The Tennesse Trial Lawyers has changed my practice, my profession, and my life. From the time Mitch Byrd first asked me to join TTLS, to the time Randy Humble asked me to run for the board and Randy Kinnard welcomed me to the board, and then for the following 16 years until I became President, I have gotten much more out of TTLA than I deserve.
I have made lifetime friends and learned lessons about the practice of law that I could not have learned anywhere else. My early years of practice as a member and board member allowed me to meet the stalwarts of our profession, whose life lessons I will carry on on for as long as the good Lord allows me to continue to help clients.
Every one of the past Presidents listed in this program gave a tremendous amount of time to the organization, and ultimately to each one of us, as members. We all owe a debt to those who gave gone before us that which will be very hard to repay.
As for my own time as President, I was honored to work with a great staff, a great board, and many friends in our membership group. I am also very proud that during my years, our organization returned to our original name of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association. We also followed up with Jon Peeler’s great idea to sell our old building, and while I was president, our team found a new home in our current building in East Nashville.