Nashville, Tenn., (January 26, 2012) – Bass, Berry & Sims PLC is pleased to announce that Keith B. Simmons and Shepherd D. Tate have been elected Fellows of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. The Bar Foundation is an association that honors attorneys throughout the State of Tennessee for their service to the profession. Simmons and Tate join with 33 other attorneys from across the State who have been extended invitations by the Foundation Board of Trustees to become Fellows in the class of 2012. The introduction of new Fellows took place at the annual Fellows’ Dinner on January 13 in Nashville.
The Bar Foundation is an association of 751 attorneys from across the State of Tennessee whose purpose is to honor attorneys who have distinguished themselves in the profession and to administer a public interest grant-making program, known as “IOLTA” (Interest On Lawyers’ Trust Accounts). To date, the Bar Foundation has awarded IOLTA grants in excess of $18,600,000 to law-related, public interest projects throughout Tennessee.
Simmons is a member in the law firm of Bass, Berry & Sims practicing in the Nashville office. He has been practicing law since 1976; since 1995, has served as Managing Partner of the firm. Simmons’ practice specialty is public finance, and his practice has encompassed financings for some of the smallest communities in the State of Tennessee to major, high-profile transactions for the major metropolitan areas in the State. He is active in community affairs, both locally and nationally, currently serving as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation, a member of the Board of Directors of the Nashville Public Library and the Nashville Public Library Foundation, a member of the Board of Directors of the Downtown Rotary Club, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Urban Libraries Council, an association of public libraries serving urban communities across the United States and Canada, and Chair-Elect of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading association of independent law firms.
Tate is a member in the Memphis office of Bass, Berry & Sims and has been practicing law for more than three decades. Tate is practice leader of the firm’s Broker-Dealer and Financial Products Litigation Group, and has focused his career on securities litigation, arbitration, compliance and regulatory matters. Away from the office, Tate has been active in civic affairs, serving on numerous boards and as secretary/counsel to the Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce.
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