Faculty Profile: J. E. "Buddy" Stockwell

Buddy Stockwell was appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court on July 1, 2020, as the new Executive Director of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP). Stockwell comes from south Louisiana where he has been a volunteer and program monitor for the state’s Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse since 1993, and the Executive Director of Louisiana's comprehensive Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program (JLAP) peer professionals' program for the last ten years. He is a Certified Clinical Interventionist through “Love First” training at the Betty Ford Center and has personally been in recovery from alcoholism for over 37 years. 

Over the years, he has supported hundreds of bar members, bar applicants, and family members of the bar with a wide range of substance use disorders and mental health issues. Stockwell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Louisiana State University in 1989 and a Juris Doctor degree from LSU Law School in 1993. Post-law school, he practiced in both large and small firm settings, but ultimately opened a solo practice in Baton Rouge where he focused heavily on domestic litigation until 2004 when he sold his Baton Rouge law office, home, and vehicles and he and his wife, Melissa, moved aboard a large catamaran and sailed the seas for six years, covering 19,000 nautical miles. Stockwell is a U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Captain and seasoned ocean mariner. He also served in the Navy prior to college. He is dedicated to TLAP's mission and very excited to serve the Tennessee Supreme Court, the TLAP Commission, and stakeholders in the profession as the new TLAP Executive Director.