Behm and Yarbro Named to Nashville Post’s “In Charge 2023: Legal” List
DPBC’s Margaret Behm and Tyler Chance Yarbro have been named to the Nashville Post’s “In Charge 2023: Legal” List. Since 2010, the Nashville-based business publication has compiled a list of what it terms “Nashville’s most influential people,” recognizing the top business, political, and civic leaders in the Nashville area.
The 2023 publication cites Behm’s efforts to bring a women’s professional sports team to Nashville. Behm and Yarbro are both recognized for their work founding Tennessee Freedom Circle, a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization advocating for reproductive freedom.
DPBC’s Michael Bressman Recognized for Teaching Excellence
Michael Bressman serves as Professor of the Practice of Law at Vanderbilt Law School where he has taught a variety of courses over the last 15 years. This year, Professor Bressman received the Hall-Hartman Award honoring excellent teaching for one of the first-year sections of Contracts. He also teaches Intellectual Property and the Arts Clinic, and directs the Law School’s clerkship program.
Hall-Hartman Awards recipients are selected by students through surveys conducted by the Vanderbilt Bar Association. The Awards are named in honor of Professors Emeritus Donald J. Hall and Paul Hartman, who were both revered for their excellence in teaching.
Tyler Yarbro Speaks at UT-LAW Symposium on the Aftermath of Dobbs
Tyler Yarbro was a featured panelist at the University of Tennessee’s Law Symposium & CLE, “Deeply Rooted: Discussing the Aftermath of Dobbs,” on March 9. Yarbro spoke on how the abortion ban enacted after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision has affected physicians and pregnant patients in Tennessee. Yarbro and the panel of speakers discussed the devastating impact of this law, which provides no exceptions, and the efforts of various organizations, including the Tennessee Freedom Circle, in navigating this unprecedented situation.
Women’s Political Collaborative Awards Margaret Behm with Inaugural Barbara Haynes Lifetime Achievement Award
Women’s Political Collaborative of Tennessee is celebrating “50 Years of Action” with an event hosted at the Woolworth Theater on March 29 at 5:30 pm. Judge Barbara Haynes, Nashville’s first woman General Sessions Judge and co-founder of the Lawyers Association for Women, will be remembered for years to come with the WPC’s Barbara Haynes Lifetime Achievement Award. This year, Margaret Behm is honored to be the first recipient of this award. Click here for more information.
DPBC’s Margaret Behm Interviews Attorney and Author Ashley Wiltshire
Margaret Behm interviewed Ashley Wiltshire in celebration of the release of his book Everyday Justice: A Legal Aid Story. Wiltshire’s book explores the history of the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, highlighting the triumphs and successes of this organization, and acknowledging the work yet to be done to achieve justice for all. The non-profit law firm was founded in 1968 by eight attorneys who saw a need for marginalized and vulnerable people to be able to access legal representation to protect their rights. Harlan Dodson, who attended the event, said, “It was wonderful to hear the stories from the lawyers who took something thought to be impossible and made it normal. Against great opposition they have managed to build this organization of experienced and talented lawyers who have this main goal of providing legal services to those who otherwise couldn’t obtain them.” You can purchase a copy of the book here. Pictured below is Margaret Behm with Ashley Wiltshire and Judge Walter Kurtz, former Director of the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands.
DPBC’s Donald Capparella Appointed to Serve on Tennessee Advisory Commission
Donald Capparella has been appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to a three-year term on the Tennessee Advisory Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure. The Advisory Commission, formed under T.C.A. §16-3-601, reviews and makes recommendations to the Court on the rules of practice and procedure that apply in Tennessee courts. You can read the full announcement here.
DPBC’s Margaret Behm to Speak at LAW’s Upcoming Dual CLE, Holiday Mixer & Shopping
Margaret Behm will be speaking on Gender Equity in Sports and Sports Law at the Lawyers’ Association for Women – Marion Griffin Chapter’s CLE on Tuesday, December 13th, 2023. The event will be held at Butler Snow in downtown, Nashville with registration beginning at 2:30. A holiday mixer and shopping event will be held after the CLE until 7:30. Click here to register or for more information.
DONALD CAPPARELLA FEATURED ON THE COVER OF 2022 MID-SOUTH SUPER LAWYER MAGAZINE
Super Lawyer Magazine’s writer, Nancy Henderson, dives into the story of Donald Capparella and explores his past and his passions for theater and the law, that has contributed to the attorney he is today. Click the link to read the “The Shakespeare Guy.”
DPBC Welcomes Two New Attorneys
The firm is pleased to announce the addition of two attorneys to its roster. Jacob A. Vanzin has joined the trial and appellate litigation practice group, and Julie Downs “J.D.” Payne was added to the business services team.
Jacob A. Vanzin joined Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella in August 2022. Before joining the firm, Jacob was in private practice for almost a decade in Franklin, Tennessee. Jacob has litigated cases both large and small, where the amounts in dispute ranged from a few thousand dollars to over forty million dollars. He has served as lead appellate counsel in a number of cases and has represented criminal defendants facing charges ranging from public intoxication to first-degree murder. Jacob graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with his bachelor’s degree in history and political science, then went on to obtain his law degree, cum laude, from Washington University in St. Louis. While at Washington University, Jacob was a National Quarterfinalist and 10th Place National Best Advocate in the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition. As a litigation and appellate attorney, Jacob will represent clients in commercial litigation, real estate disputes, and appeals.
Julie Downs “J.D.” Payne has joined Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella’s business services practice group. Julie was the first graduate of the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University, with a bachelor’s degree in political science and pre-law. Julie began attending Nashville School of Law two weeks after her youngest child was born. While attending law school at night, she clerked for Chancellor Anne C. Martin, before joining Dodson Parker as a full-time law clerk under her mentor Harlan Dodson, one of the founding partners of the firm. Julie was awarded the Founder’s Award and inducted into the Honorable Society of Cooper’s Inn for holding the highest overall grade point average in her graduating class. Julie will represent clients in all aspects of estate planning and business law.
Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella Attorneys Tyler Yarbro and Margaret Behm Among Founders of Tennessee Freedom Circle to Raise Awareness and Advocate for Reproductive Freedoms
Tyler Yarbro and Margaret Behm are among a group of lawyers who have founded the Tennessee Freedom Circle, an organization that seeks to connect and educate lawyers working to advance reproductive freedoms and to empower those who want to make changes to the laws that impair the reproductive decisions of all Tennesseans. The group came together following the August 25, 2022 enactment of Tennessee’s trigger ban law, which criminalizes the act of performing an abortion.
You can read more about Tennessee Freedom Circle and the efforts of its founders, by visiting the website www.tnfreedomcircle and by following the media coverage of the organization’s launch at WPLN-News, News Channel 5, and Tennessee Lookout.
