The 2026 William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award will be presented to Baker Donelson attorney and former Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) President George T. "Buck" Lewis next month by the Fellows of the TBA Young Lawyers Division. Named for former Attorney General William M. Leech Jr., the award is given each year to a Tennessee lawyer who has been of outstanding service to the profession, the legal system, and their community. The award will be presented at the TBA's Annual Convention in Knoxville on June 12 during the Lawyers Luncheon.
Mr. Lewis is a shareholder in the Memphis office of Baker Donelson and leads the Firm's Appellate Group. A graduate of the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law, he has practiced law for almost 45 years, focusing on class action, business litigation, and appellate work. He also is the Larry Wilks Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at Winston College of Law and co-founder of the newly renamed Pamela Reeves Institute for Professional Leadership. His contributions to the profession include serving as president of the TBA and the Memphis Bar Foundation and as a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates.
Mr. Lewis' career also has focused on promoting access to justice initiatives in Tennessee and across the country. He is a past chair of the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission and the ABA Pro Bono and Public Service Committee. He was instrumental in launching Tennessee Free Legal Answers – an online legal clinic allowing clients to post legal needs and attorneys to assist through email – and taking the project nationwide through ABA Free Legal Answers. Mr. Lewis also has served on the board of the Tennessee Justice Center and chaired Memphis Area Legal Services' Campaign for Equal Justice. His work has been recognized with the Justice Janice M. Holder Award for Access to Justice from the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services and the W.J. Michael Cody Pro Bono Award from the Memphis Bar Association.
Most recently, Mr. Lewis founded and provided initial funding for the Justice Frank F. Drowota Trust to support organizations providing legal services to low-income individuals in the state. He also led fundraising efforts, raising $500,000 in direct donations and $2.5 million in bequests. The charitable fund – the only long-term philanthropic vehicle of its kind in the country – recently announced its first round of grant recipients and unveiled a new website created by former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee at DrowotaTrust.com. The site features information about the mission, history, and purpose of the trust, profiles of the trustees, and a secure link for donations.
TBA YLD Fellows President and Memphis lawyer Mason Wilson said the group selected Mr. Lewis this year for his long involvement in the TBA, his commitment to the betterment of the legal profession, and his groundbreaking work in the field of leadership development at the Winston College of Law.
"Buck Lewis represents the best of the Tennessee legal community," said Mr. Wilson. "From his bar association service to promoting legal services for those who cannot afford a lawyer, and now his work developing leadership qualities in Tennessee law students, he embodies the ideals of the William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award. The TBA YLD Fellows are proud to present this award to him in June."