The following awards will be presented at the 2025 TBA Convention in Franklin:

Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award

The Justice Frank F. Drowota 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, our legal system and the administration of justice as exemplified by the career of Justice Frank F. Drowota III. The 2025 award will be presented to Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft at the Bench Bar Luncheon on June 12.

Claudia Jack Award

The Claudia Jack Award honors an outstanding public defender or court-appointed private practitioner who has served the legal community and their clients in an exemplary fashion. It is named after the late Claudia Jack, a public defender and long-time champion of the poor and underprivileged. The 2025 award will be presented to Federal Public Defender Dumaka Shabazz at the Lawyers Luncheon on June 13.

Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award

The Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award is presented by the TBA and Tennessee’s American Inns of Court to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee. The 2025 award will be presented to Nashville lawyer Margaret Behm at the Bench/Bar Luncheon on June 12.

Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing

The Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing honors the lawyer who writes the most outstanding article that is published in the Tennessee Bar Journal for the preceding year. The purpose of the award is to encourage practicing Tennessee lawyers to write scholarly yet practical articles that will be of maximum benefit to the members of our bar. The 2025 award will be presented to Laura Kidwell for her article "It Is So Ordered: A Primer on Tennessee’s Final Judgment Rule," which appeared in the March/April 2024 issue of the Journal. The award will be presented at the Lawyers Luncheon on June 13.

Fourth Estate Award

The Fourth Estate Award honors courageous reporting on justice and the law by Tennessee-based journalists. Work should promote public understanding of the rule of law and how the legal system works. The 2025 award will be presented to the reporting staff of the Nashville Banner for a series of stories last year designed to bring transparency and accountability to the Davidson County Criminal Court.

TBA Public Service Awards

The TBA’s Access to Justice Committee will recognize the 2025 Public Service Award recipients at a Public Service Breakfast on June 12. The Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award will be presented to a group of private attorneys who are serving as the legal team representing families from Nashville's Covenant School. The Ashley T. Wiltshire Public Service Attorney of the Year Award will be presented to the executive directors of the state's three Legal Services Corporation (LSC) funded organizations. The Law Student of the Year Award will be presented to Belmont University College of Law graduate David "Lee" Myers. The TBA Young Lawyers Division will award the 2025 CASA Volunteer of the Year to Amy Dorman, who has served with CASA Works Inc. in Tullahoma for the past 10 years. Read more about all of these award recipients.

TBA President’s Awards

TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. presented awards to lawyers for outstanding service during his year as president during the Lawyers Luncheon during Convention. Read about this year's recipients.

YLD Fellows William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award

The TBA YLD Fellows' William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award honors a Tennessee lawyer who has been of outstanding service to the profession, legal system and the community. The award is named for former Attorney General William M. Leech and was given to him posthumously in 1997. This year's award is being presented to 21st Judicial District Circuit Court Judge and Chancellor David Veile.

Larry Dean Wilks Leadership Award

The TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) class presented the  Larry Dean Wilks Leadership Award to class member Memphis lawyer Rebekka Freeman Terrell. The award recognizes a class member with exceptional leadership qualities. It is named for former TBA president and Springfield lawyer Larry Wilks, who was instrumental in creating the TBALL program. Wilks died Aug. 30, 2011.