News

The Tennessee Human Rights Commission has awarded Bruce Kramer its Human Rights Advocate Award for his "tireless efforts to secure equal justice and treatment for all."  The award, presented at the Commission's 50th Anniversary Commemorative Celebration on April 11, 2013.  For more information about the THRC and the award, please follow this link:  Tennessee Human Rights Commission 50th Anniversary

Seminars in Nashville and Memphis in May 2013 on Civil Justice for Victims of Crime in Tennessee featured two Apperson Crump attorneys among the four expert presenters:  Bruce S. Kramer and Elaine Sheng.  Mr. Kramer and Ms. Sheng joined Nashville attorney, John Day, and attorney Jeffrey R. Dion, Director of the National Crime Victim Bar Association, on the panel.  These two all-day seminars, co-sponsored by The National Center for Victims of Crime, were held on May 7 at the Fogelman Executive Conference Center at the University of Memphis, and on May 9 in Nashville at the Metro Police Department's West Precinct Community Room. 

Mr. Kramer has served as lead counsel in many significant civil and criminal cases for the past 30 years.  He was lead counsel in McClung vs. Delta Square in which the Tennessee Supreme Court adopted a new standard recognizing a duty of businesses to provide reasonable security to protect customers from foreseeable criminal assaults.  He has become a national "go-to" expert on the victimization of individuals due to inadequate security in commercial locations from Arizona to Florida.  Ms. Sheng's practice concentrates similarly on representing victims of crime.

The seminar, intended for victim advocates, mental health service providers, law enforcement personnel, social workers, prosecutors, policy makers, probation and parole officers, sexual assault and forensic nurse examiners, as well as crime victims, and focused specifically on Tennessee law as it relates to victims' rights.  

Gary K. Smith passed the gavel to Linda Seely as his last official act as President of the Memphis Bar Association at its annual luncheon on December 6, 2012, at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis. 

U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers have released the 2012-13 "Best Law Firms" rankings, marking the third edition of this highly-anticipated annual analysis. Apperson Crump was awarded "First-tier Ranking" in the magazine's categories of Elder Law, Medical Malpractice - Plaintiffs, Litigation - Municipal Law, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, Trusts and Estates, and Real Estate Law. In addition, five of the firm's attorneys, Thomas R. Buckner, Henry L. Klein, Gary K. Smith, William King Self, Jr., and William Joseph Aldridge, were recognized by the magazine as five of America's best lawyers.  The national first-tier rankings will be featured in U.S. News & World Report's Money issue, on newsstands this fall; the national and metropolitan first-tier rankings are featured in the "Best Law Firms" standalone publication, which is being distributed to 30,000 general counsel and in digital format to 58,000 private practice lawyers worldwide; the rankings in their entirety are posted online at:

http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com

Gary K. Smith, at his investiture as President of the Memphis Bar Association, announced that during his term he was initiating a project to educate the community on the importance of the rule of law in our country.  This is being accomplished by volunteer attorneys arranging speaking engagements before any groups willing to listen.  His first speech on the subject was recorded and may be viewed here in its entirety.  Law Rules: The Importance of the American Legal System

Thomas R. Buckner (Estate Planning and Probate), Bruce S. Kramer (Civil Rights/First Amendment), W. King Self, Jr. (Elder Law) and Gary K. Smith (Personal Injury Plaintiff: General) have been selected for inclusion in the 2012 edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers in their respective practice areas shown.  Super Lawyers is published annually by Thomson Reuters which selects its chosen attorneys using a rigorous, multistage process in which peer nominations and evaluations are combined with independent research.  Each year, they invite lawyers to nominate the top attorneys they've personally observed in action.  Thereafter, Thomson Reuters' attorney-led research staff also searches for lawyers who have attained certain honors or results.  Their researchers evaluate candidates by twelve indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement.  Research evaluations are based upon information from a variety of on-line and database sources including law firm web sites, legal publications and information supplied by lawyers.  We are proud of our members who are included in this prestigious publication

Richard Myers, Gary K. Smith and Bruce Smith have been selected "2013 Power Players" in the Business Litigation, Personal Injury and Employment Law sections, respectively, of the Memphis Business Quarterly.  The Memphis Business Quarterly is a business news and lifestyle magazine that tells the stories behind the headlines.

We are pleased to announce that Highwoods Properties has been awarded LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Counsel for our new office building in the Triad Centre, 6070 Poplar Avenue. We are proud of our landlord for achieving this internationally recognized certification, and thrilled to be their flagship tenant in this cutting edge green building. For more information about the Triad Centre see:  http://www.triadcentre.com/index.html.

Tom Buckner has again been named one of the 150 Best Lawyers in Tennessee for 2012 by BusinessTN. To make it easier to choose the right representation from among the state's roughly 18,000 active attorneys, BusinessTN has published its refreshed annual list of the 150 lawyers whose reputations and current high level of activity distinguish them from the rest. Tom Buckner was chosen for his expertise in Trust and Estates. Unlike many published lawyer lists derived more through application than true merit selection, this list is the product of BusinessTN's own due diligence based on peer review by other lawyers, judges, business executives and heads of organizations across the state.