Five BPJ Attorneys Selected as Fellows of Memphis Bar Foundation

Five BPJ Attorneys Selected as Fellows of Memphis Bar Foundation

LeeAnne Cox, Tannera Gibson, David Goodman, Doug Halijan and Laurel Williams have been selected as 2021 Fellows of the Memphis Bar Foundation.

The Memphis Bar Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Memphis Bar Association, with a mission to support public awareness of the legal system, promote social justice and legal education, and encourage professionalism among members of the Memphis Bar Association.

Each year, the Foundation selects a small number of prominent Memphis lawyers as Fellows. They are chosen based on their distinguished service to the legal profession and their adherence to the highest standards of professional ethics and personal conduct.

Congratulations to these five attorneys for being the latest members of Burch, Porter & Johnson to receive this well-deserved honor.

BPJ Associate Lani Lester honored in MBJ’s 2021 Best of the Bar

When the Memphis Business Journal asked BPJ Associate Lani Lester why she became a lawyer as part of this year’s Best of the Bar edition, she admitted she began her career with a romantic idea of what a lawyer could do – be a modern-day knight, courageously fighting for just causes.

Then she learned about real-life legal crusaders like the civil rights attorneys and legal scholars Lani Guinier and Pauli Murray, and she realized that their courage, along with their legal work, “had a much more tangible impact on civil rights and my life than any fictional character ever could.” She has taken their inspiration into her own legal career.

Lester, whose BPJ practice areas include commercial and municipal litigation and personal injury, told MBJ that seeking out mentors as a young lawyer is key to growth in the profession; she has found many helpful guides inside the firm. She also points out the importance of listening carefully to be able to hear and discern a client’s desired outcome, then working to craft the appropriate litigation objective.

Lester graduated from law school at the University of Memphis. She is one of 25 local attorneys included in this year’s Best of the Bar edition; nominations are submitted by the public and winners chosen by MBJ editors.

Congratulations, Lani, on this well-deserved honor!