Tannera Gibson becomes MBA President “Between all of us, anything is possible.”

By LEANNE KLEINMANN

Tannera Gibson hadn’t been at Burch, Porter & Johnson long when BPJ attorney Les Jones pulled her into her first trial.

“I asked her three days before we were due in court if she would work on a (medical malpractice) trial with me. She jumped in,” said Jones. “We kept getting hung juries … we tried that case three different times.” They eventually won, and the bond between Gibson and Jones was cemented.

“She is possibly the hardest working lawyer I know, but it’s not just work to work,” he said. “She strives to do a great job for clients, but also to pave the way for other people who don’t come from traditional backgrounds. When you look at the milestones she’s reached, she wouldn’t have done all that if trying to fix inequality wherever she saw it weren’t a driving force behind who she is.”

Jumping in and working hard are professional habits for Gibson, who officially begins her term as president of the Memphis Bar Association on January 1. So is her passion for fixing inequality, as she pointed out in her inaugural speech.

As she became the first Black woman to lead the Memphis Bar Association in its 147-year history, she referenced a 1963 letter written by BPJ attorney and Memphis civil rights icon Lucius Burch, encouraging MBA members to remove the qualification of being white as a requirement for membership. He went on: “We cannot expect to preserve the (favored) image (of lawyers) if we inhibit human liberty rather than advance it.”

Gibson continued: “Why does it matter that the MBA has never before installed two firsts – back-to-back – as president?” Her predecessor, Peter Gee, was the first Asian-American MBA leader.

“Then I thought about Mr. Burch’s letter – advancing human liberty – and it occurred to me that this moment encompasses all the descriptors he mentioned. … It’s the audacity to believe that by bringing diverse voices to the table, to leadership, we can advance – together. Between all of us, anything is possible.”

The idea of “all of us” is not an abstract idea for Gibson: “I definitely have some plans I’m excited to implement in the coming year. So when I call on you, please answer.”

Alex Smith, Chief Human Resources Officer for the City of Memphis, says that in her work for the city, Gibson is a subject matter expert as well as a practical lawyer, whose ability to boil down complicated labor law and legislation is extremely valuable. As a Black woman and native Memphian, “she understands the challenges you can see with employees from a variety of different backgrounds. She brings a fair and equitable application of the law, but also a sense of understanding and empathy.”

“Tannera is very bright,” said Bruce McMullen, her mentor and managing shareholder of Baker Donelson in Memphis, “though a lot of people who are very bright don’t succeed at her level. She is able to take criticism and adjust, then get back out there to compete.”

Gibson and McMullen have talked frequently since early in Gibson’s legal career. Back then, he said, “I told her some of what she was facing is just how law firms run. It has nothing to do with your race or gender.” His mentee has grown to be a legal peer. “Now, I’ll call her for legal advice.”

Has there been progress for Black lawyers in Memphis since the early 2000s, when he became a partner? “There has been progress, but not as much as you might think,” McMullen said. “You still have to knock down barriers and open doors. We’ve just got to keep working.”

As Gibson begins her MBA term, she’s ready to do just that. 