002. He chairs the Telecommunications & Utilities Practice Group and cochairs the Diversity Committee. Before joining Miller & Martin, he served as a commissioner, and then as chairman, of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority; deputy legal counsel to the governor; and law clerk to U.S. District Judge Julia S. Gibbons and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Nathanial R. Jones. Malone earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1989.

U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger recently was presented with the Distinguished Achievement Award by her undergraduate alma mater, Cornell College, in Iowa. The award recognizes outstanding generosity and service to the college, outstanding participation in community and civic affairs, and unusual achievement in one's field of endeavor. Judge Trauger recently completed a nine-year term on the college's board of trustees.

Memphis divorce lawyer Larry Rice was the featured speaker at the State Bar of North Dakota's Family Law Conference in Bismark in November. He spoke on law office management, client retention and trial preparation. Rice is the senior partner at Rice, Amundsen and Caperton PLLC.

The Tullahoma law firm of Henry, McCord, Bean, Miller, Gabriel & Carter PLLC recently announced that attorney R. Kurt Hippel has joined the firm's litigation team, where he will focus on family, domestic and criminal law; personal injury; workers' compensation; and general trial practice. Hippel earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2008.

Nashville lawyer John Cobb Rochford is now certified as a General Civil Mediator by the Tennessee Supreme Court's Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission. Rochford is a principal in the Law Office of John C. Rochford. He graduated from the Vanderbilt University Law School in 1997.

Recent University of Memphis School of Law graduate Melissa Ann Downing has joined the Jackson law firm of Divorce Incorporated " a firm dedicated to the practice of family law. During law school Downing was the 2006 and 2007 recipient of the Rodney K. Smith Award, which recognizes the student who devotes the most hours to pro bono work.

The Knoxville law firm of Howard & Howard PC recently welcomed Liz Dodd to its office. A 2008 graduate of the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, Dodd will handle litigation for the firm.

The Memphis law firm of Glankler Brown PLLC has announced that two of its attorneys have been appointed to positions with local community organizations. R. Mathew Brinner has been named to the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis. Brinner focuses his practice in the areas of corporate and business transactions, real estate and secured lending. He earned his law degree from the University of Memphis in 2005. In addition, Amy Dudek has been named attorney for the Junior League of Memphis, as well as a founding board of trustees member for the Bluff City College Preparatory Charter School. She represents clients in state and federal court in all aspects of commercial, insurance and employment litigation. Dudek received her law degree in 2000 from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Musa L. Eubanks recently joined the Atlanta, Ga. firm of Insley and Race LLC, where he will handle civil litigation and labor and employment matters. Eubanks graduated from the George Washington University Law School in 1996.

Patent attorney David Winters recently served as guest judge at the British Inventors Show in London this past October. The annual international show attracts more than 100 participants from around the world. Winters owns a solo patent practice in Clarksville and is a member of the board of directors for a law firm in India. He is a law graduate of England's Oxford Brookes University as well as the Southern Illinois University School of Law.

The Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association recently elected new leadership for the 2008-2009 bar year. Among the new officers and board members are the following TBA members: Tiffany Johnson with The Cochran Firm, who takes over as president, and David McKinney with Burch Porter Johnson PLLC, who was elected treasurer. New board members include Christopher Campbell with Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh PLLC, Hon. H.T. Lockard (honorary), Bruce McMullen with Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, Andre Mathis with Glankler Brown PLLC, and Harrison McIver with Memphis Area Legal Services Inc. Immediate Past President is Van Turner Jr. with the Memphis City Schools Board of Education. �

Passages

Knoxville native DEXTER A. CHRISTENBERRY SR. died Nov. 13, 2008, at the age of 91. He was a graduate of the University of Tennessee, earning bachelor of arts and law degrees at the school. Following law school graduation he worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority, and in 1941 he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a special agent serving in Washington, D.C.; Bowling Green, Ky.; and Charlotte, Greensboro and Durham, N.C. While at the Bowling Green office he captured the first German prisoner of war in the United States. Christenberry retired from the FBI in 1945 and returned to Knoxville to form the law firm of Andrews, Christenberry and Mann.

The funeral and interment were Nov. 16 with the eulogy given by Knoxville City Judge John Rosson. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Baptist Church of Knoxville's Organ Restoration Fund, 510 W. Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902.

Alamo lawyer THEOPHILUS ("THEO") JAMES EMISON, 93, died Dec. 11, 2008, following a recent surgery. His son, Jim Emison, served as Tennessee Bar Association president, 1987-1988. The senior Emison attended the Tennessee College of Law and graduated in 1937. He served for many years in the Alamo law firm of Emison & Emison PC.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

Retired Davidson County Chancellor C. ALLEN HIGH, 83, died Nov. 12, 2008, after a long battle with Alzheimer's. High graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1949 and worked as a lawyer in Nashville with the firm of Denney, Leftwich & Osborn. In 1967, he was elected to the state legislature, where he served a two-year term. High joined the Davidson County Chancery Court in 1974 and retired in 1995. Among his many accomplishments, he was president of the Tennessee Association for Justice, cofounder of the Harry Phillips American Inn of Court, founder of the Tennessee Judicial Academy and president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference. High is survived by two sons, David and Charlie, both of whom are lawyers in Nashville. His former law partner, Gary Gober, gave the eulogy at his service.

The family requests that any memorial contributions be given to St. James the Less Episcopal Church, 411 Due West Ave., Madison, TN 37115.

Recently retired Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice William M. Barker has joined the Chattanooga firm of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel PC, where he will serve in the litigation section and practice in the areas of mediation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. A native of Chattanooga, Barker entered the private practice of law there after graduating in 1967 from the University of Cincinnati School of Law. He was appointed to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals in 1995 and to the Supreme Court in 1998. Barker was selected chief justice in 2005 by his colleagues. He retired from the court in September.

The Chattanooga law firm of Eric Buchanan and Associates, which represents disabled individuals who have been denied social security disability, long term disability or disability insurance benefits, recently announced that partner Seth Holliday has been certified as a Social Security Disability Specialist by the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization. Holliday joins managing partner Eric Buchanan and partner R. Scott Wilson as the third member of the firm who is certified in this specialty.

Maryville lawyer Stephen S. Ogle was sworn in as assistant district attorney general for the Fifth Judicial District on Sept. 15. He earned his law degree in 1992 from the University of Tennessee College of Law and was a solo practioner prior to joining the district attorney's office.

Melissa Bradford Muller has been named a member of Howard, Tate, Sowell, Wilson & Boyte PLLC in Nashville. Muller received her law degree from the University of Memphis in 2000. She practices in the areas of business and general civil litigation, insurance and professional liability.

Nashville-based Manier & Herod has announced the addition of two new associates: Neesha N. Shah Hetcher and Billy "Duane" Willis Jr. Hetcher will focus on bankruptcy and real estate law, as well as general civil litigation. She earned her law degree from American University's Washington College of Law in 2007. Willis will represent clients in all aspects of civil litigation, including black lung, governmental tort liability, general insurance defense and workers' compensation. He previously practiced with Allen, Kopet & Associates in Jackson, Memphis and Nashville. Willis received his law degree in 1998 from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

The International Municipal Lawyers Association recently honored Murfreesboro city attorney Susan Emery McGannon with the 2008 Joseph I. Mulligan Distinguished Public Service Award, which is given to honor a local government attorney for "significant and surpassing achievements in the field of local government law." McGannon was nominated for the award by attorneys from other Tennessee cities. She previously was designated by the association as a Local Government Fellow, the only Tennessean to be certified since the fellows program began in 1999.

Liston "Bo" Bishop III has been appointed executive vice president and general counsel for the Unum Group, having served as the interim general counsel since February 2008. Bishop joins the company after practicing corporate and securities law at Miller & Martin PLLC, where he served since 1979. Bishop also has held the position of vice president and deputy general counsel for Coca-Cola Enterprises, where his responsibilities included securities law compliance and corporate governance. Bishop received his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1972.

Stites & Harbison PLLC attorney Julian Bibb was awarded the Caroline J. Cross Community Leadership Award by alumni of Leadership Franklin, a non-profit community leadership organization serving the community and educating the leaders of the city of Franklin and Williamson County. The award is one of many Bibb has received over the past few years for his involvement in the Williamson County community. Bibb practices in the areas of banking and real estate.

Former Tennessee Bar Association president and Lewis, King, Krieg & Waldrop managing shareholder John R. Tarpley has been appointed vice chair of the American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section. He will serve for one year as vice chair and rise automatically to the position of chair during the ABA annual meeting in August 2009. Tarpley practices in the firm's Nashville office in the areas of tort, transportation, product liability and insurance-related matters.

Knoxville lawyer Donald J. Farinato recently joined the firm of Holbrook, Peterson & Smith PLC, where he will handle estate administration. He earned his law degree and a master in business administration from the University of Tennessee and joined the bar in 1999. Farinato is licensed to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee and the U.S. Tax Court.

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC has announced that Nashville partner J. Andrew Goddard has been inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers " the first attorney in Tennessee to be invited to join the organization and one of only 50 attorneys nationwide honored this year. Goddard is head of Bass, Berry & Sims' environmental practice. He joined the firm in 1978 after graduating from Duke University School of Law.

Another partner at the firm, Mark Mamantov, was recently named vice chair of the National Association of Bond Lawyers' Tax and Securities Law Institute. Mamantov is a founding member of Bass, Berry & Sims' Knoxville office and serves as the administrator there. His practice focuses primarily on transactional work, with an emphasis on tax-exempt finance, commercial lending and real estate. He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1984.

Kevin C. Kennedy, senior attorney at The Kennedy Law Firm PLLC in Clarksville, recently received the William O. Beach Montgomery County Citizen of the Year Award. The honor is given each year to an outstanding citizen who has supported and made significant contributions to business, civic, educational and charitable organizations in the community. Kennedy is the first attorney to receive the award.

Four new associates have joined the Nashville office of Miller & Martin PLLC, while one, Kevin D. Hudson, has joined the firm's office in Chattanooga. Hudson received his law degree from the University of Memphis, where he graduated first in his class. Prior to law school, he spent nine years with the Memphis Police Department. He will practice in the firm's litigation department. In the Nashville office, Clint C. Cromwell joins the corporate department with a focus on mergers, acquisitions, business technology, securities and private equity and venture capital finance. He graduated from Emory University School of Law in 2008. Hart Knight joins the environmental law group and general litigation department after serving for two years as law clerk to Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Frank G. Clement Jr. He earned his law degree from the Vermont Law School in 2006. Robyn L. Owens and Sarah Lodge Tally also join the firm's litigation department. Owens graduated in May from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. Tally, a 2008 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, worked in the Washington office of U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper before becoming a lawyer.

The Nashville law firm of Burr & Forman recently announced the appointment of several of its attorneys to leadership positions within other organizations. Kevin Doherty has been elected the 2008-2009 chairman of the Self-Insurance Institute of America's Alternative Risk Transfer Committee. The institute is dedicated to protecting and promoting the self-insurance and alternative risk transfer industry. Fellow attorney Julie McPeak will serve on the 15-member committee as well. In addition, Darlene T. Marsh has been elected secretary of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys. She practices with the firm's environmental law group and focuses on commercial real estate law.

The Putnam County Bar Association has elected new officers for 2008-2009. They are President James Patrick Hayes, a solo practioner; Vice President Rachel Moses, with the Legal Aid Society; and Treasurer Dale Bohannon, a solo practioner. All are from Cookeville.

Lance Wray has been elected vice president of the Sumner County Bar Association for 2008-2009. He is a solo practioner in Gallatin.

Rachel E. Ralston has joined the law firm of Hunter, Smith and Davis LLP, where she will concentrate on general corporate transactional law and bankruptcy. A Johnson City native, Ralston received her law degree and MBA from the University of Tennessee. While in law school she served as managing editor of Transactions: The Tennessee Journal of Business Law. Prior to joining the firm, she served as a law clerk to Marcia Phillips Parsons, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee and Chief Judge of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals' Bankruptcy Appellate Panel.

The Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association has announced its new board, led by President C. Douglas Dooley with the Chattanooga firm of Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan. Other board members include President-elect Stephen P. Miller with McDonald Kuhn in Memphis and immediate past president Robert G. Norred Jr. with Logan-Thompson PC in Cleveland. Vice presidents are John W. Barringer Jr. with Manier & Herod in Nashville; David Scott Bennett with Leitner Williams Dooley & Napolitan in Chattanooga; and James H. Tucker Jr. with Manier & Herod in Nashville, who also serves as the DRI state representative. Directors are Robert A. Crawford with Kramer Rayson Leake Rodgers & Morgan in Knoxville; Sarah Reisner with Manier & Herod in Nashville; and Bradford D. Box with Rainey Kizer Reviere & Bell PLC in Jackson.

Brentwood attorney and mediator Leigh Ann Roberts has been appointed an adjunct professor at Belmont University's Jack Massey Graduate School of Business and will teach the first mediation course for that program. Roberts has been a trained mediator since 1998. Her firm, Forward Focus Mediation PLLC, provides mediation services as well as conflict management systems design. Roberts is president-elect of the Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators and a volunteer mediator for the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center.

Passages

Knoxville attorney RAYMOND H. MOSELEY, 87, died Oct. 12, after practicing law for more than half a century in Tennessee. A 1951 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Moseley began his legal career working for the newly formed city of Oak Ridge and later practiced with Hodges & Doughty. He moved to Chattanooga in 1956 and practiced law there with the Charles A. Noone firm and with Humphreys, Hutcheson & Moseley (later Hutcheson, Moseley, Pinchak & Powers). In 1998, he returned to Knoxville to join his son's firm, Lacy & Moseley. Among his many accomplishments and honors, Moseley served on the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary and was a 1996 nominee for a seat on the Tennessee Supreme Court. A World War II Navy veteran, he was buried with full military honors at Chattanooga National Cemetery. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be directed to the American Heart Association or Alive Hospice of Nashville.

Retired Sevierville judge WILLIAM R. "BILL" HOLT JR. died Oct. 15 at the age of 70. A native of Sevier County, Holt served 21 years as circuit court judge for the Second Judicial District of Tennessee before retiring in 1997. Holt earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1969 after working as a mechanic and musician. He continued to hone his skill on the guitar and will be remembered for entertaining fellow judges at judicial conferences. At his memorial service, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Gary Wade delivered the eulogy. Donations in his name may be made to: The Judge William R. Holt Jr. 4th Judicial District Scholarship Fund at any Sevier County Bank branch location; the First Baptist Church of Sevierville, 317 Parkway, Sevierville, TN 37862; or the American Lung Association of Tennessee, 1808 West End Ave., Suite 514, Nashville, TN 37203.

Compiled by Sharon Ballinger and Stacey Shrader. Tennessee Bar Association members may send information about job changes, awards and work-related news. Send it to PEOPLE, c/o The Journal at 221 Fourth Ave. N., Suite 400, Nashville, TN 37219-2198, or email to sballinger@tnbar.org. Submissions are subject to editing. Pictures are used on a space-available basis and cannot be returned. Electronic photos must be saved as a tiff or jpeg (with no compression), minimum resolution 200 dpi, and at least 1"x1.5" or they will not be used.  

Ash reelected Court of Judiciary presiding judge
Circuit Court Judge Don Ash of the 16th Judicial District has been elected to a second term as presiding judge of the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary. The 15-member panel receives complaints against judges and imposes sanctions for violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct.

Ash, of Murfreesboro, has been a Circuit Court judge since 1994. He previously served as city judge in LaVergne and was in the private practice of law. His a past-president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, which includes all of the state's appellate, trial and senior judges, and has been a member of the Court of the Judiciary since his 2003 appointment by the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Adams and Reese has promoted two attorneys to management positions in its Nashville office. Brad A. Lampley has become partner in charge of the downtown office, while Kolin B. Holladay has become coleader of the Corporate/Securities/ Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Team within the Transactions and Corporate Advisory Services Group. Lampley focuses his practice on business litigation, real estate and construction litigation; commercial dispute resolution; and sports law, and on counseling trade associations and businesses with interests before the Tennessee General Assembly. Holladay represents public and private companies in a range of legal matters including compliance with securities laws, securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and contract issues.

The 20/20 Leadership Alliance recently announced the winners of the 2008 Nashville Emerging Leaders Awards (NELAs) program. In the legal services category, TBA member Jonathan Cole was selected. Cole is a shareholder and chair of the firm-wide Pro Bono Committee at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC. He served as the first-ever Nashville lawyer to chair the American Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division, and was named Volunteer of the Year by the YMCA of Middle Tennessee. He currently sits on the board of directors for Young Leaders Council and the Nashville Bar Association.

Knoxville lawyer Heather G. Anderson recently accepted an invitation to join the Hamilton Burnett Chapter of the American Inns of Court. Anderson serves with Howard & Howard PC where she handles civil litigation and employment and real estate law. Prior to joining the firm she practiced in Memphis with Young & Perl. Anderson earned her law degree from the University of Memphis in 1998.

Clarksville attorney Christopher J. Pittman was recently appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to a three-year term as a hearing committee member for the Board of Professional Responsibility. Pittman is a former president of the Montgomery County Bar Association and is a partner in the Clarksville law firm of Patton & Pittman.

The Board of Directors of the Tennessee Justice Center has elected new officers for 2008-2009. Among them are TBA members David R. Esquivel, a member with Bass Berry & Sims PLC in Nashville, and Cynthia R. Wyrick, a shareholder with Ogle, Gass & Richardson PC in Sevierville. Esquivel, who was elected chair, focuses his litigation practice on antitrust and other competition-related matters. Wyrick, who was elected vice chair, practices in the areas of personal injury, medical malpractice, worker's compensation, wills and estates, and family law. Returning board members include Justice E. Riley Anderson, Tennessee Supreme Court retired; Gail Vaughn Ashworth, Gideon & Wiseman; William H. Farmer, Farmer & Luna PLLC; Barbara Dale Holmes, Harwell Howard Hyne Gabbert & Manner PC; Nancy Fraas MacLean, Thomson West; and Ellen B. Vergos, Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP.

Nashville lawyer Derek C. Jumper has been named a senior associate at Frost Brown Todd, where he has served since 2004. Jumper handles commercial litigation, with a focus on banking law, commercial contracts, and fire and explosion cases. Prior to joining the firm, Jumper worked in Washington D.C. as press secretary for the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources from 1997 to 1999, and as media director for the American Forest & Paper Association from 1999 to 2001. He received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2004.

Kingsport native Darrell L. Castle has been selected as the 2008 vice presidential candidate on the Constitution Party ticket. A graduate of the Memphis State University School of Law, Castle has practiced bankruptcy and personal injury law for almost 30 years. He operates the Castle Law Firms in Memphis, St. Louis and Kansas City. He currently resides in Germantown.

Memphis divorce attorney Larry Rice was the featured speaker at two recent conferences. In August, he appeared before the Missouri Bar Association's 2008 Family Law Conference in Lake Ozark. In September he spoke on law office management, client retention and trial preparation at PESI's annual national conference in Las Vegas.

Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis partner Donald B. Stuart has been appointed vice chairman of the American Health Lawyers Association's (AHLA) Tax and Finance Practice Group. Stuart practices in Nashville as a partner in Waller Lansden's tax practice group. He earned his law degree in 1995 from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and an L.L.M. in taxation from the University of Florida in 1997.

At its annual banquet in October, the Association for Women Attorneys inducted Jennifer Hagerman as its new president and honored Ruby R. Wharton as the Marion Griffin-Frances Loring Award recipient for outstanding service in the legal profession. Both women practice law in Memphis. Hagerman serves with Burch, Porter & Johnson PLLC and practices in the areas of commercial and employment litigation. Wharton, the wife of Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton, is a partner with Wharton & Wharton & Associates.

Stephen M. Montgomery has joined the Nashville law firm of Neal & Harwell PLC as an associate. He previously served as law clerk to Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Alan E. Glenn. Montgomery received his law degree in 2007 from Vanderbilt University Law School. As a student he served as a research assistant in corporate and securities law.

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Nashville & Davidson County has named its officers and new board members for 2008-2009. TBA members among the group are secretary Eileen Burkhalter Smith with Waller Lansden Dortch & David LLP, and board members Andrea Perry with Bone McAllester Norton PLLC, Candice Reed with Counsel on Call and Donna Lee Roberts with Stites & Harbison PLLC. Andrew B. Williams II with HCA Inc. is the immediate past president.

Former Tennessee Senator and Ambassador Howard H. Baker Jr. was honored with American Lawyer magazine's 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony in October. The award recognized his contributions as a lawmaker, public servant and private practice attorney. Baker currently serves as senior counsel in the Huntsville office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz.

Miller & Martin PLLC member and the Tennessee Bar Association's immediate past president, Marcy Eason, was elected to the executive council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents at the American Bar Association meeting in August. The conference represents presidents from more than 400 bar associations. Eason focuses her practice in civil litigation with an emphasis on commercial litigation, lender liability, and products liability at the firm's Chattanooga office. In 1979, she received her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

U.S. District Court Judge Bernice B. Donald of Memphis received the ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section's inaugural Liberty Achievement Award. The Liberty Achievement Award raises awareness of the importance of diversifying the legal profession by honoring lawyers and judges who actively promote diversity within the legal community. Donald is an active member of the ABA and assumed the office of secretary at the conclusion of the annual meeting.

Former TBA President Howard Vogel was honored at a reception during the ABA annual meeting for his selection to the American Bar Association Board of Governors. The reception was hosted jointly by the TBA, the University of Tennessee College of Law, the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and the Vanderbilt University Law School.

John L. Farringer IV has joined the Nashville law firm of Sherrard & Roe PLC as an associate in the litigation practice group. He will represent clients in complex business disputes including contract negotiations, business tort actions and shareholder litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Farringer was an attorney with Walker, Tipps & Malone and served as law clerk to U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Wiseman Jr., senior judge for the Middle District of Tennessee. He received his law degree in 2002 from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC recently announced it elected eight new shareholders in its Tennessee offices. They are: Ashley Meredith Lowe in the Knoxville office's Government Regulatory Actions Group; in Memphis, Lodie V. Biggs in the Real Estate Group, R. Spencer Clift III in the Bankruptcy & Restructuring Group and Beverly S. Gates in the Securities/Corporate Governance Group; in Nashville, Samuel T. Bowman in the Government Regulatory Actions Group, and Tara Ertischek and Mark L. Miller in the Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions Group; and in the Tri-Cities, Matthew D. Davison in the Labor & Employment Group.

Former Tennessee Attorney General Knox Walkup, now a partner in the law firm of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP, received the Francis X. Bellotti Award during the National Association of Attorneys General's summer meeting. Walkup is only the seventh recipient of the award, which recognizes a former attorney general whose work has furthered the organization's mission. Walkup's nearly 20-year career in public service included time as Tennessee's solicitor general and chief counsel and staff director of a U.S. Senate subcommittee. He joined the Nashville office of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs in 1999 and chairs the Government Affairs and Regulated Industries Practice Group.

Powell lawyer Joseph G. Jarret was recently appointed chief deputy law director for Knox County. In other news, he recently presented "Ethical Challenges for the Municipal Attorney" on behalf of the Tennessee Municipal Attorneys Association during their annual conference in Memphis, and published "Public Officer Liability" in Public Management Journal.

The Memphis law firm of William M. Jeter PLLC has formed a partnership with Adam M. Nahmias and has retained former Arkansas attorney James D. Lawson. All three specialize in construction litigation, although the firm also has general business and major insurance clients in west and central Tennessee. Lawson practiced in Little Rock for 22 years with the Hilburn Firm. The firm will now go by the name of Jeter & Nahmias PLLC.

Apperson, Crump & Maxwell PLC Chief Manager Thomas R. Buckner and Gary Smith of Gary K. Smith & Associates PLLC, both of Memphis, recently announced that the firms would merge practices to create the newly constituted firm of Apperson Crump. The merger expands Apperson Crump's practice areas to include plaintiff representation in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, insurance bad faith, product liability and medical malpractice cases. The Smith firm has relocated its offices from Peabody Place to Apperson Crump's offices at 6000 Poplar Avenue.

Stephen H. Biller has joined the Memphis law firm of Luckett Pinstein Ridder PC as of counsel. Biller focuses his practice on employment and commercial and business litigation. He earned his law degree from Boston University School of Law in 1965.

Memphis lawyer Effie V. Bean Cozart with Butler, Snow, O'Mara, Stevens & Cannada PLLC; Nashville lawyer James Albert Crumlin Jr. with Bone McAllester Norton PLLC; and Knoxville lawyer Benjamin W. Jones with Lewis, King, Krieg & Waldrop PC graduated from the American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section's 2008 Leadership Academy on Aug. 9. They were among 22 participants in this year's class. The TIPS Leadership Academy provides participants with the tools, knowledge and skills necessary to lead the legal profession and to improve leadership service in the community as a whole.

The board of directors of the Tennessee Justice Center has elected three new members and re-elected returning members. The new members are David P. Cañas, shareholder with Harwell Howard Hyne Gabbert & Manner PC; Christopher E. Coleman, associate with Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP; and Alexandra MacKay, member of Stites & Harbison PLLC. All are from Nashville. Cañas represents clients in commercial litigation, dispute resolution and bankruptcy matters. Coleman focuses his practice in the areas of antitrust, employment law, and personal injury torts. MacKay practices intellectual property law and handles transactions and litigation involving trademarks, licensing and copyrights, and has experience in federal and state courts, and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She currently serves as co-vice chair of the TBA's Access to Justice Committee.

The Arkansas firm of Wilson & Associates PLLC has promoted associate partner J. Skipper Ray to the position of supervising attorney for its Closing Commitment & Curative, Title Policy and Eviction departments. A native of North Little Rock, Ray earned his law degree from the William H. Bowen School of Law in 2000. He practices in the areas of foreclosure and eviction law at the firm, which serves real estate and mortgage banking clients in Arkansas and Tennessee.

Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell PLC has hired Chad A. Naffziger as an associate in its Jackson office. Naffziger's practice focuses in the areas of business and commercial law and insurance defense. He received his law degree from the John Marshall Law School in 2008. While in law school, he served as a member of the John Marshall Law Review.

In other news from the firm, Rainey Kizer recently moved its East Memphis office to downtown Memphis at the Morgan Keegan Tower, 50 North Front Street, Suite 610, Memphis, 38103. All phone and fax numbers remain the same.

Morgan Adams, founding partner of the Law Offices of Morgan Adams in Chattanooga, has been elected chair-elect of the American Association of Justice's Interstate Trucking Litigation Group. Adams is a member of the association's board of governors and has chaired its interstate trucking litigation seminar since 2005. His firm handles commercial vehicle litigation and other serious injury cases. Of note, he presented TBA's first webinar on "Handling a Tractor-Trailer Case in Tennessee."

Nashville lawyer and founding MGLAW partner Robert Gonzales has announced that he is departing the firm in October to start a new company. Gonzales will use his expertise in guiding companies through financial restructurings and wind downs to open a firm that will provide debt and equity financing and advice to financially distressed companies. Gonzales cofounded MGLAW in 1997 with Bob Mendes. He earned his law degree from the Vanderbilt University Law School in 1994.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands recognized its outgoing board president Kathryn Edge at a recent board of directors meeting in Nashville. Executive Director Gary Housepian presented Edge with an award for her dedication and commitment to the agency. Edge, an attorney in the Nashville firm of Miller & Martin, has served in the post for the last year. She earned her law degree in 1983 from the Nashville School of Law.

Nashville attorney Phillip Miller served as course advisor for the national Case Workshop Program on Focus Groups presented in September by the American Association for Justice. He has served as a course advisor or faculty member for 12 other national professional development programs presented by the association's National College of Advocacy. Miller also sits on the board of trustees for the college, which provides training and education to trial attorneys. Miller has practiced law since 1980 and is certified as a trial specialist. He holds a law degree from the Nashville School of Law.

Memphis lawyer Edward J. McKenney Jr. with Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh PLLC was elected treasurer of the Tennessee Municipal Attorneys Association at the group's annual meeting in June. An alumnus of the Memphis State University School of Law, McKenney has practiced law in Memphis for over 30 years. At the firm, he serves in the alternative dispute resolution, litigation, labor and employment law and municipalities and government relations practice groups.

Franklin attorney Kim R. Helper has been elected district attorney general for the 21st Judicial District in a special election following the death of former District Attorney General Ron L. Davis. Helper also recently was named secretary of the Williamson County Bar Association. She earned her law degree from Stetson University College of Law in 1993.

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel PC has announced that Traci D. Fant has rejoined the firm as an associate in the Taxation & Estate Preservation Section. Fant will focus her practice in estate planning, estate administration and probate, and elder law. She earned her law degree from the Washington University in 1998, and is licensed to practice in Tennessee and Georgia. Prior to rejoining the firm, she served as in-house legal counsel for a Chattanooga company.

In other news, the firm has established an endowment at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to honor the legacy of its late senior partner, John C. Stophel. The funding will be used to hold the annual Chambliss Bahner & Stophel Student Recognition Banquet, which will present high-potential business students to the business community and community-at-large.

Melody McAnally, an attorney with the Memphis office of Butler, Snow, O'Mara, Stevens & Cannada PLLC, recently received the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project's Curtis E. Coker Access to Justice Award at the annual convention of the Mississippi Bar Association. She was recognized primarily for her work on a divorce and child custody case. McAnally recently relocated to Memphis.

Compiled by Sharon Ballinger and Stacey Shrader. Tennessee Bar Association members may send information about job changes, awards and work-related news. Send it to PEOPLE, c/o The Journal at 221 Fourth Ave. N., Suite 400, Nashville, TN 37219-2198, or email to sballinger@tnbar.org. Submissions are subject to editing. Pictures are used on a space-available basis and cannot be returned. Electronic photos must be saved as a tiff or jpeg (with no compression), minimum resolution 200 dpi, and at least 1"x1.5" or they will not be used.

Davidson County Judge Dan Eisenstein recently honored representatives of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities in recognition of their assistance to the Davidson County Mental Health Court. Eisenstein presides over the Mental Health Court, which is part of the county's general sessions court. The presentation was made at a recent ceremony honoring graduates of the treatment and probation program. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean was among the public officials, court officials and social service agency representatives who were in attendance.

Nashville attorney Barbara Moss recently was awarded the Molly Todd Cup for her work in making Nashville a better place to live and work. The award was presented by the Nashville organization CABLE, which works to help women achieve professional and personal growth by providing networking forums and programs. Moss was the 2007 recipient of the group's Athena Award for outstanding commitment to leadership, professional excellence, community involvement and assistance to women and women's issues. She is counsel at Stites & Harbison PLLC and serves in the business litigation service group.

In other news from the firm, Stites & Harbison member Julian Bibb recently was awarded a certificate of merit from the Tennessee Historical Commission in recognition of his contributions to preservation efforts in Franklin and around the state. As director of Franklin's Charge, a coalition of Middle Tennessee organizations and individuals dedicated to the preservation of historic open space, Bibb was integral in efforts to create a battlefield park in commemoration of the 1864 Battle of Franklin. At Stites & Harbison, he focuses his practice on real estate, commercial finance, land use and zoning law, and nonprofit organizations.

Brian H. Trammell, Terrill L. Adkins and Kenneth W. Ward recently announced the formation of Trammell, Adkins & Ward PC. The firm, which is located at 1111 Northshore Drive, Suite P-100B in Knoxville, will focus its practice in the areas of insurance law, defense and professional liability litigation.

Franklin attorney Kim Helper has been elected secretary of the Williamson County Bar Association. She is an assistant district attorney with the 21st Judicial District Attorney General's office. She earned her law degree from the Stetson University College of Law in 1993.

The Jefferson County Bar Association has re-elected its president, solo practitioner Jason S. Randolph, to another year of office, and has elected Christopher D. Brown with P. Richard Talley & Associates as its new vice president. Both are from Dandridge.

The Loudon County Bar Association has elected new officers for the bar year. TBA members among them are Vice President G. Keith Alley with Kizer & Black in Lenoir City, Secretary Arthur Wayne Henry of Loudon and Treasurer Robert G. Hinton of Sproul & Hinton in Lenoir City.

The Nashville law firm of Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry PLC recently announced that attorney Jeffrey L. Allen has joined the firm's litigation team. Allen earned his law degree from the University of Florida's Levin College of Law in 2007. Prior to attending law school, he worked as an Honors Paralegal at the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection in Washington, DC.

State Court of Appeals Judge J. Steven Stafford of Dyersburg has been named chair of the Tennessee Bar Foundation, a philanthropic organization that honors attorneys who distinguish themselves professionally. The foundation also administers the IOLTA fund, which provides resources for indigent legal services and law-related public projects. Stafford was appointed to the Court of Appeals in June. Prior to that he was chancellor of the 29th Judicial District for 15 years. He is a past president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference and former presiding judge of the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary. He currently serves as dean of the Tennessee Judicial Academy for newly elected and appointed judges. Stafford earned his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law in 1983.

Former U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert P. Murrian has joined Knoxville attorneys Pamela L. Reeves and Celeste Herbert in their practice of law. The firm will now be called Reeves, Herbert & Murrian PA. Murrian will focus his practice in the area of alternative dispute resolution, including mediation, arbitration and special master work. He previously was associated with the firm of Kramer Rayson Leake Rodgers & Morgan LLP. He earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1974.

Lucian T. Pera, a partner with the Memphis office of Adams and Reese LLP, has been invited to serve on the advisory board of the Miller-Becker Institute for Professional Responsibility. The institute, which is associated with the University of Akron Law School, is dedicated to enhancing ethical awareness among those who practice, adjudicate, teach and study the law. Pera is a member of Adams and Reese's ethics and commercial dispute practice teams where he focuses his work on counseling and representing clients in the areas of lawyer ethics, professional responsibility, malpractice and loss prevention. He has served as chair of the Tennessee Bar Association's Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility since 2000. Pera earned his law degree in 1985 from Vanderbilt University School of Law.

The Bogatin Law Firm PLC, one of Memphis' oldest firms, and Evans & Petree PC merged in July to create one of the city's top five firms. The new firm will initially do business as Evans Petree Bogatin. Ten Bogatin attorneys made the move to the new practice. The combined firm blends practices in litigation, private equity transactions, real estate, tax and estate planning and corporate law.

The Kingsport Bar Association has elected new officers for the 2008-2009 bar year. Donald Mason with Shine & Mason takes over as president, while Jimmie Miller with Hunter, Smith & Davis LLP assumes the position of president-elect. Steven Huret with Wilson, Worley, Moore, Gamble & Stout PC is the new vice president. Secretary is Steven Rose with West & Rose, while Matthew Wimberley with Hunter, Smith & Davis LLP takes over as treasurer. All are from Kingsport.

Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP recently welcomed Katie Hall Giannasi to its Chattanooga office, where she will work in the corporate law division and focus on business law, commercial transactions and real estate. Giannasi previously worked for Chattanooga firm Grant, Konvalinka & Harrison where she represented civil litigation clients in court and before municipal boards. She also has experience in civil litigation working with breach of construction contracts, constitutionality of municipal zoning ordinances, and eminent domain disputes. Giannasi earned her law degree from Tulane University Law School in 2005.

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Knoxville lawyer WILLIAM CONWAY GARLINGTON died July 9 at the age of 85. A University of Tennessee College of Law graduate, he served as associate attorney general and assistant city law director for the city of Knoxville and was a founding partner of the firm Carty, Garlington and Boswell. He later served as counsel for the firm of Justice, Noel and Burks. The family requests that memorial donations be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Knoxville, located at 620 State Street, Knoxville, TN 37902; the Sertoma Center at 1400 East 5th Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917; or a favorite charity.

Retired U.S. District Court Judge THOMAS G. HULL died July 29 at the age of 82. Hull's career included 23 years on the federal bench (seven of which as chief judge of the Eastern District of Tennessee), seven years as circuit court judge in the 20th Judicial District, 10 years as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, a year as chief clerk of the state House and three years as legal counsel to then Gov. Lamar Alexander. A native of Greeneville, Hull also was active in business and banking and played a major role in securing the James H. Quillen U.S. District Courthouse in his hometown. He took senior status on the federal bench in 2002 and retired in 2006. Hull attended the University of Tennessee College of Law and received his law degree in 1951. The family asks that memorials be made to the Children's Tumor Foundation for Neurofibromatosis (95 Pine Street, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10005), the Amy Hull Ransdell Scholarship Fund (101 West Summer Street, Greeneville, TN 37743) or the Alzheimer's Association (4205 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 216, Nashville, TN 37215).

Former TBA president and Memphis lawyer JAMES McDONNELL MANIRE died July 27 at the age of 90. Manire began his law practice in 1948 with the Memphis firm of Burch, Porter and Johnson after graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law. During his career he served as president of the Memphis and Shelby County Bar associations, was a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, was a lifetime member of the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference, worked as a professor of law at Memphis State, and served as city attorney for three years. He also helped organize Lawyers Helping Lawyers in Memphis and statewide. He was president of the TBA from 1966 to 1967. The family requests that donations be sent to Calvary Episcopal Church (102 N. 2nd, Memphis, TN 38103), the Church Health Center (1210 Peabody, Memphis, TN 38104) or the Memphis and Shelby County Family Safety Center (1085 Poplar, Memphis, TN 38105).

JOE A. TILSON of Morristown died May 27 at the age of 78. His career included service as chancellor for the 3rd Judicial District; member of the Morristown law firm now known as Taylor, Reams, Tilson & Harrison; and U.S. magistrate judge for the eastern district's northeastern division at Greeneville. Tilson earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1958. Gifts may be sent to the Opportunity Fund of the Boys and Girls Club of Morristown, P.O. Box 1461, Morristown, TN 37814.

Compiled by Sharon Ballinger and Stacey Shrader. Tennessee Bar Association members may send information about job changes, awards and work-related news. Send it to PEOPLE, c/o The Journal at 221 Fourth Ave. N., Suite 400, Nashville, TN 37219-2198, or email to sballinger@tnbar.org. Submissions are subject to editing. Pictures are used on a space-available basis and cannot be returned. Electronic photos must be saved as a tiff or jpeg (with no compression), minimum resolution 200 dpi, and at least 1"x1.5" or they will not be used.