NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TN Tribune) — Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee will be honored this month with the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Outstanding Judicial Service Award. The award will be presented at the Bench Bar Luncheon set for June 15 as part of the association’s Annual Convention in Knoxville.
Justice Lee has been a member of the state Supreme Court since 2008. From 2014-2016, she served as chief justice, working tirelessly to improve the state’s legal system and its administration of justice. She has been a strong advocate of access to justice efforts, established the state’s first Business Court pilot project, implemented electronic filing with the appellate courts, and undertook a review of the state’s indigent representation system.
Prior to joining the state’s highest court, Lee served for four years, from 2004-2008, on the Tennessee Court of Appeals. Her presence on that court was historic, as she was the first woman to serve on the Eastern Section of the court in its 79-year history.
Throughout her judicial career, Lee has shown dedication to legal principles, a love of the law, humility, respect for those appearing before the courts, and a recognition that cases involve not only legal issues and concepts, but real problems that impact real people’s lives. She is often described as a “Justice for the People.”
Lee’s involvement in the legal community has been extensive including service with the Tennessee Judicial Conference, Tennessee Bar Foundation, Knoxville Bar Foundation, American Bar Foundation, Tennessee Bar Association House of Delegates, University of Tennessee College of Law Alumni Advisory Council and Dean’s Circle, Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women, East Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women, Monroe County Bar Association, Knoxville Bar Association, National Association of Women Judges, Tennessee Municipal Judges’ Association, Tennessee County Attorneys Association, American Judicature Society, and Scribes: The American Society of Legal Writers.
Lee also has been a strong advocate for women in the law, serving as a role model for many young women interested in the law and as a mentor for those who are building their practice.
Lee also has been active in the community as a volunteer with a number of organizations, including the Knoxville YWCA, East Tennessee Historical Society, Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, Monroe County Boys and Girls Club, Volunteer Ministry Center, and Knoxville Executive Women’s Association. She also has spoken at countless legal and public events. As a result of her judicial and community service, Lee has received numerous accolades and awards, many of which are detailed in a press release from the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts.
The Drowota Award is given to a judge or judicial branch official of a federal, state or local court in Tennessee who has demonstrated extraordinary devotion and dedication to the improvement of the law, the legal system and the administration of justice as exemplified by the career of former Supreme Court Justice Frank F. Drowota III — the award’s first recipient. It is the TBA’s highest award for service to the judiciary and has been given annually for more than a decade.
