As Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Roger A. Page plans to retire at the end of August, six judges from around the state are vying to replace him. The Tennessee Star plans to profile each of the applicants before they are interviewed for the position in January.
Jeffrey C. Smith is a partner at Holland & Knight LLP, a law firm based in Tampa, Florida with a large presence in Nashville and Memphis. He specializes in defending corporations against civil lawsuits.
“Employers rely on Mr. Smith to defend them against discrimination claims based on sex, age, race, religion and disability; unfair competition claims, wrongful termination, wage/hour litigation and whistleblower litigation,” according to his biography on Holland & Knight’s website. “He also provides proactive counseling on employment issues to management teams and human resources departments, and he has extensive experience drafting employment, severance, confidentiality and non-compete agreements for employers.”
According to his biography, Smith (pictured above) graduated from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree, and later graduated with a juris doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law.
He has won the following public awards during his career:
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, Commercial Litigation, 2021-2024; Construction Law, 2021-2024; Health Care Law, 2023-2024; Litigation – Labor and Employment, 2023-2024
- Memphis Business Quarterly, Power Player in Employment Law, 2010-2023
- Tennessee Justice Center, Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, 2011
As reported by The Star in September, seven employees of Holland & Knight’s Nashville branch donated money to a Democrat attorney who considered running against U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) during the 2024 election cycle.
Attorney Joanna Sowell, who works at Wood Stabell Law Group, another Nashville law firm, raised more than $200,000 for an exploratory committee for the potential race, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Eventually, Sowell decided not to run.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s Council for Judicial Appointments will hold a public meeting on January 4 at the Belmont College of Law, Randall and Sadie Baskin Center to interview the six applicants for the position.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.
Photo “Joseph Smith” by Holland and Knight. Background Photo “Tennessee Supreme Court” by Reading Tom. CC BY 2.0.
Surely wish the law would be changed to have these judges elected instead of appointed by their friends.