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Mozianio S. Reliford III

Adjunct Professor of Law
Shareholder, Polsinelli

Mozianio S. (Trey) Reliford III is a partner in Polsinelli’s commercial litigation department. Professor Reliford's extensive experience in every facet of litigation includes jury trials, arbitrations, injunctions, motion practice and mediations, and he has successfully represented clients from across the globe and in Nashville, from Fortune 500 companies and executives to artists, producers, and entertainers. His experience in complex litigation gives him the tools to provide effective and innovative legal solutions to achieve clients’ desired outcomes and goals.

Reliford was a law clerk for Chief Justice Jeffrey S. Bivins '86 of the Tennessee Supreme Court from 2016-17, and prior to practicing law, he taught English in Chiba, Japan. 

Reliford earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he was co-editor-in-chief of the Stanford Journal of International Law, corporate relations director for the Stanford Black Law Students Association, and membership chair of Stanford’s Chapter of the American Constitution Society. 

Reliford was named a Tennessee Supreme Court Attorney for Justice in 2019 and 2020. He has served or currently serves as pro bono counsel in cases concerning voting rights, prisoner’s rights disputes, qualified immunity, access to education, immigration/asylum matters, and general criminal justice reform. He has also served in leadership and volunteer roles with numerous Nashville-based nonprofits and service organizatons, including Conexión Américas, The 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Southern Word, the Tennessee Alliance for Black Lawyers, the Napier-Looby Bar Association and the Nashville Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.

Courses