Sam Elliott, attorney with Gearhiser, Peters, Cavett, Elliott & Cannon, past Chattanooga Bar Association president and current Tennessee Bar Association president, was inducted into the third class of the Soddy Daisy High School Alumni Hall of Fame on March 4. This occasion was made even more significant by the fact that Elliott’s father, Gene Elliott, was part of the first class to be inducted, making them the first father and son inductees into the SDHS Alumni Hall of Fame.
Elliott said, “I am deeply honored to be recognized in this way by Soddy Daisy High School, and to join the distinguished alumni who make up this group. I especially appreciate Judge Shattuck’s … kind words relative to my role in the community.”
The SDHS Hall of Fame was instituted in 2009 to honor distinguished alumni and to demonstrate to SDHS students that graduates of their school have gone on to be successful in various walks of life. To date, three classes have been selected, and include educators, businessmen, public servants, journalists, a judge, an attorney, and a missionary. The recent induction consisted of eight members, including Elliott.
During the event, Judge Clarence Shattuck gave a speech to make those in attendance aware of Elliott’s contributions to his profession and the community at large.
Shattuck detailed some of Elliott’s life-long love of history that has been used to help others love history, too. Elliott has written or edited three books on the Civil War, has written articles and essays for many publications and has spoken about Civil War topics to various groups in 11 states.
Last November, Elliott gave the keynote speech concerning the war in Tennessee on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. He also appeared in a Nashville Public Television program on Tennessee’s secession that premiered on PBS. He currently serves as chairman of the Tennessee Historical Commission. Elliott’s family has been in Soddy Daisy since the Civil War days, and he has even traced his ancestors back to our country’s Revolutionary War.
Elliott has been selected as a Mid-South Super Lawyer and has received the highest rating from Martindale-Hubbell, an organization that rates lawyers throughout the country.
One of his partners said: “He is the ultimate lawyer’s lawyer and is always willing to share his knowledge and experience. In fact, he has been the mentor to the young lawyers joining their firm.”
Elliott served as president of the Chattanooga Bar Association in 2001, after serving on the Board of Governors for five years.
An official with the CBA said, “Sam strives to represent his profession as a true leader; is straight up, honest, and can be relied on to do exactly what he says. [He’s] also a leader who gets results and a delight with whom to work.”
Elliott is currently serving as president of the Tennessee Bar Association, the state’s largest professional association, with more than 11,000 lawyers as members. Additionally, he has served on the boards of the Friends of the Chickamauga and the Chattanooga National Military Park and is a pro bono volunteer for Legal Aid of East Tennessee, an organization that provides legal assistance to citizens who cannot afford an attorney. He has also served as deacon, trustee and elder at the Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church.
One of his colleagues said, “Yes, Sam is passionate about his work, his family, Soddy Daisy and its history and even the Soddy Daisy-Red Bank football rivalry.”
Elliott has been a litigation attorney for 27 years and has tried jury cases involving product liability, personal injury and employment discrimination. He has represented the municipal governments of Soddy Daisy, Collegedale and Lakesite for a number of years, giving him experience in matters ranging from land use regulation to civil rights litigation. He’s advised clients on issues of employment law, commercial disputes and professional liability.
Raised in Soddy Daisy, he attended Sewanee: The University of the South in the ’70s, majored in history and then entered law school. He graduated from UT Knoxville College of Law in 1981, but has remained a life-long student of history. Elliott began his law career in 1981 with a year of clerking for then U.S. Magistrate Roger Dickson. He joined Gearhiser in 1982 and has been with firm ever since.
“Going to court is a lot like going to battle; it requires preparation and quick thinking on your feet, so it seemed like something in which I’d be interested. And I’ve enjoyed the profession,” he said.
Elliott said his greatest accomplishment is his role as a loving husband and father to his wife, Karen, and daughters, Mary Claire and Sarah Anne.
On helping others, Elliott said, “There are so many people out there who need just the smallest kindnesses – not a million dollars, but someone to listen to them and help them find solutions to problems. I’ve found the best lawyers are the ones who really love practicing law, and I am sure the best teachers are those who are passionate about teaching.”