Vanderbilt University Law School

Class of 1976

(Notes posted in the order they were received, with the newest posts on top.)

Keith Simmons, managing partner at Bass Berry & Sims, has been elected to the executive committee of Lex Mundi by the organization's board of directors during the Lex Mundi 2009 Annual Meeting in Madrid. Lex Mundi is the world's leading association of independent law firms with 160 member firms and more than 21,000 lawyers worldwide. With its membership, the firm has access to more than 21,000 lawyers to provide ready access to expertise and market knowledge in 100 countries covering practically any jurisdiction in the world. Posted 10-31-09

Dewees Berry (B.A. '73) has been invited to join the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), the premier organization of U.S. real estate lawyers. Dewees focuses on real estate litigation a a partner with Bass Berry & Sims. He also teaches Property and Advanced Property Law at the Nashville School of Law, is the editor of the Tennessee Real Estate Law Letter, and a past president of the Nashville Bar Association. Posted 6-17-09

Stewart Walz was presented an Exceptional Service Award for 2008 by the National Association of Former United States Attorneys. Stew is Senior Litigation Counsel in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah in Salt Lake City. The award recognizes his "exceptional service to the United States Attorney’s Office, the Department of Justice, and the United States of America. “ Stew has been has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney since 1980 and recently completed 32 years of federal service. In addition to his case work, he continues to teach evidence, grand jury practice, trial practice, and other subjects for the Department of Justice. Posted 4-3-09

Howard Pomerantz was honored as "Lawyer of the Year" by the Ft. Lauderdale chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) on January 24, 2009, at the chapter's annual Judge's Night Dinner. Howard served as the chapter's president in 2008 and has been named for the third year in a row as a Florida Super Lawyer in the field of Plaintiff Medical Malpractice. He has been a partner in the firm of Abramowitz & Pomerantz in Sunrise, Florida, for the past 23 years. "I continue to do pro bono work for Broward Lawyers Care," he writes. "I treasure my memories and friendships from Vandy." Posted 1-22-09

Judge Rita Stotts died January 2, 2009, in Memphis, Tennessee, losing a lengthy battle with cancer. She was 55. A Memphis native, Judge Stotts was appointed to the bench on May 23, 2000. She served in several legal capacities, including assistant divorce referee, an assistant county attorney and as an assistant professor of law at Memphis State University. Judge Stotts was the daughter of the late Carl Stotts, a firefighter who sued the city in 1977 alleging that he and other minority firefighters were unfairly denied promotions. The suit eventually became a class action, representing all black firefighters. The city settled in 1980, signing a consent decree pledging to improve the hiring and promotion of minorities. Posted 1-12-09

Susan Yovic (Susie) Hoeller has published a book, Impasse: Border Walls or Welcome the Stranger, about her pro bono work on behalf of immigrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Russia, Mexico and other countries. Susie represents corporate clients engaged in international business through her own firm, the Hoeller Law Firm, in Bentonville, Arkansas, where she lives with her husband, Ted. As a pro bono attorney, she has represented refugees seeking asylum as well as immigrant women abused by her husband, and has even proposed changes to the rules governing Russian "mail order" brides that would afford the women more protection. In her book, she proposes reforms to current immigration law. Posted 1-12-09

Lucinda Smith was named managing attorney of the Legal Aid Society in its Nashville office. Lucinda will hold this post while continuing to serve as director of the Nashville Pro Bono Program. Smith took over the Pro Bono Program in 2003 after practicing law with Dodson Parker Dinkins & Behm. Lucinda also teaches family law as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Vanderbilt. Posted 1-12-09

HuffMargaret Margaret M. (“Marnie”) Huff has been appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to serve on the Tennessee Lawyer Assistance Program (TLAP) Commission. Huff will volunteer her time on the Commission, overseeing TLAP's work. TLAP provides confidential assistance for attorneys to begin or continue recovery from physical or mental disabilities that result from disease, disorder, trauma or age. Huff is the chair of the Nashville Bar Association Attorney Health and Wellness Committee. Committee project include collaboration with TLAP and sponsoring free one-hour suicide-prevention training based on the Question / Persuade / Refer (QPR) format. Huff received a President’s Award from the Nashville Bar Association in December 2007 for her leadership as Chair of a Special Task Force resulting in formation of a permanent committee focused on suicide prevention. QPR training is for lawyers and law firm staff who may come in contact with clients, colleagues, family or friends who may be at risk of suicide. Marnie is owner of the dispute resolution firm Margaret Huff Mediation in Nashville. Posted 10-17-2008

Mary Jo Middlebrooks 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. The introduction of new Fellows took place at the annual Fellows Dinner in Nashville.

Craig V. Gabbert, Jr., a shareholder at Harwell Howard Hyne Gabbert & Manner in Nashville, Tenn., has completed his training and is now listed as a Rule 31 General Civil Mediator with the Tennessee Supreme Court. Craig completed 40 hours of Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission approved mediation training in addition to meeting the requirements set forth by the Tennessee Supreme Court. While Craig has extensive experience conducting private mediations related to business conflicts, the Rule 31 listing allows him to mediate matters pending before courts of record, including disputes ordered to mediation by an order of reference granted on the motion of one of more parties or on the motion of the court.

Craig has over 30 years of experience counseling clients regarding commercial litigation, commercial bankruptcy and reorganization matters. He has earned a reputation as a preeminent litigator in Nashville and around the country. Craig’s record of successfully representing corporate entities in bankruptcies, reorganizations and complex litigation matters has earned him the respect of his peers and clients. Craig has also served as the director and president of the Mid-South Commercial Law Institute, a barrister at the Harry Phillips Inn of Court, director of the Nashville Bar Association and a fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation.

Patricia Thompson, a shareholder in the Miami office of Carlton Fields, has received a Key Partners Award in the Legal and Accounting Professions from Citibank and the South Florida Business Journal. At the Second Annual Key Partners Awards ceremony, Thompson was presented with the first place award for labor and employment law. Over 300 nominations for accountants and attorneys from Dade, Broward, and West Palm Beach counties were submitted in various categories for legal and accounting practice.

Thompson concentrates her practice in the areas of construction, employment, and commercial litigation. chair of the Fidelity and Surety Law Committee of the ABA’s Tort, Trial, and Insurance Practice Section and past chair of the Construction Litigation Committee of the Litigation Section of the ABA.

Mary Jo Middlebrooks of Jackson, Tenn. was recently one of five Tennesseans recognized by The Legal Services Corporation at its Nashville meeting of the national Board of Directors. The main source of funding for civil legal aid, LSC gives grants to independent, local programs -- in 2007, 138 programs with more than 900 offices nationwide. The award was for extraordinary commitment to providing equal access to justice through Private Attorney Involvement with West Tennessee Legal Services, Inc.

Susan Emery McGannon has been appointed to a six-year term on the Tennessee Judicial Evaluation Commission. The commission, which is composed for four judges, four attorneys and four lay persons, is responsible for evaluating all state appellate judges (Tennessee Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals) and recommending a "yes" or "no" retention vote on each one to the public. Susan expressed her appreciate to the Tennessee Bar Association for making her one of its three nominees, and to Tennessee Speaker Jimmy Naifeh (D-Covington) for his appointment. "The commission has a vital role in maintaining the excellence of our state judiciary," Susan said. "This is an honor and a responsibility I take very seriously."

Linda A. Friedman has been named one of the Top Birmingham Women of 2007 by the Birmingham Business Journal. Linda is a partner in the Birmingham office of Bradley Arant Rose & White.

Matt Sweeney was named Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz's Nashville Pro Bono Attorney of the Year. Sweeney was recognized for his pro bono service on a death penalty case. Sweeney, together with partners, devoted hundreds of hours of work to investigating and analyzing the case, related cases and surrounding circumstances in support of a petition for post conviction relief. If the Firm's team is successful in its representation, their client will be entitled to a new trial and/or a new sentencing hearing.

A shareholder in the Nashville office of Baker Donelson, Sweeney is a trial lawyer and dispute resolution neutral. He has broad litigation experience with a concentration in business related matters, including franchising, federal and state securities, and fiduciary duty cases. Sweeney is a former Circuit Court Judge in Nashville and was Presiding Judge of the district's Trial Courts.

J. Randolph (Randy) Smith, a Nashville entertainment attorney, has been elected to the board of directors for CBA, the Colorado Springs-based trade association for the Christian Retail Channel. CBA serves the interests and meets the needs of 2,055 member Christian retail stores including independents, regional and national chains, church-owned stores, franchises, and marketing groups. These stores provide Bibles, Christian books, curriculum, apparel, music, videos, gifts, greeting cards, children's resources, and other materials. CBA and their member stores also work with 570 associate member book publishers, record companies, gift companies and other product suppliers. Randy was elected to fill the at-large position on the twelve-member CBA board of directors, the remainder of which is made up of retail and product supplier representatives. Randy has been an integral part of the Christian products industry for 30 years as an entertainment attorney whose practice focuses on entertainment, intellectual property rights, and the arts. “Christian products are at the center of what I do as an attorney, and the CBA is what I think of as the center of that universe,” said Randy.

William C. Kennedy is Vice President a Senior Counsel, for AMERIGROUP Corporation in Virginia Beach, VA.

Richardson R. Lynn is dean at Atlanta's John Marshall Law School. He had previously served as dean for six years and taught at Pepperdine University School of Law since 1980. Located in Atlanta's Mid-town area, John Marshall Law School recently focuses on a mission of training lawyers for underserved communities.

Do you have news you would like to share or just want to let everyone know what you are up to these days? Submit your class note online, e-mail Grace Renshaw or call 615-322-2606.

Please check the "Alumni MIA" list to see if you can help us find any of your "lost" classmates!