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BACKGROUND CHECK Judge Cindy Chappell | Bart Pickett
Of the large crop of new judges elected last year, Cindy Chappell has the distinction of being the last entrant to the ring. When Judge Fishburn announced his retirement, any hopeful contender had less than 24 hours to qualify. Chappell recalls her mentor and colleague, Hal Hardin, breaking the news and asking if she wanted to run. At 5 pm she thought no but reversed course by 11 pm. She had twice applied for a judicial appointment but had never considered a run for office. Looking back, the short timeline worked in Chappell’s favor as if she had longer, she probably would have talked herself out of it. Luckily for Davidson County, she stayed in and became the judge of Davidson County Criminal Court, Division VI.
Chappell, the oldest of 3, hails from the West Tennessee town of McKenzie. Growing up her father was the head coach of the football team and her mother, who stayed at home in the early years, went back to school to become a teacher and graduated college the same year that Chappell graduated high school. In high school, Chappell played basketball, softball, was in the color guard, and even managed the football team.
Chappell had always been interested in Rhodes College in Memphis because her paternal grandparents had met there as students. Rhodes offered Chappell an academic scholarship which solidified her choice. At Rhodes, she played soccer and majored in Psychology. At the time, she wanted to go into the FBI or law enforcement. Following a chance encounter with the LSAT, she scored well and got a scholarship to Memphis Law which changed her path.
During her third year in law school, Chappell did a clerkship for the Shelby County Criminal Court judges. Following graduation in 1993, she accepted a job offer from Russell X. Thompson, a solo practitioner in Bolivar, TN. For two years Thompson took the time to explain the basic mechanics of a law practice. This one-on-one experience was invaluable and gave her a good base to start her career.
Following an invitation from her future husband, Jack Brown, Chappell moved to Nashville in 1995. Since she had no job lined up, she started taking criminal appointments from the jail docket and enjoyed practicing criminal defense. For most of her practice, she was a solo practitioner, but she benefited from a long association with Dodson Parker & Behm, which she loved. The esteemed Margaret Behm would later agree to serve as Chappell’s treasurer.
A happenstance move to office space in 1999 led Chappell to meet Hardin who has had more influence on her career than anyone. Chappell and Hardin worked on many interesting cases together up until her election. Chappell practiced criminal defense in both state and federal court. She also ended up doing quite a bit of family law in her career. She represented many clients in divorces, particularly lawyers.
As she approaches the end of her first year on the bench, Chappell has an even greater amount of respect for the judiciary. Every decision, even the seemingly small ones, can have a dramatic impact on a person’s life. Chappell has appreciated the different rhythm of judging compared to practicing law, but she does miss meeting clients and learning their stories. Reviewing search warrant applications has been surprisingly interesting, and she is working to streamline the search warrant application process.
Chappell has been impressed with the level of preparation of the attorneys who appear in Division VI. She’s proud that Davidson County has that caliber of lawyers. Karen Barnes is Chappell’s Chief of Staff ensuring coordination between the office and the courtroom. During her relatively short tenure on the bench, Chappell has had 10 jury trials and several bench trials. She has learned a lot and continues to learn in her new role which she finds to be immensely fulfilling.
Chappell has two sons, Jackson (20) and Isaac (14). They enjoy exploring Nashville and attend Calvary United Methodist Church. n
