Raising the Bar 2025: 4 General, 1 Dual

Courses Included

• Raising the Bar: Tech Tips to Optimize Efficiency and Reduce Stress for Lawyers
  
  

  This session offers valuable insights into enhancing digital presence and improving customer engagement for legal professionals. It covers topics such as case management, client portals, document management, financial management, timekeeping, billing, and security. The presentation is designed to help lawyers streamline their workflows, reduce stress, and improve overall efficiency.

  Course Information

  Format:Online VideoDual Credits:1.00General Credits:0.00

  Speakers/Producers

  

  • Adriana Linares, LawTech Partners,
    Adriana Linares is a legal technology consultant and trainer. She is a frequent speaker at national technology conferences and a regular contributor to legal blogs, publications, and podcasts. In 2013...
• Raising the Bar: The Unconventional JD - Exploring Alternative Legal Career Paths
  
  

  For many lawyers, the journey after law school leads away from the traditional law firm path and toward innovative opportunities. This program will feature a diverse panel of legal professionals who have built successful careers in traditional and non-traditional roles. We'll delve into thriving fields for legal professionals, in which panelists will discuss their experiences in or on boards, non-profits, advocacy and policy positions, starting businesses, holding in house counsel positions, government representation, and discuss how to navigate a legal market that increasingly values flexible and diverse skill sets.

  Course Information

  Format:Online VideoDual Credits:0.00General Credits:1.00

  Speakers/Producers

  

  • Meera Ballal, Women's Healthcare Initiative, Nashville
    Meera Ballal is the Founder of Women’s Healthcare Initiative, a company that pioneered a protocol for hospitals and medical practices to identify, treat and refer patients experiencing...
  • Julie Bennett, Ballad Health, Johnson City
    Julie Bennett is Executive Vice President/Chief Legal and Governance Officer and Corporate Secretary for Ballad Health.  She serves as the senior legal officer and coordinator of governance...
  • Sara Myers, Southern Poverty Law Center, Nashville
    Sara Beth Myers serves as Deputy General Counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center, a historic nonprofit that seeks racial justice in the South and beyond by working with community partners to...
• Raising the Bar: Own Your Future - Strategies for Growing Your Client Base
  
  

  Developing and sustaining your own book of business is a critical skill for any lawyer seeking greater professional independence, flexibility, and long-term success. This session will feature a panel of experienced attorneys who have built thriving practices across a variety of practice areas. They will share practical, real-world strategies for identifying and attracting clients, nurturing professional relationships, and positioning yourself as a trusted resource in your field.

  Panelists will also discuss how to align business development with your personal values and career goals, offering insight on how to create a practice that not only supports your financial objectives but also brings you professional satisfaction. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to grow an existing client base, this program will provide actionable tips to help you take control of your schedule, your clients, and your future.

  Course Information

  Format:Online VideoDual Credits:0.00General Credits:1.00

  Speakers/Producers

  

  • Heidi Barcus, Lewis Thomason, Knoxville
    Heidi A. Barcus has been involved in complex litigation involving the areas of professional negligence, medical defense, health care law, long term care, prison health and a wide range of insurance...
  • Dixie Cooper, Cumberland Litigation, PLLC, Brentwood
    
    
    Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers of America and Tennessee Super Lawyers Mid-South in the specialty of medical malpractice defense, Dixie W. Cooper’s practice focuses...
  • Johnika Everhart, Geeter Law Office, PLLC, Chattanooga
    Ms. Johnika Geeter-Everhart is the owner and founder of Geeter Law Office, PLLC. She is a Chattanooga native and she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from University of...
• Raising the Bar: Watering Your Neighbors’ Yards While Watering Your Own--Using Your Legal Skills To Do Good in the Community (And for Yourself)
  
  

  Have you ever felt 'stuck' in your career, as if you've gone as far as you can? Do you have a passion for something other than the law? Would you like to broaden your network? Consider applying your legal skills and talents to make your community a better place to live. There is a reason attorneys are sought after to serve on boards--we have skills, insights and connections that others just don't possess. However, community involvement isn't entirely
  altruistic. This session will challenge you to look at what you can do with your legal skills in service to the profession and to our communities, and will share how it benefits you in the process.

  Course Information

  Format:Online VideoDual Credits:0.00General Credits:1.00

  Speakers/Producers

  

  • Lisa Cole, Lewis Thomason, P.C., Nashville
    Lisa is president and managing shareholder of Lewis Thomason and the managing partner of the firm’s Nashville office. As president of the firm, Cole serves as the firm’s General...
  • Sherie Edwards, Nashville Bar Association President Elect, Nashville
    Sherie Edwards recently retired from her role as Vice President of Corporate and Legal, a position which she held from January of 2015 to July 1, 2024. She joined SVMIC in November of 1998 as a Claims...
  • Laquita Stokes, Stokes Family Law PLLC, Memphis
    Laquita R. Stokes is the founding member of Stokes Family Law, PLLC, a law firm located in Memphis, Tennessee. She is licensed to practice law in Tennessee and primarily practices in the areas of...
• Raising the Bar: Expanding Your Practice or Portfolio
  
  

  Rebecca Blair will provide an overview of the process for becoming a Rule 31–listed mediator and offer practical guidance on establishing and maintaining a mediation practice. Her presentation will also address the potential benefits and challenges associated with incorporating mediation into a broader legal career.

  Psonya Hackett will discuss the professional pathway to becoming a certified divorce coach, including certification requirements and strategies for building a sustainable coaching practice. In addition, she will outline how supplemental tools—such as an Amazon storefront and the use of TikTok Live—can serve as innovative methods for client engagement and practice development.

  Course Information

  Format:Online VideoDual Credits:0.00General Credits:1.00

  Speakers/Producers

  

  • Rebecca Blair, The Blair Law Firm, Brentwood
    Rebecca is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Personal Injury Litigation and Business Litigation. She has been listed with Mid-South Super Lawyers since 2009. She was selected to a...
  • Psonya Hackett, The Estate and Family Law Group, Memphis
    Psonya Hackett joined the practice of law in 1999, after graduating from Ole Miss Law School. During her early years, she mainly practiced family law and represented kids in the Youth Courts of...