ACC TN Q1 Newsletter

ACC TN Winter Newsletter | March 2022

Melanie, We Will Miss You!

For the past five years, Melanie Gober Grand has served as the Executive Director of ACC TN, helping lead the Chapter through a significant period of growth and maturity. In February, Melanie announced her decision to resign as Executive Director of ACC TN, effective February 28, 2022. We will miss Melanie's leadership and the significant contributions she has made to ACC TN.

A graduate of the Southeastern Paralegal Institute, Melanie has been engaged in the greater-Nashville legal community for more than 40 years. In 1994, Melanie began providing management and consulting services to non-profits, small business, and solo legal practitioners in middle Tennessee, and in 2000, she became the Executive Director of the Lawyers' Association of Women (LAW) - Marion Griffin Chapter, a role in which Melanie continues to serve. LAW is a wonderful organization promoting the development, growth, and collaboration of women lawyers in the greater-Nashville area. In 2017, Melanie also became the Executive Director of ACC TN, and began splitting her valuable time between these two amazing organizations.

In conjunction with three ACC TN Presidents, including past-presidents Justin Martin and Steve Cavezza, and a strong and versatile Board of Directors, Melanie's hard work and leadership has resulted in many significant accomplishments during her tenure as Executive Director, including:

ACC TN membership growth to 600 members
Increased diversity among ACC TN's Board of Directors
Expansion of ACC TN's CLE programs and member social events across the state, with ACC TN hosting more than 30 events over the past two years
Development of ACC TN's first-ever half-day CLE program in 2019, along with the Chapter's first-ever statewide member and sponsor appreciation event. Since that time, ACC TN's MBA in a Half-day CLE program has become ACC TN's annual flagship event
As a result of restrictions imposed by the COVID pandemic, ACC TN seamlessly transitioned its in-person CLE programming and social events to virtual forums in 2020, ensuring ACC TN members continued to have for numerous opportunities and outlets for continuing legal education, professional development, and social engagement
For the first time in the history of ACC TN, the Chapter was recognized by ACC National for its leadership and growth, receiving ACC National's Chapter of Distinction: Silver Award in 2019. Then in 2020, and again in 2021, ACC TN received ACC National's highest honor, receiving its coveted Chapter of Distinction: Gold Award (one of only 15 chapters globally to receive this exceptional award).

In announcing her resignation to ACC TN's Board of Directors, Melanie said, "I am proud of the chapter's progress over the past five years since I became involved with ACC TN. Becoming an ACC Chapter of Distinction was a milestone in 2019, and achieving and maintaining the Gold Distinction during the transition to online programming during COVID was an excellent achievement for the chapter. The chapter's strides in expanding the sponsorship program have been phenomenal over the years, and hope it continues to be a huge success."

Please join me in thanking Melanie for her tremendous leadership and service to ACC TN over the past five years, and in wishing Melanie continued success in all of her current and future endeavors. We will miss you Melanie!

Currently, ACC TN's Board of Directors is conducting a search to select and onboard a new Executive Director. In the interim, ACC TN's Chapter Administrator, Emily Johannsen, has agreed to provide enhanced services to ensure ongoing operations and facilitate a smooth transition. If you have a question or need support during the transition, please contact Emily at admin-tn@accglobal.com.

Scott

J. Scott Ellis

Chapter President

Search for New Executive Director

ACC TN is searching for its next Executive Director. Specifically, we are looking for an independent contractor (individual) to oversee, provide, and coordinate the management and administrative services necessary to maintain the Chapter's daily operations, activities, and initiatives. This is primarily a work-from-home position although some in-person attendance at programs, meetings, and other events is required. It is anticipated that these services can be performed on a part-time basis (averaging 20 hours per week). Candidates must reside in Tennessee, preferably in the greater Nashville area. Candidates must be confident, professional, and comfortable speaking in public and engaging effectively, both in-person and in writing, with attorneys and other legal professionals. To learn more or to submit an application, please click here. Applicants selected for further consideration will be contacted by an ACC-TN representative

Winter Pro Bono Event A Huge Success!

On January 27,2022, ACC TN members from across the state participated in the first-ever Virtual Free Legal Answers Clinic in conjuntion with ACC TN Diamond Sponsor, Butler Snow. The program began with introductions and brief training session presented by the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services, which administers the Free Legal Answers program in Tennessee. Thereafter, ACC TN members were paired with attorneys from Butler Snow in virtual break-out rooms to review and answer questions on the Free Legal Answers website. The site hosts questions of all types submitted by residents across the state of Tennessee who are eligible for free legal assistance and seeking guidance as to how to proceed. Participants also received CLE credit for their participation in the event. ACC TN members who participated in the program said they found the event to be fun, engaging, and low-stress, and that they enjoyed the opportunity to work with other attorneys to help fellow Tennesseans in-need by providing answers to real-world legal questions and problems.

Peter Malanchuk, Senior Counsel, Labor & Employment at Bridgestone Americas, and ACC TN President-elect, participated in the event and had this to say:

Our Chapter’s partnership with Butler Snow for the Tennessee Free Legal Answers pro bono initiative was a terrific way to provide direct impact legal services to individuals across our state. Interestingly, our group relied more on problem solving and identifying resources for individuals than actual subject matter expertise. It also was a pleasure getting to know our friends at Butler Snow. Our group definitely had some fun along the way. I’d definitely sign up again in the future.

ACC TN's Public Interest & Advocacy Committee continues to explore fun, engaging, and stress-free opportunities for members to participate in pro bono and other community service initiatives across the state, and we plan to host more Free Legal Answer Clinics in both virtual and in-person settings later in 2022. For more information, or to join ACC TN's Public Interest & Advocacy Committee, please send an email to accglobal@acc-tennessee.com.

Stephanie Chambers

Public Interest & Advocacy Committee, Chair

Upcoming Events

2021 IP Case Law Update for In-house Counsel

March 24, 2022

3:00 - 5:00 PM CDT

One Hour Dual Credit CLE

3:00 to 4:00 PM - IP Case Law Update

4:00 to 5:00 PM - Whiskey Tasting

Brought to you by ACC TN Gold Sponsor - Patterson Intellectual Property Law PC

*Due to the popularity of this program, we have reached our capacity for in-person attendance, but virtual (online) attendance remains available.

Discounted Membership During Global Membership Month

March is ACC's Global Membership Month, and ACC is offering a $50 discount off annual memberships through the end of the month. Go to ACC's membership page and enter the code GMM50 to take advantage of this limited-time offer!

And don't forget to share this limited-time offer with your in-house friends and colleagues, so they too can begin receiving exclusive access to ACC's in-house programming, networking, resources, and other opportunities.

Members on the Move

Antonio Carroll - Staff Attorney, Nashville Electric Service was selected for the Nashville Bar Association's 2022 Nashville Bar Foundation Leadership Forum Class.

David Chambers - ACC TN Board Member and Vice President - Western Region recently transitioned from Senior Counsel, IP at Smith & Nephew to Senior Principal IP Legal Counsel at Metronic in Memphis.

Scott Laughlin - ACC TN Sponsorship Committee Chair was recently promoted to General Counsel at Plaza Home Mortgage. Scott has also been nominated for ONCON's 2022 Top 100 Information Security Professionals Award.

Peter Malanchuk - ACC TN Board Member and President-Elect; Senior Counsel, Labor & Employment, Bridgestone Americas, Inc. received a Bridgestone Legal Department “Driven to Serve” Award for going above and beyond as a strategic business partner and trusted advisor to internal clients.

Margaret Brooke Smith - Assistant General Counsel, CoreCivic was selected for the Nashville Bar Association's 2022 Nashville Bar Foundation Leadership Forum Class.

K. Leigh Walls - Assistant General Counsel, CoreCivic was elected to the Board of Directors for Advancing Women in Nashville (AWIN) in January 2022, whose mission is to advance and develop women leaders as business and community leaders, with special emphasis on the context and needs of the Middle Tennessee region.

Gulam Zade - ACC TN Board Member has been elected president of the Nashville Bar Association, with his term commencing in 2023.

*Have you or one of your in-house colleagues changed jobs, been promoted, or received professional recognition? Share the news with ACC TN members by sending a note to acc-tennessee@accglobal.com.

Save the Date

Check out Upcoming Events in your Region

Knoxville TN Region

Date: May 5th

Event: In-person social event

Time and Location: TBD