Lee Ann Adams elected as a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation
Gearhiser, Peters, Elliott, & Cannon, PLLC
The firm is proud to announce that Lee Ann Adams has recently been elected a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation, an association of approximately 850 attorneys across the state. Invitations to membership, which is a position of honor, were extended to 29 attorneys by the Board of Trustees. Lee Ann joins fellow members of the firm, Wayne Peters, Robert Lockaby, Sam Elliott (pictured) and David McDowell as a Tennessee Bar Foundation Fellow. The Bar Foundation has a two-fold purpose: to recognize attorneys who have distinguished themselves in the community and the profession, and to administer a grant making program.
At the 144th Annual Tennessee Bar Association Convention, David McDowell was elected to serve as the Vice President of the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Fellows, and began another term of service as the East Tennessee Governor on the Tennessee Bar Association Board of Governors.
On July 1, 2025, Sam D. Elliott, a member of the firm, assumed the chairmanship of the Tennessee Bar Foundation Board of Trustees. A member of the Board since 2019, Sam will serve a one-year term as chairman. The Tennessee Bar Foundation was established in 1982. Its mission is to administer Tennessee’s IOLTA (Interest On Lawyers’ Trust Accounts) program, honor distinguished attorneys as "Fellows," and support law-related public interest projects. The IOLTA program supports Tennessee’s Legal Aid programs and other non-profit organizations which provide legal services to the poor and/or work to improve the administration of justice. Sam is a former president of the Tennessee and Chattanooga Bar Associations and also currently serves as Chairman of the Tennessee Historical Commission.
