Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association

06/04/2026

Join us at the 2026 TTLA Annual Convention next week to learn from the Honorable Bernice B. Donald. She will talk about Recognizing & Removing Barriers to Justice in Judges & Juries.

Not registered yet? Time is running out, don't wait. RSVP here: https://www.ttla.org/?pg=events&evAction=showDetail&eid=322851

The Honorable Bernice B. Donald was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit by President Barack Obama in December 2010 and confirmed by the Senate in September 2011 by a vote of 96-2. She became the first African American woman to serve on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Donald retired from the court in January 2023 and currently serves as a mediator for JAMS.

Before joining the Sixth Circuit, Judge Donald was appointed by President William J. Clinton in 1995 to the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, becoming the first African American woman to serve on that court. She previously served as a judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee from 1988 to 1996, the first African American woman in U.S. history to hold that position. In 1982, she was elected to the General Sessions Criminal Court in Memphis, becoming the first African American woman to serve as a judge in the State of Tennessee.

During more than three decades on the federal bench, Judge Donald presided over complex bankruptcy, commercial, insurance, ERISA, labor and employment, and malpractice matters, as well as cases arising under numerous federal statutes.

Judge Donald received her J.D. from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and an LL.M. from Duke University School of Law. A national and internationally recognized legal scholar and lecturer, she has taught and trained judges and lawyers across the United States and around the world on issues including judicial ethics, insolvency law, case management, and alternative dispute resolution.

Judge Donald has held numerous leadership positions in the American Bar Association and the National Bar Association, including serving as Secretary of the ABA, the first African American woman elected to that office. She is a past president of the National Association of Women Judges and has received more than 100 awards recognizing her contributions to the legal profession and public service.

06/03/2026

Learn all about Mastering Advocacy: Strategies for Persuasion in Depositions, Mediations & Motions from Justin Kahn (Kahn Law Firm, LLP)

Justin is one of the Speakers who will join us at our Annual Convention! Are you in?
RSVP here: https://www.ttla.org/?pg=events&evAction=showDetail&eid=322851

Justin Kahn is a civil litigator with Kahn Law Firm, LLP in Charleston, S.C.

He handles a variety of cases including professional liability and personal injury. He has written, lectured, and taught throughout the country on advocacy, procedure, evidence, ethics, technology, and persuasion.

He is triple board certified by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys in medical malpractice by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a civiltrial advocate and in civil pretrial practice advocacy. Justin is currently president of ABPLA and is on the board of NBTA. He is a diplomate with the National College of Advocacy of the American Association of Justice. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and certified by the South Carolina
Supreme Court as a civil circuit court mediator.

Justin has been an adjunct professor at the Charleston School of Law for over 10 years where he teaches civil pretrial practice and deposition skills.

For over 30 years, he has authored the South Carolina Rules Annotated and the South Carolina Rules of Evidence Annotated used by judges and attorneys throughout South Carolina.

He is a member of various professional organizations including the American Association for Justice, South Carolina Association for Justice, South Carolina Bar Association, American Bar Association, permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference, MENSA and the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

He has practiced in state and federal courts throughout the country. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Justin S. Kahn
United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals, United States Court of Federal Claims, United States District Court for the District of South Carolina and the South Carolina Supreme Court.

He has argued appellate cases before the South Carolina Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, as well as Fourth and Second Circuit Courts of Appeal.

He received a Bachelor of Science from Tulane University in Psychology as well as in Communication in 1988.
He received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1992.

He is married, the proud parent of three children.

Justin loves to perform magic too.

06/02/2026

Have you registered for our 2026 Annual Convention? We begin next week: https://www.ttla.org/?pg=events&evAction=showDetail&eid=322851

We continue to spotlight this year's Convention Speakers.
Here's Chris Smith from DRS Law who will share Tort Law Update: Cases That Will Change How You Try Your Next Case.

Christopher graduated with honors from Belmont University College of Law, after which he joined DRS Law to assist in the firm’s personal injury practice.

Chris is known for his civil rights lawsuits and wrongful death cases. His work has been published in the Tennessee Bar Journal and the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association Magazine.

He has also handled complex car wreck and trucking lawsuits in Tennessee involving serious injuries, especially post-concussive syndrome lawsuits and traumatic brain injury lawsuits.

Prior to joining DRS Law, Chris served as a judicial law clerk for the United States Attorney Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.

While there, he assisted on qui tam whistleblower lawsuits and Medicare fraud cases in Tennessee and the 6th Circuit. He also clerked in the Tennessee Claims Commission Middle Division, where he worked on civil litigation involving the State of Tennessee.

Chris currently serves on the TTLA Board of Governors.

06/02/2026

TTLA Board Member Chris Smith and his firm DRS Law have secured one of the largest defamation verdicts in recent Tennessee history, on a case involving false and harmful claims circulated online.

In 2022, a 16-year-old girl named Kiely Rodni tragically died after attending a party in Truckee, California. Following her death, YouTuber Ryan Upchurch began spreading false conspiracy theories online, claiming that Kiely’s death was staged and that her family fabricated her existence and death as part of a GoFundMe fraud scheme. Kiely’s family hired DRS Law to pursue legal action over these defamatory statements, which caused severe emotional distress, damaged their reputation, and led to ongoing harassment.

In a landmark victory, a jury awarded nearly $18 million in damages after finding that defamatory statements caused profound emotional harm to Kiely’s father and grandfather.
The verdict sends a powerful message about accountability and the real-world consequences of reckless misinformation.

To read more about this case, check out the link in the comments.

06/01/2026

It's a new week and we are ready to introduce you to more of our 2026 Annual Convention Speakers!

Let's begin with Andrew Noel, who will talk about Section 1983 Actions with Trends from Minnesota Protestor Cases.

Not registered yet? RSVP here: https://www.ttla.org/?pg=events&evAction=showDetail&eid=322851

Robins Kaplan LLP partner Andrew Noel represents plaintiffs in federal civil rights cases against law enforcement and correctional facilities.

For more than 20 years, he has litigated Section 1983 cases involving excessive force, wrongful death, and denial of medical care under the Fourth and Eighth Amendments.

He has led numerous high-profile cases against cities and counties and has secured some of the largest civil rights recoveries in Minnesota, including a $20 million settlement in the Justine Ruszczyk police shooting case.

06/01/2026

Sign up for updates: https://www.pesticidesafetynow.com/

Your calls worked. Your emails worked. 📣

When pesticide companies tried to quietly push immunity provisions into the Farm Bill, you showed up. You made the issue impossible to ignore. And thanks to your commitment, the House voted to strip that immunity out with broad support from both sides of the aisle.

This is what it looks like when people come together and refuse to let corporate lobbyists rewrite the rules in their favor.

Follow along and stay with us as this issue moves to the Senate.

06/01/2026

You made a difference, but the fight isn't over. Keep up to date on this issue: https://www.pesticidesafetynow.com/

Big news for farm families: the House voted to strip pesticide immunity out of the Farm Bill.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna's amendment passed 224-200, with Republicans and Democrats coming together to send a clear message — no company should be shielded from accountability when families get hurt.

Bayer has spent years lobbying to protect itself from consequences. You spoke up, and Congress heard you.

This issue will now head to the Senate. Stay with us — your voice will matter again.

05/30/2026

The countdown begins! We are 10 days away from our Annual Convention and we have a few updates.
Check out Danny Ellis's Cigar Tasting, the updated agenda, and all the Special Events.

RSVP here: https://www.ttla.org/?pg=events&evAction=showDetail&eid=322851

Psst: On Thursday June 11th we have multiple events scheduled at the same time, make sure to choose and rsvp to your favorite 🌟

05/28/2026

Happy Thursday! Take some time to read what we are planning for you at our Annual Convention: we have a packed 2, almost 3 days to (re)connect with each other and learn.

Today we want to highlight four special events that will make our annual get together even more fun, thanks to some amazing sponsors, such as attorney James Webb, Stivers Wealth Management, Anonymous Marketing, MoveDocs, Western Alliance Bank, Eric Buchanan & Associates, PLLC, Whitfield Crosby & Flynn, Preferred Capital Funding, Benchmark Physical Therapy, Knott Laboratory, and Four Pillars Research.

Join us a day before, on June 9th, for GOLF SCRAMBLE
On June 11th, choose whether to play at our PICKLEBALL SOCIAL (the whole family is welcome), sponsored by attorney James Webb, go to a CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS GAME, or chill at our EVENING SOCIAL.

There is something for everyone!

Not registered yet? RSVP now at https://www.ttla.org/?pg=events&evAction=showDetail&eid=322851&evSubAction=listAll

05/28/2026

Quick appreciation post for our hard working Attorney, Brad Burnette, and Trial Lawyers Association 👏

At the end of April Governor Lee signed TTLA’s workers’ compensation attorney fee bill, Public Chapter 845, into law. This is an important victory for injured workers and for the lawyers who stand up for them every day.

A great deal of hard work happened behind the scenes to help get this bill passed, and we are proud to stand alongside those working to create meaningful change for injured Tennesseans. 🧡