ABOUT US > Community Involvement

Principal Randy Dowell (left) presents a plaque to attorney Tim Garrett (right) for our firm's support and dedication to KIPP Academy Nashville.  Over the past couple of years multiple attorneys in our firm have volunteered their time in support of KIPP. 

"Colleen Hitch and her Commitment to Community Service"
Tennessee Young Lawyer, a publication of the Tennessee Bar Association, profiles the community service activities of Memphis attorney Colleen Hitch.  Used with permission by the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division  and the Tennessee Young Lawyer.


"Dangerous Liaisons: These Tennessee lawyers have sought justice in faraway, sometimes frightening, places"
This Tennessee Bar Journal article features two of our attorneys (Used with permission by the Tennessee Bar Journal )

"Access to Justice Award winners"
A Tennessee Bar Journal article announcing David Esquivel as the winner of the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year (Used with permission by the Tennessee Bar Journal )

"Righting History: A local attorney unearths the secrets of a bloody decade in El Salvador"
Published by the Nashville Scene , this article focuses on David Esquivel and his work on the Carranza case (Used with permission by Nashville Scene www.nashvillescene.com)

"Nashvillians of the Year"
Nashville Scene honors KIPP Academy's students (Used with permission by Nashville Scene www.nashvillescene.com)

"Tennessee Appeals Court Says You Can’t Treat Gay Parents Differently in Deciding Child Custody and Visitation"
An ACLU press release announcing the Tennessee Court of Appeals decision that states "neither gay parents nor heterosexual parents have special rights."  Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Sam Felker served as the ACLU cooperating attorney.



Community Involvement


Since our beginning, Bass, Berry & Sims' attorneys have not only been leaders in local, regional and national legal organizations, but have also made significant contributions to our local communities.  Our firm understands that these experiences broaden and deepen our understanding of our communities and the world around us which in turn enables us to better serve our clients.

All attorneys are encouraged to play an active role in the community, which often involves volunteer work, involvement on nonprofit boards, leadership roles in civic organizations and pro bono work. 

Pro Bono

Attorneys at our firm provide pro bono work for several organizations including the Legal Aid Society, local bar associations, nonprofit groups and individuals.  Below are a few examples of our pro bono representation.

Our firm's Nashville office represents KIPP Academy Nashville with a pro bono legal team, which includes Ross Booher, who also serves on KIPP's board of directors, Tim Garrett, David Smith, Steve Jasper, Jeff Yarbro, Adam Futrell and Leslie Hafner. KIPP Academy Nashville is a free public charter school serving disadvantaged middle school students in east Nashville. The school, which is part of the nationally recognized Knowledge is Power Program, focuses on developing student character and academic excellence in a team atmosphere. KIPP's students were recognized as the 2005 Nashvillians of the Year by the Nashville Scene.

Since 2003, the firm has partnered with the Center for Justice and Accountability in representing five plaintiffs originally from El Salvador against the former vice minister of defense, Col. Nicolas Carranza.  Carranza was accused of torture, murder and human rights abuses during the early 1980s when El Salvador was in the midst of a civil war.  Experts estimate that 10,000 to 12,000 unarmed civilians were killed in 1980 alone.  During this time, Carranza exercised command and control over the three units of the security forces responsible for most of the attacks on civilians.  Each of our plaintiffs personally suffered torture and abuse or had family members who were murdered while Carranza was in power. The jury trial took place from October 30, through November 18, 2005, in Memphis, Tennessee, where Carranza now lives as a U.S. citizen.  There were 45 total timekeepers at our firm who collectively spent 5,000 hours working on this case.  In addition, our firm's lead attorney on this case traveled to El Salvador to gather information and find additional witnesses.  Bass, Berry & Sims also covered the expenses related to trial preparation and the litigation, including the travel arrangements for the attorneys to attend depositions.  While the success of this case did not rest on monetary damages, that was the only remedy available under the law.  Above all, the plaintiffs sought justice and accountability for the abuses they suffered.  The jury came back with a verdict awarding our plaintiffs a total of $6 million in compensatory and punitive damages.  Our firm made an extraordinary commitment to this case because we truly believed in its merit and we wanted to make the statement that human rights abusers, regardless of their origin, will be brought to justice in the U.S.  The Bass Berry legal team included David Esquivel, Jennifer Eberle, Matt Sinback and Steve Jasper.

Kristen Wright works with the Forrest City Junior Auxiliary, Inc. (JA) in its acquisition, utilization and preservation of the historic Campbell House of Forrest City, Arkansas.  JA has obtained the extraordinary building from the family of its original owners and is developing it as the JA headquarters and center for its charitable programs and projects.  In addition, JA hopes to use Campbell House as a rental facility for parties, wedding receptions, organizational meetings and the like to fund JA's charitable endeavors.  Kristen has worked with the owners of the home and the JA.  Together with the leaders of JA, she oversees the fundraising efforts, develops and evaluates rental agreements, researches future grants and preservation projects and focuses on promotion for the east Arkansas area. 

Another example of our commitment to provide pro bono services can be found in our recent agreement with the Legal Aid Society to take the "lion's share" of adoption cases for them.  More than 20 of our attorneys have volunteered for this project, which includes cases to terminate parental rights.

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Community Service

Each of our four offices is actively involved in their community. These service projects allow our attorneys and staff to work together for the communities where they live.  Some of the activities are:  
  • Nashville In 2002, our Nashville office became a PENCIL Partner for Antioch Middle School.  Since that time, attorneys and staff members have participated in various activities including tutoring, giving tours of our Nashville Downtown office, participating in "Read to Me Day," providing a teacher appreciation breakfast, presenting scholarships and an award for the most improved student and much more.  Once a year, the entire firm collects supplies and books to give to students who otherwise could not afford them.
  • Knoxville On May 13, 2006, Habitat for Humanity's Women Build Initiative began building a home in Knoxville.  Four of our female attorneys participated in the effort on May 20.  The home was built in 12 days, and the project organizers included: Mintha Roach, president and CEO of Knoxville Utilities Board; Carol Petersen, University of Tennessee's first lady; Dee Haslam of Rivr Media; and others, with the support of Tennessee's first lady, Andrea Conti.  
  • Memphis  Four attorneys and three staff members participated in a community-wide Servathon.  They were assigned to assist the United Way of the Mid-South by assembling materials and stuffing boxes called "Children Do Come With Instructions."  Hospitals throughout Shelby County distribute these boxes to new parents, and the materials include information on breastfeeding, childcare, SIDS, child development and other topics.  In addition to this assignment, they raised $275 for Hands on Memphis.

In addition to these activities, our attorneys are either presently working with or have worked with the following organizations, among many others:
  • 100 Black Men of Tennessee
  • Alive Hospice-Middle Tennessee Chapter
  • American Cancer Society
  • American Red Cross
  • Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis
  • Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
  • Drug & Alcohol Council of Middle Tennessee
  • Kids on the Block, Middle Tennessee
  • KIPP Academy Nashville
  • Knoxville Greenways Commission
  • Knoxville Symphony
  • Lupus Foundation of America - Mid-South Chapter
  • Memphis Botanic Gardens
  • Memphis Housing Resource Center
  • Nashville Metro Board of Education
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • Our Kids, Inc. Nashville
  • Second Harvest Food Bank 
  • Tennessee CASA Association
  • Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  • Tennessee Performing Arts Center
  • Tennessee Repertory Theatre 
  • YWCA of Nashville

Our firm also supports efforts beyond the Tennessee and U.S. borders. 
  • Wally Dietz and Drew Goddard participate in projects with the International Justice Mission, a human rights agency that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery and oppression.  
  • In September 2005, our firm actively participated in Katrina relief efforts through a fund raising campaign and other efforts to assist families who were displaced by the flooding in New Orleans.  Our firm matched dollar for dollar all financial contributions made by the employees for this effort.  In addition, food was collected for local food banks to provide food to Louisiana residents who traveled to Tennessee for refuge.  Our firm provided office space in our Nashville Downtown location for a New Orleans attorney until his firm could reopen its office.  We also helped a Tulane Law School student transfer for a semester to Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville and provided housing and financial support for her until she could move back home.  Finally,our Memphis attorney Bill Whitman volunteered through the Memphis Area Legal Services to help hurricane victims properly complete FEMA paperwork.

Firm-wide Affiliations

Our firm is known for being a "community activist," with attorneys who are well connected throughout the state in business, civic, and social arenas.  Listed below are some of the organizations we support through a firm membership.
  • Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership
  • Memphis Area Legal Services
  • Memphis Regional Chamber
  • Nashville Chamber of Commerce
  • Nashville Downtown Partnership
  • Nashville Health Care Council
  • Partnership 2010
  • Tennessee Association of Housing and Redevelopment Authorities
  • Tennessee Business Roundtable
  • Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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