Speaker Biographies
Bench Bar Program
Judge Ken Starr Is best known as the independent counsel who headed the investigation that led to the impeachment of U.S. President Bill Clinton. In 1994 Starr was named the independent counsel to lead the investigation into the so-called Whitewater affair, which involved a land deal in Arkansas during the time Clinton was that state’s governor. As a result of the investigation, 11 people—including Clinton associates James and Susan McDougal — were convicted of crimes. He subsequently was directed to investigate what came to be known as Travelgate, involving the firing of longtime White House workers, and Filegate, pertaining to FBI files on Republicans that were found in the White House. In 1998, however, allegations of an affair between Clinton and White House intern Monica Lewinsky became the focus of Starr’s attention. Based on Starr’s findings, the House of Representatives voted to impeach the president in December 1998. The Senate acquitted Clinton the following year.
Chief Justice Jeff Bivins Took office as a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2014. He was appointed to this position by Gov. Bill Haslam. He was elected to the remainder of the full term in August 2016. Effective Sept. 1, 2016, his colleagues elected him to the position of Chief Justice. Prior to his appointment to the Tennessee Supreme Court, Justice Bivins was a judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law. He received a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude from East Tennessee State University, with a major in political science and a minor in criminal justice.
Congressman Bob Clement Was elected to the 100th Congress by special election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of U.S. Rep. Bill Boner. He was reelected to the 101st and to the six succeeding congresses, 1988 2003. He served on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority from 1979 1981. Clement earned a Bachelor of Science from University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a master’s in business administration from Memphis State.
Attorney Hal Hardin Earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School and bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University. He has served in private practice since 1981, and also as District Attorney pro tem. He was presidentially appointed as U.S. Attorney in1977 and prior to that was a Circuit Court Judge, Presiding Judge of Trial Courts, and as Special Judge, Court of Appeals. He recently received the John C. Tune Public Service Award, from the Nashville Bar Association and the Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society Leadership Award.
Congressman/Judge William Lewis Jenkins Earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Tennessee Technical University in Cookeville and served in the U.S. Army before earning his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville. He has served as a lawyer, farmer; energy advisor to Gov. Lamar Alexander; member of the Tennessee state general assembly for nine years, with three of those as speaker; Tennessee Valley Authority board member, Tennessee state circuit court judge, 1990-1996; and was elected to the 105th and to the four succeeding United States Congresses, 1997- 2007.
Better Right Now
Gary Blackman Is a founding member of Levenfeld Pearlstein, partner in the firm’s Litigation Group and the firm’s General Counsel. Gary’s focus is on protecting the business assets of sophisticated and successful business owners and institutional clients, namely, their people, their products, their intellectual capital and their time. Gary is a firm leader in creating and promoting the philosophy that to be a great litigation attorney at Levenfeld Pearlstein you must first be a great business counselor and to do that you need to truly understand the client’s business, its owners and its long and short term goals. Gary has a unique ability among “every-day litigators” to analyze complex business disputes and provide his clients with a strategic road map to help them make informed decisions about what is best for both their business and for them personally. As General Counsel to the firm, Gary also has developed a keen appreciation for the challenges facing institutional clients in striking the proper balance between risk and reward and how, through aggressive litigation, strategic decision-making, negotiation and personal relationships, he works to extract the best possible return to a client. Gary’s practice is concentrated on complex business litigation, representing clients in corporate, real estate and financial services matters with a particular focus on trade secret and related non-competition and restrictive covenant issues; joint venture partnership and LLC disputes; debtor-creditor litigation, including bankruptcy and workouts; and representing individuals and financial institutions in securities brokerage litigation and arbitration in state and federal court and before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
Brigid Mahoney Caldwell She is a graduate of Father Ryan High School, Middle Tennessee State University, and the Nashville School of Law. Prior to starting her practice, Brigid's professional experience included Human Resources and Employee Benefits Administration.
Brigid's practice is focused on creating lasting relationships with clients as they navigate life's legal decisions. She encourages clients to have plans not only for scenarios that may arise throughout their lives, but as well as for their inevitable deaths. Brigid wants to be there to counsel you whether you are planning for your family, getting your wishes for how things are handled after your death documented, or even wanting to start that business you've always dreamed of.
Lisa Cole Lisa Ramsay Cole is president and managing shareholder of Lewis Thomason and the managing partner of the firm’s Nashville office. She is also an ex-officio member of the firm’s Board of Directors and Shareholder Compensation Committee. She practices in the areas of employment law, medical malpractice, workers’ compensation, and general casualty defense litigation. Ms. Cole’s practice for the past 25 years has concentrated in the area of complex civil trial litigation in state and federal courts. She has achieved successful results through defense jury verdicts, summary judgment, mediation, and arbitration in each of her practice areas. Ms. Cole’s current clients are national, regional and local employers; regional and local health care facilities; and insurance companies. In addition, Ms. Cole routinely defends public entities in medical malpractice and civil rights matters.
Ali Dick
Adam Hill
Hon. Steve Hornsby Has served for 35+ years as a trial lawyer, judge, senior state government official, health care executive, consultant and coach. He is experienced in state and federal litigation, transactional law and appellate practice, having argued cases before the Tennessee Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. He has taught workshops on leadership and professional development, creating a values-based organizational culture, and juvenile justice programs. As an adjunct professor, Steve has taught college classes on judicial process and restorative justice.
In 2004, Steve was the recipient of the McCain-Abernathy Award, the highest award given to Tennessee juvenile court judges.
He has served on numerous boards, commissions and committees that focus on children’s issues and public safety. Among these are the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet, Governor’s Crime Coordinating Commission, and Memphis Crime Commission. He presently serves on Western Mental Health Institute Board of Trustees, and on the board of Midsouth Sober Living, Inc. Seeing the need to help reduce the impact of stress in the workplace, he developed a simple and practical mindfulness technique for busy people, which is part of his coaching practice.
Several years ago, Steve realized that his use of alcohol was preventing him from fully enjoying and experiencing life. He made the decision to stop drinking and since then has worked with people and organizations in the addiction recovery field, helping others who have come to that same realization. In 2017, he began a coaching practice for attorneys and judges, health care professionals and government executives. He also serves as a project consultant for behavioral health, addiction treatment and justice-related programs. He is completing International Coaching Federation training for Professional Coach certification. He received his undergraduate (1978; magna cum laude) and juris doctor (1981) degrees from the University of Memphis. He is a trained Circle Process facilitator (2009) and graduated from the Silva Method (mindfulness and creative visualization) in 1970.
Joanna McCracken Is one of the two founding partners of Piper McCracken, PLLC. She is both an experienced litigator and a collaborative divorce professional with an advanced certification. As a family law attorney, Joanna strives to guide her clients through their toughest life experiences with education, zeal, and compassion, utilizing her versatile skill set to create solutions that deliver long-term benefits protecting her clients’ best interests and futures.
Joanna’s dedication to her practice and clients has earned her the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys’ 10 Best for Client Satisfaction Award multiple years in a row. She has consistently been ranked in the Top Ten by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, been named a Mid-South Rising Star by Superlawyer magazine and is recognized by the American Jurist Institute as a Top Ten Family Law Attorney for Tennessee. Joanna is an active member of the American, Tennessee, and Nashville Bar Associations. She serves on the Tennessee Bar Association’s Wellbeing Committee working in conjunction with Bar associations around the nation to improve the working lives of lawyers. Joanna is an active member of the Middle Tennessee Collaborative Alliance which promotes the use of the collaborative divorce process in lieu of litigation.
Heather Piper Is one of the two founding partners of Piper McCracken, PLLC. With a legal practice that spans over a decade, she is an experienced litigator with multiple victories at the trial and appellate levels. She also has advanced training in the non-litigious collaborative divorce process. Heather prides herself on developing innovative approaches to her clients’ cases, including the creation of customized hybrid plans that combine the cooperative attitude of collaborative divorce while maintaining the protections afforded by the Court system.
Heather’s passion for family law was the result of her own divorce experience. She had to cope with the monumental change to her life and learn how to create a new “normal.” When she remarried and became a stepmother several years later, Heather helped her husband navigate the unique challenges of co-parenting in child custody arrangements and disputes.
Heather moved to Nashville after law school and spent several years defending high exposure medical malpractice cases. After representing some of these clients in their family law matters, she acknowledged her true calling and transitioned her practice to exclusively handle divorces and family law. Today, Heather’s clients are typically professionals from Nashville and Franklin’s leading industries, including the medical, legal, technological, financial, entertainment, and real estate fields.
As an experienced family law attorney who has actually experienced what her clients are going through, Heather possesses an understanding and empathy that makes her stand out. The emotional, financial, and physical well-being of her clients are top priority as she helps them emerge from difficult situations with confidence, strength, and resolve. This commitment to client well-being, along with her desire to improve the way family law is practiced, inspired Heather to team up with Joanna L. McCracken, a like-minded litigator and colleague, to form a firm dedicated to serving and listening to its clients.
Candice Reed Currently serves as Senior Vice President and Partner at Latitude (LatitudeLegal.com), a high-end legal placement firm headquartered in Nashville, TN. She also runs her own consulting business (PositiveCreed.com) and is an Adjunct Professor at The University of Tennessee College of Law, where she teaches an upper-level course on "Thriving as a Lawyer" in the Institute for Professional Leadership. Ms. Reed previously served as Chief Ethics Officer and in-house legal counsel at Ceridian Corporation and Comdata, where she oversaw operational ethics compliance worldwide. She began her legal career at the law firm of Miller & Martin PLLC, where she practiced business litigation and commercial bankruptcy law, and later ran the Nashville office of Legility (f/k/a Counsel On Call). Ms. Reed has extensive experience as a consultant, trainer, and coach for lawyers and their organizations and is a frequent speaker on topics such as attorney wellness, professional development and leadership, workplace engagement and career satisfaction and transition. Ms. Reed received her J.D., magna cum laude, from The University of Tennessee College of Law (2000), where she previously served on the Alumni Advisory Council, and was among the nation’s first lawyers to obtain a Master of Applied Positive Psychology (M.A.P.P.) degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009. She is a Past President of the Lawyers’ Association for Women Marion Griffith Chapter, an emeritus member of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Attorney Wellbeing Committee, a TBA YLD Fellow and a TBALL graduate (Class of 2008). She currently serves on the Advisory Board of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Nashville, after having served on the Board of Directors for six years. Ms. Reed also is a fundraising volunteer for Safe Haven Family Shelter (Nashville) and will be participating as a “celebrity dancer” in the annual Dancing for Safe Haven fundraising event in Spring 2020.
Julie Sandine Is an experienced educational and legal professional with a passion for utilizing creativity, innovation, and leadership skills to provide knowledge, insights and skills to others to enhance their self-esteem, confidence, and well-being. She has been an advocate, adviser, and mentor for two decades. Julie is sensitive to cultural and ideological diversity and has excellent communication skills. She served at Vanderbilt Law School from 1995-2015 as the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, provided mentoring, support and direct assistance to law students in need, including short- term counseling, crisis intervention, and referrals for psychological and medical assistance. Julie also provided student well-being and academic success programming, remedial academic support for students in need, bar examination and essay writing preparation, implemented accommodations for disabled students, and handled complications experienced during the exam administration process. She has held many leadership roles over the years, including in the Lawyers’ Association for Women, Nashville Pro Bono Program, Association of American Law Schools, Section on Balance in Legal Education, the Tennessee Bar Association, Lawyer Well-Being Committee, and the American Bar Association. Julie joined the MILS Board of Directors in 2017.
Samuel Wantland
Legislative Update
Senator Raumesh Akbari (Democrat) is a member of the Tennessee State Senate, representing District 29. Akbari was elected to the office on November 6, 2018. She formerly was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 91st district. She currently serves as a member of the Criminal Justice Committee, Education-Administration and Planning Committee, and the Criminal Justice Subcommittee. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She attended Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri where she graduated in 2006 with a BA in African American studies and a minor in political science. In 2009 Akbari received her Juris Doctorate from St. Louis University School of Law. She currently handles legal affairs and human resources for Akbari Corp—a small business founded by her parents in 1981. Akbari is a member of the American Bar Association, Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association, Memphis Bar Association, Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity, NAACP, Memphis Urban League Young Professionals and the Democratic Party of Shelby County. She also actively volunteers with Meals on Wheels through the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association and is a member of the Memphis "Voter Registration and Community Organization, Inc.
Rep. Carson W. (Bill) Beck (Democrat) is a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives representing District 51. Beck was elected to the office on November 4, 2014.
Representative Beck attended Belmont College where he received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Representative Beck then attended Nashville School of Law, where he received his Doctor of Jurisprudence.
Rep. Mike Carter Is a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing District 29. Carter was elected to the office on November 6, 2012. Carter received his B.S. in Pre- Law from Middle Tennessee State University in 1975. He received his J.D. from the University of Memphis in 1978. He is a practicing attorney.
Rep. Johnny Garrett Johnny C. Garrett IV focuses his practice in the areas of business transactions and formations, civil and commercial litigation, family law, estate planning and probate. He works at both the Nashville and Sumner County offices.
In 2005 Johnny joined Bone McAllester Norton as a law clerk while in law school. As a lawyer, Johnny has grown his practice to include small and medium size businesses, individuals who need assistance in the probate and estate planning stages of their lives and all clients who find themselves in litigation. He also steps into a general counsel role with many of his clients when their needs do not justify an in-house counsel.
The most rewarding part of being a lawyer for Johnny is the opportunity to gain people’s trust. Through consistent and diligent counsel, he is able to guide his clients through some of the most challenging and difficult times in their lives. Johnny enjoys serving his clients and solving their legal problems through litigation or negotiation.
Sen. John Stevens Is a Republican member of the Tennessee State Senate, representing District 24. He was first elected to the chamber in 2012. Stevens received a B.S. in political science from the University of Tennessee at Martin. He later received a J.D. from the University of Memphis.
Senator Jeff Yarbro, (Democrat) is a member of the Tennessee State Senate, representing District 21. Yarbro began serving as state Senate minority leader in 2018. Yarbro has been the Minority Leader of the Tennessee Senate since 2019. Jeff worked on the New Hampshire Primary, was on the Advance Staff, and was the assistant to the chief political strategist for Democratic candidate Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000. He was the GOTV director for Harold Ford Jr.'s 2006 run for the United States Senate. Recently, Jeff served as an education policy adviser to Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and received the PENCIL Foundation's Volunteer of the Year award for 2010-11 for his work with public education. In his first campaign for public office in 2010, Jeff came within seventeen votes of defeating forty-year incumbent Senator Douglas Henry, who retained his seat as the state senator for Tennessee's twenty-first district. He beat Mary Mancini in the 2014 Democratic primary in the 21st district of Tennessee to go on to win the general election to join the 109th General Assembly. Jeff is a co-chair of Superintendent Jesse Register’s Transformational Leadership Group for high schools in Nashville. He is also one of the founding board members of East End Prep, co-founder of Nashville’s Kitchen Cabinet, serves as co-chair for the Conexion Americas capital campaign for the Casa Azafran community center, and the chair of the Metropolitan Transit Authority board in Nashville. Brad Lampley Serves as legislative counsel to businesses and trade associations with interests before the Tennessee General Assembly and Tennessee state government. He has particular experience advising clients in the energy, environmental, health care, insurance, legal services, public utilities and transportation industries, and he brings years of experience as a corporate litigator to the advice he provides to government relations clients. Brad also has extensive experience advising national and multinational companies on economic development matters, negotiating state and local incentive packages for companies that wish to relocate their businesses to Tennessee. He recently acted as Tennessee counsel for a major global health technology and consumer electronics company that was considering where to establish a new North American center for excellence. Brad negotiated state and local economic development incentives, assisted the client on navigating a myriad of governmental and public relations issues, and helped coordinate local strategy. That company ultimately decided to bring more than 800 jobs to Nashville, constituting one of the biggest corporate relocations to Tennessee in the last decade. It also represented the second major headquarters-type relocation that Brad had negotiated in the last three years.
In 2013, Brad was appointed by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam to serve on the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, which is the governing body of the University of Tennessee and its five campuses across the state. Brad has also served on the board of directors of the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl for over 15 years, during which time the bowl has grown dramatically in prominence in the college football landscape, now drawing an average economic impact of more than $18 million per year for the Nashville area. He served as the bowl's Chairman in 2011 and 2012 and is currently serving as the Bowl's Co-Chair. Brad also serves on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
Berkley Schwarz A graduate of Mississippi State University and then the University of Mississippi School of Law, Berkley has a variety of skills based on her diverse experience and background. She began her career in private practice as a litigator in Jackson, Mississippi, then made her way to Washington, D.C., where she worked as a legislative assistant and later at the U.S. Department of Justice as attorney advisor in the Office of Legislative Affairs.
Joycelyn Stevenson Is responsible for managing the Tennessee Bar Association and enabling the TBA Board of Governors, House of Delegates, committees and sections to develop and implement policy. Prior to joining the TBA Joycelyn spent 12 years at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings before becoming a shareholder at the world’s largest labor and employment firm, Littler Mendelson PC. She is a graduate of Howard University and Vanderbilt University Law School and has served as president of the Nashville Bar Association, the Lawyers’ Association for Women in Nashville and the Council on Aging of Greater Nashville.
Sports & Entertainment Panel
Heidi Bundren Is the Senior VP/General Counsel for the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena. She was previously an attorney at Jackson Gilmour. She specializes in Sports Law and Entertainment. She obtained her JD at South Texas College of Law.
Burke Nihill Has served as General Counsel of the Titans since 2016. He was promoted to Vice President and General Counsel during the 2018 offseason. As General Counsel, Burke manages the legal affairs of the Titans, including contract negotiation and management, labor and employment issues, intellectual property concerns, and real estate and construction matters.
John F. Triggs Has tried more than 120 jury and non-jury cases. He’s argued over 70 appeals in federal and state courts and has handled scores of arbitrations and injunction proceedings. He has also litigated multiple patent disputes before the US International Trade Commission, some of those involving multiple complex machines, and 15 IPR proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He continues to counsel clients throughout the U.S. and abroad on litigation and strategic business matters. He also serves as counsel to the Texas Rangers AAA franchise, the Nashville Sounds.
Christian Barker Barker Nashville, PLLC was founded in 2012 by Nashville attorney Christian Barker. Now with clients located worldwide, the practice is focused on serving the transactional and litigation needs of individuals and organizations excelling in the music industry, fine arts, and digital media realms. Christian embarked on the journey to open his own practice after feeling that many creatives and entrepreneurs do not connect with the corporate philosophy of big "suit and tie"? practitioners in the area. The philosophy of Barker Nashville, PLLC is to work with clients in a manner that delivers professional and intelligent service while maintaining a strong attorney-client bond in a casual and low-stress environment. With entrepreneurs and creatives in the music industry, fine arts, and digital media fields, this trust is more important than ever.