U.S. Attorney Dunavant Selected to the Tennessee Bar Foundation

Memphis, TN – U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant was recently elected a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation, an association of 868 attorneys across the state. Invitations to membership, which is a position of honor, were extended to 24 attorneys this year by the Board of Trustees. The introduction of new Fellows took place in January at the annual Fellows' Dinner in Nashville.

The Foundation functions with a two-fold purpose. First, it honors attorneys who have distinguished themselves in the profession. The Bar Fellows are limited to those outstanding lawyers, judges and teachers of law licensed to practice for a period of 15 years who have: a) demonstrated an uncompromised dedication to integrity and high personal and professional ethical standards; and b) made outstanding and recognized contributions to the legal profession and to the public good.

Since the program’s inception in 1986, the Foundation’s second purpose is to administer the "IOLTA" (Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts) program of the Tennessee Supreme Court. Through this program, grants have been awarded in excess of $22,000,000 to law-related public interest projects throughout Tennessee, including providers of legal services to the indigent, organizations that seek to improve the administration of justice, and to law students as scholarships. The 2019 IOLTA award recipients in the Western District of Tennessee include, West Tennessee Legal Services, Inc., in Jackson, the Community Legal Center, the Kindred Place (f/k/a Exchange Club Family Center) in Memphis, and Memphis Area Legal Services, Inc.

"I am honored to be selected as a Fellow along with so many distinguished lawyers and judges who have given distinguished service to the administration of justice in Tennessee," Dunavant said. "The Tennessee Bar Foundation is vital to promoting the highest standards of the legal profession, and I look forward to this unique opportunity to support and participate in its important mission."

D. Michael Dunavant is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and the University Of Mississippi School Of Law, and has been practicing law in West Tennessee for 24 years, including 11 years as the District Attorney General for the 25th Judicial District of Tennessee and 11 years in private practice. Dunavant currently serves as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.