Sarah Y. Sheppeard; images courtesy of Thomason, King, Krieg & Waldrop, P.C.

NASHVILLE, TN — Knoxville attorney Sarah Y. Sheppeard is now serving as president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA). She took office at the group’s annual convention this week. Sheppeard served as president-elect for the 2018-2019 bar year.

“The Tennessee Bar Association plays a significant role in supporting its members, the judicial system and the legal needs of the public,” Sheppeard said. “I am honored to have been elected to this leadership role and I look forward to serving, continuing the TBA’s good work, and guiding the organization into the future.”

Sheppeard is a shareholder with Lewis Thomason in Knoxville with more than 39 years of legal experience. She graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1979 and prior to joining Lewis Thomason was a founding member of the Knoxville firm Sheppeard and Mynatt, P.L.C.

Active in the TBA for many years, Sheppeard has served on the association’s Board of Governors since 2014, and has also previously served as chair of the Litigation Section and CLE Committee. She is a Tennessee Bar Foundation Fellow, a TBA Young Lawyers Division Fellow and received the Tennessee Bar Association’s President’s Award in 2010.

Sheppeard has been a lecturer with the Tennessee Law Institute since 1988. She was chair of the Tennessee Judicial Evaluation Commission, was for 15 years an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law, and was previously a member of the Tennessee Law Review. A past-president of the Knoxville Bar Association, she is a Fellow in the Knoxville and American Bar Foundations. Sheppeard served on the Advisory Commission to the Tennessee Supreme Court on Rules of Practice and Procedure. In 2014, she was presented with the Knoxville Bar Association’s highest honor, the Governors’ Award.

The 2019 TBA Annual Convention is taking place June 12-15 at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville. Taking office along with Sheppeard will be President-elect Michelle Greenway Sellers of Rainy Kizer in Jackson and Vice President Sherie Edwards of State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Co in Brentwood. The annual meeting allows legal groups in the state to address common issues and concerns and offers opportunities for additional education, long-range planning, and recognition of attorneys who have performed outstanding legal work and community service.

The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) is the largest professional association in Tennessee with more than 13,000 members. Founded in 1881, the TBA provides opportunities for continuing legal education, professional development and public service. The TBA's dedication to serving the state's legal community is evidenced by its membership roll, which represents the entire spectrum of legal practice: plaintiff and defense lawyers, corporate counsel, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, government lawyers and legal services attorneys.