Class Notes

To submit your Class Note electronically please go HERE.
Notes with an * are recent submissions.

Class of 2007

MICHELLE R. CHAMPION, formerly Michelle C. Glass, has joined the Chattanooga office of Husch & Eppenberger, LLC. Michelle practices in the Business Litigation and Corporate Insolvency practice groups.

ELLIS LORD has joined the Litigation Department of the Chattanooga office of Miller & Martin. Prior to law school, Ellis received a B.S., magna cum laude, in Business Administration and a Master of Accountancy with a taxation emphasis, both from the University of Tennessee. While in college, Ellis was a senator with the Student Government Association and Assistant Drum Major of the Pride of the Southland Marching Band.

SONYA MADISON has joined the Chattanooga office of Miller & Martin and plans to split her time between the Labor & Employment Department and the Litigation Department. In law school, Sonya was a member of the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Team, a member of the Mood Court Board, the Student Bar Association, and the Coordinator of the Julian Blackshear Scholarship Banquet. Sonya graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Business Administration with University Honors. In college, Sonya served on the Student Government Association, the UT High School Model United Nations Conference, the United Residence Hall Council and as president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

* KELLY RANDALL has joined the law firm King & Ballow in Nashville. She will be focusing on entertainment law, intellectual property, and entertainment and copyright litigation. In law school, Kelly was Editor-in-Chief for the Tennessee Journal of Law & Policy and was a member of the ABA Representation in Mediation Competition team. Before attending law school, Kelly worked for several years in the Nashville music industry. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University, with a double major in Musical Arts and German.

Class of 2006

DAMON GUNNELS has accepted a position as an associate in the Atlanta office of Smith Currie & Hancock, LLP. Damon will be practicing in the areas of Construction Law, Surety Law and Federal Procurement.

* BETSEY KIRK HATCHETT and STEPHEN M. HATCHETT, both members of the Class of 2006, were married Sept. 22, 2007. The couple resides in Chattanooga. Betsey is an associate with the Chattanooga-Hamilton Place office of Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP, formerly Husch & Eppenberger, LLC, and practices in the Corporate and Land Use Development & Financing practice groups. Stephen is an Assistant District Attorney General with the Bradley County office of the 10th Judicial District.

CLASS OF 2005

REAGAN TAYLOR has been appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. Reagan recently completed the Presidential Management Fellowship program with the Drug Enforcement Administration, where she completed rotations with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Senator Joseph Biden on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the Office of the Chief Counsel at DEA.

* BETTY JOAN THURBER has accepted a Specially Adapted Housing Agent position in the Atlanta Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In this capacity, Betty will be helping veterans or servicemembers with specific service-connected disabilities to secure a grant for the purpose of obtaining an adapted home to meet their unique needs and to provide a barrier-free living environment and an increased level of independent living. Betty recently completed the Presidential Management Fellowship program with VA's Loan Guaranty Service in Washington, DC.

Class of 2002

JAY R. HOODENPYL has joined Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP as an associate in its Myrtle Beach, SC, office. He is a real estate attorney counseling clients on resort, hospitality, planned and commercial developments. Before joining Parker Poe, Jay practiced with Troutman Sanders LLP in Atlanta.

STEPHEN ROSS JOHNSON was named a partner with Ritchie, Dillard, & Davies, P.C., in Knoxville in January 2008. His practice primarily consists of criminal defense at the trial and appellate levels in multiple federal and state courts throughout the United States. For the third consecutive year, he has been selected chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the Tennessee Bar Association.

Class of 2000

CHRISTIE KIZER BURBANK has been named a Member of the Chattanooga office of Miller & Martin. She concentrates her legal practice in the area of health care law. She received a B.S. from The University of the South in 1994. While at the UT College of Law she was a recipient of the Wilkins Scholarship. Christie performed clinical, data and laboratory research in the medical fields of neonatology and pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham for three years before attending law school. She is a member of the American Health Lawyers, Memorial Hospital Institutional Review Board, and Children’s Home/Chambliss Shelter.

Class of 1999

DAVID ANTHONY has been named a Member of the Nashville law firm Bone McAllester Norton PLLC.

* PATRICK BURNETT has been promoted by the Memphis firm of Glankler Brown, PLLC to become a Member of the firm. Patrick concentrates his practice in the areas of civil and criminal litigation. Prior to attending law school, he was employed by the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., serving as a Confidential Assistant for Congressional Relations to the Office of the Secretary and as a Confidential Assistant to the Administrator of the Farmer’s Home Administration. He received a B.A. degree in 1994 from the University of Mississippi and graduated cum laude from the UT College of Law. He is a member of the American, Tennessee and Memphis Bar Associations.

* MATTHEW D. DAVISON has been elected a new shareholder in the Tri-Cities office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC. Davison concentrates his practice in all aspects of labor and employment law. He has particular experience in affirmative action and OFCCP compliance matters and regularly assists companies with daily human resources legal advice. Davison is licensed to practice in Tennessee and the Commonwealth of Virginia and is a frequent speaker at programs designed to aid employers.

Class of 1995

ROBERT L. BOWMAN of Kramer Rayson LLP in Knoxville was selected by the Greater Knoxville Business Journal as one of the region's "Top 40 Business and Community Leaders Under 40." You will find the article here.

Class of 1993

* VICTORIA H. BOWLING has been hired as an Assistant Public Defender by the District Public Defender's Office in Clinton, Tenn.. Victoria is the dedicated Assistant Public Defender for Anderson County Juvenile Court, along with carrying a caseload in General Sessions and Criminal Court.

Class of 1992

PATRICIA BEST VITAL was recently honored as recipient of the 2007 Albert L. Hodge Volunteer Award, given annually by the Chattanooga Bar Association to an attorney with exemplary service to the Association and to the legal community. The 2007 Award recognizes Ms. Vital’s significant contribution of time and expertise in chairing the Fee Dispute Arbitration Program of the Association which provides no-cost binding arbitration of fee disputes between clients and their attorneys without the necessity of collection litigation. Ms. Vital was recipient of the 1998 Award, as well, for her work in planning and conducting continuing legal education for attorney members of the Association. Ms. Vital also has recently been named President-Elect of the Leadership Chattanooga Alumni Association for 2008. She is slated to become President of that Association in 2009. That Association is open to all persons who have completed the Leadership Chattanooga Program of the Greater Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Vital is now celebrating her 15th year in the practice of law, mediation and arbitration in Tennessee and Georgia as principal of Vital Law Office and Dispute Resolution Services with offices in downtown Chattanooga. She achieved her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from UT College of Law in 1992, having been named to the Dean’s Circle and achieving an American Jurisprudence Award in Pretrial Litigation.

Class of 1991

CAROL ANN ESTES BUSTIN has been re-elected for a second term as Justice Court Judge in Lamar County, Miss.

DAWN DORAN WILSEY has accepted the position of Deputy Director for the U.S. Department of Justice's Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART) Office in Washington, DC.

Class of 1986

DEBORAH HAYES is Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Delaware Investments, a member of Philadelphia-based Lincoln Financial Group, at its offices in Greensboro, N.C. Delaware Investments provides investment services to individuals and to institutional investors, including private and public pension funds, foundations, and endowment funds. Her husband, Dr. Terrell Hayes, is a sociologist on the faculty of High Point University; their son Alex, 16, is a sophomore at Weaver Academy for Perfoming and Visual Arts.

Class of 1983

TOM JURKOVICH, who served for six years as the Director of The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development IN Nashville, has joined the Nashville law office of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP. As the Mayor’s principal liaison to the Nashville and Metropolitan Davidson County business community, Jurkovich was the point person for business recruitment and economic development. His role as a partner in the Government Relations practice at Waller Lansden will be to represent clients involved in major retail, residential and commercial development projects. Jurkovich also will represent businesses seeking to establish, expand or relocate corporate operations in Nashville. Additionally, Jurkovich will represent Waller Lansden clients in local, state and federal government affairs matters.

Class of 1981

* PHYLLIS GOLDEN MOREY has been named by Brooks Kushman P.C. as its first chief diversity officer (CDO) focused on implementing and growing the diversity initiatives of the intellectual property (IP) and commercial law firm in Southfield, Mich. In this new role, Morey will be responsible for recruiting, retaining and mentoring the firm’s minority attorneys. Additionally, she will work to foster alliances and networks with minority organizations, attend relevant seminars and events, and liaise with clients on diversity issues.

Class of 1978

JUSTIN CLOUSER opened his own firm in northern Nevada Jan. 3, 2007. The office is located 40 miles south of Reno and 15 miles from Lake Tahoe. He has a general civil practice with emphasis on personal injury/wrongful death litigation and also corporate, real estate, trusts and estate planning, and Social Security Disability matters. He is a court-appointed arbitrator in northern Nevada and eastern California and also acts as a mediator in a variety of cases.

* Dr. GERALD OGG has been named University of Tennessee at Martin vice chancellor for academic affairs effective July 1, 2008. MORE

Class of 1973

GEORGE J. (Jerry) OLIVER of Raleigh, N.C., has been included in the 2008 Listing of North Carolina's top attorneys, published by Super Lawyers magazine. He has also been placed on the 2008 Chambers USA listing of "America's Leading Business Lawyers." Oliver practices labor and employment law with with Smith Moore LLP.

Class of 1969

JOHN L. NORRIS of Nashville has recently been elected a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation, an association of 663 attorneys across the state. Invitations to membership, which is a position of honor, were extended to 34 attorneys this year by the Board of Trustees. Norris is a founder and partner in the firm of Norris & Norris PLC. He is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and his practice focuses on Nursing Home Abuse. He was recently named as one of the Best Lawyers in America in the area of Personal Injury law.

Last updated May 12, 2008