BACKGROUND CHECK
Abby Rubenfeld | Bart Pickett
Born to progressive, Jewish parents in a small town in New York, Abby Rubenfeld moved with her family to Sarasota, Florida, at age seven. She remembers coming of age during the years of integration which had a lasting effect on her. Her parents instilled a sense of caring and equality in her at a young age. She grew up wanting to become a lawyer to help others and has been fortunate enough to achieve that goal. Following her high school graduation, Abby headed back north to attend Princeton University in New Jersey, where she was part of the third class that included women. She recalls multiple issues at a school that had not prepared for the entry of women including a lack of bathrooms and a plan for women’s sports. Luckily, while she was still attending, women’s sports began and they needed players. At 5-foot-tall, she still holds the record for the shortest lettered basketball player at Princeton. She laughingly remembers listing her height as 5’2” in the program. She also lettered in rowing and was elected the first woman class president. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1976. Loving Princeton, she stayed in town an extra year
and worked for a professor before going to law school. Abby then moved to Boston where she attended Boston University Law School—she does not look fondly on her time there. The cold weather coupled with a law school with a corporate focus left her longing. It was, however, the time that she came out as a lesbian and she helped create the Boston University Gay and Lesbian Law Association. During law school, Abby spent time visiting friends in Nashville which led to her seeking an internship at what was then the Legal Services of Middle Tennessee. She fell in love with the city and decided to return after law school graduation. Once she arrived in Nashville, Abby was referred to Rose Palermo and Denty Cheatham for employment. She worked with them for three and a half years doing mostly domestic and employment discrimination work. During that time, she became acquainted with the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. When an opening to be their legal director came up, she jumped at the opportunity and moved to New York City in 1983. She originally committed to two years but ultimately stayed five and a half. During that time, she kept her home in Nashville and kept her Tennessee law license active. When she returned to Nashville, Abby found herself once again working with Rose and Denty before starting her own practice. She has maintained Rubenfeld Law Office ever since, taking on many high-profile cases including being co-counsel for the Tennessee plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case that granted marriage
equality. Her practice consists mostly of domestic, civil rights, employment discrimination, and some minor criminal cases. She has been fortunate to receive lots of work from her contacts in Nashville’s gay community but has also found as time has passed that she gets clients from a wide spectrum. The self-proclaimed workaholic works out of her office in an old house in East Nashville near Five Points. During her time in Nashville, Abby has seen the city and its legal community truly grow to be more inclusive and diverse. She recalls times when, particularly in rural courts, she would be laughed at by the judge for some of her cases. She points to the diversity of the Davidson County Chancellors as a great sign of progress. Abby has no plans to retire and jokes that she might die at her desk or during a heated exchange in court. She and her wife, Helia Rethmann, live on 13 acres near Whites Creek with their 3 horses, 5 dogs, and 8 cats. Abby has two daughters (30 and 26) and a stepdaughter (25). She met her wife, a German citizen, back in 2004 through politics. While she admittedly does not have much free time, when she does, you can likely find her rooting for her beloved Titans from the stands. n BART PICKETT is an attorney at the Law Offices of Julie Bhattacharya Peak where he represents Liberty Mutual Group, Inc.’s insureds and customers of its affiliated groups in litigation throughout Middle Tennessee. Prior to practicing, Pickett worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Judge Thomas W. Brothers of the Sixth Circuit Court of Davidson County and the Honorable Joseph P. Binkley, Jr. of the Fifth Circuit Court of Davidson County.
APR/MAY 2021 | NASHVILLE BAR JOURNAL
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