Henry Martin ’74 (BA’71) has been honored by the Nashville Bar Association with its 2021 Jack Norman Sr. Award.
The Norman Award honors one attorney each year whose practice or service pertains to criminal law who demonstrates respect for the rights of all individuals in the criminal justice system, exhibits strong trial advocacy skills, demonstrates an abiding respect for the law and the legal profession, maintains the highest standards of professional integrity and ethical conduct, and contributes to the improvement of the legal profession and criminal justice system, including representing indigent criminal defendants.
Martin has been the Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Tennessee since 1985. He manages an office of more than 50 people. His career accomplishments include serving on the U.S. Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. He was the founding president of the Association of Federal Defenders and has served as president of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He worked in private practice before entering government service.
“He sets a high bar for criminal defense representation of indigent clients,” the NBA announcement of his award stated.
The award is named for Jack Norman Sr., a Nashville native who worked his way through Vanderbilt Law School and then opened a law practice in downtown Nashville in 1926. Norman became a famous litigator and served as a special prosecutor appointed by Tennessee Gov. Frank Clement to investigate Judge Raulston Scoolfield of Hamilton County. Norman led the trial that led to Schoolfield’s impeachment in 1958 on bribery and extortion charges.
The Nashville Bar Association was established in 1831 and has more than 2,500 local attorney members. It is the largest metropolitan bar association in Tennessee.
