Knoxville lawyer R. Culver Schmid will be presented with the prestigious Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing on June 17 during the Tennessee Bar Association's (TBA) annual convention in Nashville.
The award was established nearly 40 years ago and is given each year to the lawyer "who writes the most outstanding article that is published in the ... Tennessee Bar Journal for the preceding year. Named for Henry, a former chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court known for his forthright and clear writing, the purpose of the award is to encourage practicing Tennessee lawyers to write scholarly yet practical articles that will be of maximum benefit to the members of our bar."
This year's winning article is "Restoring Rights of Individuals Convicted of a Felony Crime: A Manual," which was published in the May/June 2021 issue.
The Joe Henry Award is chosen by a committee made up of the chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court or his designee, deans of some of the state's law schools or their designees – on a rotating basis – and the president of the Tennessee Bar Association. This year the judges were Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger A. Page; Belmont University College of Law Dean Alberto R. Gonzales; Nashville School of Law Dean William C. Koch Jr.; Vanderbilt Law School Dean Chris Guthrie; and TBA President Sherie L. Edwards.
Culver is office managing shareholder in Baker Donelson's Knoxville office, and a member of its Real Estate/Finance Group. He focuses his practice on commercial transactions including real estate development and finance, business acquisitions, secured lending, commercial and residential condominium law and more. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Judges said Culver's article did, "an excellent job laying out the statistics and statutes regarding lost voting rights in Tennessee, and then guiding the reader clearly and succinctly through the process of restoring those rights. The author also discusses why lawyers, particularly, should care about this issue. The author has provided attorneys a helpful guide for how to assist those who wish to have their voting rights restored."
The TBA was founded in 1881. Its membership represents the entire spectrum of the legal profession in Tennessee and beyond. The TBA is open to all licensed attorneys in good standing, and it is dedicated to enhancing fellowship and professionalism among the members of Tennessee's legal community.