Three Chattanooga attorneys will join the 2023 cohort of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Leadership Law program: Crystle Carrion of Unum, Amanda Jelks of Jelks Law and Robert Wheeler of Patrick, Beard, Schulman & Jacoway.
Now in its 20th year, Leadership Law is designed to equip Tennessee lawyers to serve as leaders in their profession and local communities.
The class will meet for its first session in January and spend the following six months learning about leadership in the legal profession, issues in the courts, policymaking in state government and the importance of community service.
Carrion is the assistant vice president and legal counsel of litigation at Unum. She is a graduate of Stetson University College of Law and served as an assistant district attorney general in Hamilton County and as a judicial law clerk in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Carrion’s bar and community involvement includes Leadership Chattanooga (class of 2022) and serving as a board member of the Brock-Cooper Chapter of American Inns of Court, a board member of the Children’s Advocacy Center and the recording secretary of the S.L. Hutchins Bar Association.
Jelks is the founder of Jelks Law, a boutique Chattanooga business and estate firm. She earned her Juris Doctor at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphrey’s School of Law and previously practiced Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel.
Jelk’s community service includes serving as a board member of the United Way for Greater Chattanooga and Chattanooga’s Health, Education & Housing Facilities Board. She also is a member of the Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute.
Jelks says she hopes to gain new perspectives on the issues facing the legal profession and how she can do her part to help solve those issues.
She also says she’s looking forward to finetuning her leadership skills so she can better serve her community.
“Iron sharpens iron – and that’s exactly what I believe will happen with my colleagues throughout this experience.”
Wheeler has a general litigation practice with a focus on employment law and civil litigation. He’s represented clients in state and federal court in Chattanooga, Knoxville and Greenville.
After graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law, Wheeler practiced employment law at Burnette, Dobson & Pinchak (2015-2018) before moving to Patrick Beard.
He participated in the 2021 cohort of Leadership Chattanooga and has served as Chattanooga chapter secretary of the Federal Bar Association and as a member of the Inns of Court.
Wheeler says he’s looking forward to working with and learning from attorneys he otherwise would not have the opportunity to meet.
“I hope to gain the skills that will allow me to continue to grow as a leader in our legal community.”
Carrion, Jelks and Wheeler will join 30 other attorneys from across the state as part of the TBA’s Leadership Law Class.
Founded in 1881, the TBA provides opportunities for continuing legal education, professional development and public service.
Sources: TBA, Jelks Law, Patrick Beard