The Chattanooga Bar will be well-represented in the Tennessee Bar Association’s 2019 Leadership Law program.
The TBA has selected three attorneys and one judge from the city to join its six-month leadership training program:
• Zachary Greene of Miller & Martin
• Lance Pope of Patrick, Beard, Schulman & Jacoway
• Kirby Yost of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel
• Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Alexander McVeagh.
Now in its 16th year, Leadership Law is designed to equip Tennessee lawyers “with the vision, knowledge and skills necessary to serve as leaders in their profession and local communities,” the TBA states.
The class of 35 will meet for its first session in January, and then spend the next six months learning about leadership in the legal profession, issues in the courts, policymaking in state government and the importance of community service.
Zachary Greene
At Miller & Martin, Greene provides counsel to individual and corporate clients in business disputes and white-collar criminal matters.
Greene focuses his civil practice on complex business litigation, and he often represents commercial entities and financial institutions in matters involving breach of contract, negligence, fraud, unfair competition, securities and government regulation.
Greene also represents public entities in constitutional litigation. He has briefed and argued numerous appeals in state and federal court, including cases addressing contract law, antitrust law, public pensions, legislative procedure, legislative privilege, constitutional law and civil rights.
In addition, Greene represents entities and individuals in investigations and enforcement proceedings by the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, federal inspectors general and state agencies.
Greene’s white-collar experience includes civil and criminal investigations and enforcement actions involving, among other things, fraud, health care, immigration, public corruption (including violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act), environmental regulation and antitrust matters.
As chair of Miller & Martin’s Crisis Management Group, Greene collaborates with attorneys in various practices to leverage the firm’s corporate and dispute resolution experience to help clients prepare for and deal with business crises.
“I’m looking forward to building relationships with attorneys from across the state while learning about and discussing solutions to the issues facing our profession,” Greene says. “I’m grateful to the Tennessee Bar Association for this opportunity and appreciate the support I’m receiving from Miller & Martin.”
Lance Pope
Pope joined Patrick Beard after more than 10 years as a prosecutor at the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office, where he most recently held the position of executive assistant district attorney.
While at the District Attorney’s Office, Pope handled numerous high-profile criminal trials and directed complicated law enforcement investigations. In this capacity, he worked directly with all major state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Pope focuses his practice on both civil and criminal litigation. He also has experience as the head financial officer for a technologies firm, and uses that experience to assist the firm’s business clients with contract disputes and resolutions.
“I hope to meet other attorneys that practice in the areas of law in which I’m becoming more involved at Patrick Beard,” Pope says. “I hope the class will provide an opportunity to learn about the challenges present for attorneys in various areas of law and provide a platform to discuss how we can effectively deal with them.”
Kirby Yost
Yost is an associate at Chambliss Law where she practices in the areas of general business, real estate, land use, zoning, and property law. She is a member of the firm’s Business Section and Real Estate Section, as well as the Chambliss Startup Group.
Yost works with developers of all sizes to assist in the due diligence phase of acquisitions, including title and survey review work and land use.
Yost also represents both landlords and tenants in lease drafting and negotiations. With startup companies, she advises and assists with everything from forming an entity to consummating the sale of the company.
In addition to her professional work, Yost is heavily involved in the community and is a contributor to a number of nonprofit boards and community fundraising efforts.
“I value the opportunity to learn from respectable attorneys throughout the state who practice in different areas than I,” Yost says. “I’m always looking for ways to meet new people and learn new things. I hope I’ll continue to have similar opportunities for growth throughout my career.”
Judge Alexander McVeagh
Gov. Bill Haslam appointed McVeagh in 2017. Prior to his appointment, McVeagh practiced municipal law, criminal defense and general civil litigation at Chambliss Law.
McVeagh currently serves as commissioner on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission and as journal editor for the Federal Bar Association’s Chattanooga Chapter.
He is a board member for the Young Lawyers Division of both the Chattanooga and Tennessee Bar Associations. He graduated from Vanderbilt Law School in 2013.
“The Chattanooga Bar Association is blessed to have the talent and professionalism of Zachary, Lance, Kirby, and Judge McVeagh,” says Chattanooga Bar Association president Marc Harwell. “We’re looking forward to what they bring back to us from that experience.”
Sources: TBA, Miller & Martin, Patrick Beard, Chambliss Law