TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) outgoing President Sean Aiello presented a number of awards at the group’s annual board dinner in Franklin. The President's Award was given to Nashville attorney Patrick Morrison for his work on developing the YLD CLE Exploration Series and as the division’s health and wellness coordinator. The Public Service Award was presented to Nashville attorney Ashley Tipton for her expansion of the high school mock trial program and to Nashville attorney Alix Rogers and Eighth Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Zack Walden for implementation of the YLD's first Rural Judicial Fellows Program. Six board members also were recognized with Star of the Quarter Awards. Read more about these recognitions. Law student members of the 2025 Diversity Leadership Institute class also attended the dinner and were recognized for completing the program. Earlier in the day, law student members of the Rural Judicial Fellows met with justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court. See photos from that gathering.

Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge Alex McVeagh took office as president of the TBA’s Young Lawyers Division (YLD) at the group's Annual Convention meeting in Franklin. He plans to focus on supporting recovery courts in the state and offering a Leadership & Law Academy for high school students. Joining him in leadership of the division is President-elect Jennifer Sneed of Memphis, Vice President Darius Walker Jr. of Nashville, Secretary Judge Zachary Walden of Jacksboro and Treasurer Ashley Tipton of Nashville. During the Lawyers Luncheon, McVeagh thanked outgoing president Sean Aiello for his year of service and honored the mock trial team from Montgomery Bell Academy, which won this year’s state and national high school mock trial competitions. Also during the convention, the YLD held its Annual Meeting and a CLE program on the state of DEI in the legal profession. The YLD Board met on Saturday for committee planning sessions and its first meeting of the new bar year. See the full list of board members.

Members of the 2025 TBA Leadership Law class (TBALL) selected Memphis lawyer Rebekka Freeman Terrell as the winner of the annual Larry Dean Wilks Leadership Award. She was honored during the group’s graduation ceremonies in Franklin. The class has spent the last six months learning about leadership in the legal profession, issues in the courts, policymaking in state government and the importance of community service. Freeman Terrell is the chief administrative officer of the Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk's Office and serves on the board of directors for the Memphis Child Advocacy Center, Association for Women Attorneys and National Black Prosecutors Association for the Western District of Tennessee among other community service engagements. The award, named for former TBA president and Springfield lawyer Larry Wilks, who was instrumental in creating the TBALL program, is given to the class member who exemplifies leadership exceptional leadership qualities and enhances the education of other class members. Wilks' son John was on hand to present the award. See the full picture of Freeman Terrell and Wilks. Learn more about the Wilks Award and see past recipients.

Nashville lawyer John L. Farringer IV took office as vice president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) last week during the group’s Annual Convention in Franklin. He will advance to the presidency in June 2027. A member of the law firm Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, Farringer has practiced law for over 20 years, focusing on complex business and commercial litigation. He has been active in the TBA for many years, including serving for six years as a member of the Board of Governors and as associate general counsel with a special focus on issues related to indigent representation. He was a member of the 2011 Leadership Law class and received the 2015 President’s Award for his work as chair of the Medical-Legal Partnership Working Group. Farringer has made access to justice a passion of his career, including serving as chair of the TBA’s Access to Justice Committee from 2014-2015. He received the TBA’s Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Award in 2012 for his work on behalf of Juana Villegas, an undocumented woman who was shackled during and after childbirth. Last week, he also received the TBA President’s Award for his efforts in support of a new indigent representation system for the state. Farringer also served on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission from 2018-2024, and chaired the commission from 2022-2024. Read more about his career in the TBA's press release.

TBA’s new executive officers and new Board of Governors members took office Friday at the Annual Convention in Franklin. Officers for the upcoming bar year are: President Heidi Barcus of Knoxville, President-elect Charlotte Knight Griffin of Eads, Vice President John Farringer of Nashville, Secretary Terica Smith of Jackson and Treasurer Mary Beth Maddox of Knoxville. Nashville lawyer Ed Lanquist Jr., who wrapped up his year in office last week, moved into the immediate past president role. New board members taking office were Assistant Treasurer Karin Anderson, East Tennessee Governor Kelly Street, Middle Tennessee Governors Sean Aiello and Rachel Moses, Fourth District Governor Hank Fincher, YLD President Judge Alex McVeagh, YLD President-elect Jennifer Sneed, Judicial Conference President Chancellor Doug Jenkins, Public Defenders Conference President Robert Taswell "Tas" Gardner, General Counsel Kimberly Silvus, Assistant General Counsel Jennifer Pearson Taylor, Associate General Counsel Matthew Evans, Chief Opportunity Officer Deborah Yeomans-Barton, and Assistant Opportunity Officer Amy Bryant, who assumes this new role in addition to her 5th District Governor position. The District Attorneys General Conference will name its representative to the board this month.

Eads attorney Charlotte Knight Griffin took office as president-elect of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) last week during the group’s Annual Convention in Franklin. She will advance to the presidency in June 2026. Knight Griffin began her career in private practice in Memphis after earning her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law). She joined Memphis Light, Gas and Water as a staff attorney in 1978 and retired in April 2023 after 45 years of service. Knight Griffin has been active in the TBA for many years, most recently serving as vice president, speaker of the House of Delegates and a member of the Board of Governors. She is a past chair of the Local Government Practice and Litigation sections, a charter fellow of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD), a past executive officer of the YLD and president of the TBA YLD Fellows. Read more about her career in this press release.

Knoxville attorney Heidi Barcus took office as president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) during the group’s Annual Convention in Franklin last week. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater administered the oath of office at the annual Lawyers Luncheon. Barcus has been active in the TBA for many years, serving most recently as TBA president-elect, Second District representative on the TBA Board of Governors and as a member of the TBA’s Law Office Technology & Management Section and Tort and Insurance Practice Section. She also has been active in the Knoxville Bar Association and American Bar Association. She handles health care, litigation, product liability and professional liability matters as a shareholder with Lewis Thomason. Read more about her career in this press release.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division Fellows held its annual meeting Friday night as part of the TBA's 2025 Annual Convention. The group elected Memphis attorney Mason Wilson as president, Chattanooga attorney David McDowell as vice president, Memphis attorney Nicole Grida as secretary and Nashville attorney Jamie Durrett as treasurer. Outgoing president Michelle Greenway Sellers of Jackson inducted seven new fellows: Nashville attorney Anthony Adewumi, Chattanooga attorney Brittany Faith, Franklin attorney Charles Ferguson, Knoxville attorney Matt Knable, Nashville attorney Princess Rogers and Nashville attorney John Wilks. Nashville attorney Joycelyn Stevenson was named an honorary fellow. Stevenson was TBA's executive director from 2017-2022 and now serves as managing shareholder of Littler Mendelson's Nashville office. See photos from event. Earlier in the day, the group presented the 2025 William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award to 21st Judicial District Circuit Court Judge and Chancellor David Veile. Read more about that recognition in this press release.

Thank you to the 21 sponsors who helped underwrite the costs of this year's TBA Convention! Thank you to Diamond Presenting Sponsor Baker Donelson; Platinum Sponsor TriStar Court Reporting; Silver Sponsors Bookkeeping Done Virtually, JAMS and Miles Mediation & Arbitration; Bronze Sponsors Consultwebs, SoFi, TBA Member Insurance Solutions and The Bar Plan; Copper Sponsors Ai Pro, Conservatorship Association of Tennessee, Husch Blackwell, Iconographics, IT Solutions, LexisNexis, Richards Bespoke, Scipio Technologies, Time Miner and vLex Fastcase; and Event Partners Covert Results Investigations & Security and Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) . Check out our sponsor page for more information on these companies and law firms.

At the 2025 Lawyers Luncheon, outgoing TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. presented a number of awards. Nashville lawyer Laura Kidwell received the Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing for her article "It Is So Ordered: A Primer on Tennessee’s Final Judgment Rule." Federal Public Defender Dumaka Shabazz received the Claudia Jack Award for his work mentoring other lawyers. The Fourth Estate Award was presented to the Nashville Banner for a series of stories last year designed to bring transparency and accountability to the Davidson County Criminal Court. The William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award from the TBA Young Lawyers Division Fellows went to 21st Judicial District Circuit Court Judge and Chancellor David Veile. Lanquist also presented his President’s Awards. Representatives from the executive and judicial branch, including Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly Kirby, were recognized for their work securing funding for a new indigent representation system. TBA's legislative team also received awards for their efforts. In her remarks, Kirby thanked the TBA for its strong support on the issue and presented it the "Chief Justice Partnership for Justice Award." Finally, Lanquist honored the members of the TBA Building Committee, which worked to secure a new permanent home for the association. See photos from the event.