Celebrating our bar association's diverse membership and highlighting the accomplishments and contributions of KBA members.

On Friday, June 24, retired Judge Elledge of Anderson County swore in KBA member Meredith Balthrop Weaver as judge on the Board of Appeals for the Bureau of Workers' Compensation Claims. She previously practiced at Peterson White and Leitner Williams et al. Judge Weaver was accompanied by her father, James M. Balthrop, who practiced law from 1972 through 2015.  

KBA member Tasha Blakney will take office today as President of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) during the Annual Convention in Nashville.

Blakney is a partner at Eldridge & Blakney PC in Knoxville. She earned her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and has more than 20 years of experience in the legal profession. Before helping found Eldridge & Blakney, she worked as a judicial clerk for former Supreme Court Justice Gary R. Wade when he was presiding judge of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals and as an assistant attorney general in the Knoxville office of the Tennessee Attorney General. 

An active member of the TBA, Blakney has held a variety of positions with the association, including second district governor for the TBA’s Board of Governors, co-chair of the Public Education Committee, member of the TBA’s House of Delegates and executive committee member of the Environmental Law Section. Blakney served as president of the TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) from 2010-2011. She was awarded the TBA YLD President’s Award in 2006 and is a 2005 graduate of the TBA’s Leadership Law program. 

Blakney is a past-president of the Knoxville Bar Association and was selected as a fellow in the Tennessee Bar Foundation, the Knoxville Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation. She has served as an elected member of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates and was one of 26 lawyers chosen from across the nation to participate in the ABA’s inaugural Leadership Academy Program through its Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section. 

KBA members Amanda Busby and Ursula Bailey have recently been elected Fellows of the Tennessee Bar Foundation, an association of 830 attorneys across the state.  Invitations to membership, which is a position of honor, were extended to 26 attorneys by the Board of Trustees.  The introduction of new Fellows took place at the annual Fellows' Dinner in Nashville. 

The Tennessee Bar Foundation's purpose is two-fold: to honor attorneys who have distinguished themselves in the profession and community and to administer a grant making program.  That project, known by its acronym “IOLTA” (Interest On Lawyers' Trust Accounts), has awarded grants in excess of $24,000,000 to law-related, public interest projects throughout Tennessee.

Amanda Busby is a member in the law firm of Anderson Busby PLLC and a Past President of the KBA.  Amanda has been practicing law in Knoxville for 24 years.  She has a BBA in Marketing from Lambuth University and a JD/MBA from the UT College of Law and the UT College of Business.  Ursula Bailey is a member in the Law Office of Ursula Bailey and currently serves on the KBA’s Board of Governors. Ursula has been practicing law in Knoxville for 22 years.  She has a BS from the University of Illinois and a JD from the UT College of Law.

Knoxville lawyer R. Culver Schmid will be presented with the prestigious Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing on June 17 during the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) annual convention in Nashville.

The award was established nearly 40 years ago and is given each year to the lawyer “who writes the most outstanding article that is published in the ... Tennessee Bar Journal for the preceding year. Named for Henry, a former chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court known for his forthright and clear writing, 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.”

This year’s winning article is “Restoring Rights of Individuals Convicted of a Felony Crime: A Manual,” which was published in the May/June 2021 issue.

The Joe Henry Award is chosen by a committee made up of the chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court or his designee, deans of some of the state’s law schools or their designees — on a rotating basis — and the president of the Tennessee Bar Association. This year the judges were Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger A. Page; Belmont University College of Law Dean Alberto R. Gonzales; Nashville School of Law Dean William C. Koch Jr.; Vanderbilt Law School Dean Chris Guthrie; and TBA President Sherie L. Edwards.

Culver is office managing shareholder in Baker Donelson’s Knoxville office, and a member of its Real Estate/Finance Group. He focuses his practice on commercial transactions including real estate development and finance, business acquisitions, secured lending, commercial and residential condominium law and more. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Judges said Culver's article did “an excellent job laying out the statistics and statutes regarding lost voting rights in Tennessee, and then guiding the reader clearly and succinctly through the process of restoring those rights. The author also discusses why lawyers, particularly, should care about this issue. The author has provided attorneys a helpful guide for how to assist those who wish to have their voting rights restored.”

We're delighted to see KBA member Ursula Bailey featured in the May 20 edition of the Knoxville Ledger. Read all about Ursula's amazing career and the obstacles she has had to overcome in this powerful article from Nancy Henderson.

Merchant & Gould P.C., a national intellectual property (IP) law firm with a local office in Knoxville, has again achieved Mansfield Rule Certification, this time also attaining the more stringent “Plus” certification. The certification recognizes Merchant & Gould’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion through its hiring, promotion, and leadership decisions.

 Merchant & Gould was one of 26 law firms that participated in a cohort created for midsize law firms. Designed to expand on the early successes of the original Mansfield Rule, the Midsize Mansfield Rule Certification measures whether law firms with between 25 and 150 lawyers have affirmatively considered at least 30 percent women lawyers, underrepresented racial and ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities for attorney positions, leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, and formal client pitch opportunities. While working to achieve these benchmarks, Merchant & Gould created internal transparency through the establishment of leadership role descriptions and clear leadership appointment and/or election processes. The firm also shared best practices and lessons learned with other cohort firms throughout the certification process. Community-building is an integral part of the Mansfield Rule Certification requirements.

 “We are proud to be a Certified Plus firm in the inaugural year of the Midsize Mansfield Rule and to be part of a community of law firms sharing the goal of fostering inclusive, equitable work environments. These actions reflect our culture and core values,” said John Winemiller, Chief Diversity Officer and managing partner of Merchant & Gould’s Knoxville office. “One of our firm’s greatest strengths is its ability to harness the diverse backgrounds, identities, and perspectives of our team members to provide the best service for our clients.  We will use the data from the Mansfield Certification process to continually inform policies and outcomes that benefit our clients, our firm, and our community.” 

Of the 2020-2022 certified firms, 16 Midsize Mansfield firms have achieved Certification “Plus” status, which indicates that, in addition to meeting or exceeding the consideration requirements, the firms have successfully achieved 30 percent diverse representation in current leadership roles, formal client pitches, and staffing on key matters.

Merchant & Gould participated in two previous iterations of the Mansfield Rule, achieving the Mansfield 2.0 Certification in 2019 and the 3.0 Version in 2020. The Midsize Mansfield Rule Certification is something new in the midsize sector, marking a third certification for the firm. Merchant & Gould continues its work to advance diversity throughout the legal industry.

 Elder Law of East Tennessee (ELET) and the National Elder Law Foundation (NELF), announce that attorney Bailey Schiermeyer has successfully completed her examination and received her Elder Law Certification.

A certification in elder law provides a measure of assurance to the public that the attorney has an in-depth working knowledge of the legal issues that impact the elderly. Currently, attorney Bailey Schiermeyer assists elders, individuals with disabilities, and their families, with planning for the legal and financial challenges of aging and long-term care situations. She advises clients about the best strategies for minimizing taxes, obtaining good health and long-term care, and preserving assets. The NELF certification further strengthens Ms. Schiermeyer’s expertise and training in elder law issues. The NELF is the only organization approved by the American Bar Association to offer this prestigious certification.

Bailey Schiermeyer, JD is now a Certified Elder Law Attorney. She has been practicing law since 2014. She received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 2014 from Regent University School of Law. BMs Schiermeyer’s memberships and accreditations include the following: Certified Elder Law Attorney through the NELF, member of Life Care Planning Law Firms Association, member of the Tennessee Bar Association, member of the Knoxville Bar Association, member of National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and is VA Accredited. In 2019, Ms. Schiermeyer was awarded the ABA’s On the Rise- Top 40 Young Lawyers Award by the American Bar Association. This program provides national recognition of ABA’s Young Lawyers Division Members who exemplify a broad range of high achievement, innovation, vision, leadership, and service to the profession and their communities.

Baker Donelson has elected 11 new shareholders, including Jamie Ballinger at the firm's Knoxville office.

Ms. Ballinger is a litigator practicing in both federal and state courts. She has a particular focus in employment, professional liability and corporate issues in the health care, hospitality and manufacturing industries. She has been published by Bloomberg and Westlaw. 

Ms. Ballinger is both a Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude graduate of the University of Tennessee and a cum laude graduate from the University of Tennessee College of Law. She has been recognized by Mid-South Super Lawyers as a "Rising Star" and was named to the Greater Knoxville Business Journal's "40 Under 40." She is a recipient of the East Tennessee Lawyers' Association for Women "Spirit of Justice Award" for advocacy for women in and outside of the legal profession. She was elected to the Knoxville Bar Foundation in 2018 and has received the Knoxville Bar Association President's Award for her service to the Bar. Ms. Ballinger is also an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law, where she received the most outstanding adjunct professor award in 2019. She also serves on the College of Law's Alumni Council.

Lewis Thomason has announced that Mitchell Panter has been named a shareholder. Panter’s practice centers on representing health care providers in professional liability matters and disciplinary investigations with Tennessee’s various health-related boards. He also assists providers with licensing and regulatory issues. Panter also represents businesses in complex commercial disputes involving trade secrets, restrictive covenants, and other breach of contract matters. 

Panter is an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he teaches Civil Pretrial Litigation.

A Love Letter to the KBA (and my Mom)

My mother very unexpectedly passed away in December.  And, when I say very unexpected, it would have been more probable to me that I finally qualified for the LPGA, lost 15 pounds, and discovered that I am really a close relative of Queen Elizabeth than for my dad to knock on my door at 4 a.m. to tell me that Mom was gone.  To say that she was the absolute best is an understatement.  To give her the accolades and praise she deserves would take more words than fill a monthly DICTA (and is really not the point of this letter).  

In the absolute crushing and darkest days that followed, I received emails, texts, and cards expressing prayers, thoughts of encouragement, and stories.   Chick-fila, Jack Daniels, cookies, flowers, and memorial gifts were delivered to the house (some people just really understand me as a person).   In Texas, Tennessee, and Switzerland, three amazing people took time out of their lives and travels to light candles and say prayers for me and my family.  And while these actions and gestures are likely routine after the death of a friend or family member, all of these actions were from members of the Knoxville Bar.

Attorneys that I work with on a daily basis, Judges (some I don’t even appear before), paralegals, members of the Board of Governors…even “plaintiff attorneys” took time, during the busy Christmas season, to think of me and my family. Every day that I limped into the office wanting to do anything but work, I was handed cards marked “personal”; cards that included powerful words of encouragement, that shared similar stories of losing a parent too soon, cards that made me cry (which didn’t take much), cards that found a way to bring me joy.

To say that I was overwhelmed by the gestures of the amazing members of the KBA is equally an understatement.  In a profession where I have “adversaries” and “matters in controversy” and tensions can run very high, the sheer volume of KBA members that attempted to console me, make me laugh, give me the opportunity to vent, or just hug me and hear me ugly cry was profoundly impactful…and made me so thankful for my lawyer family.

In a year when our current KBA President, Jason Long, has asked us to be grateful and celebrate, I wanted to take the time to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who have reached out to try to help me during this most difficult time.  

Now, if you didn’t send me flowers, or a text, or a card, I am not saying you are a bad person (you might be, but not because of this) or to place guilt or shame.  Instead, this letter is simply intended to do two things: (1) allow me to express my forever gratitude; and (2) say, from personal experience, that taking the time to send a card, for any reason, can really be life changing.

If my mom’s death has any lesson, it is simply that there is no guarantee of tomorrow.  So, take the time to send a note, go to lunch, or grab drinks after work.  Celebrate your lawyer family. 

Sincerely,

Rachel Park Hurt