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Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey Award
Justice Cornelia A. Clark
Justice Cornelia Clark has been selected for the 2017 Judge Martha Craig Daughtery Award. Judge Clark was appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2005 and was elected to a full eight-year term in August 2006. She has served longer than any other member of the current Court. In 2010, she was sworn in as Chief Justice, becoming the second woman in Tennessee history to serve in that role. She has served as the Chair of the Judicial Council and the State’s First Chair of Tennessee Judicial Evaluation Commission. Before her selection to the Supreme Court, Justice Clark served as Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts and appointed Circuit Court Judge for the 21st Judicial District in 1989 where she served as the first woman trial judge to serve in rural counties from 1989 to 1999. Also preceding her appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice Clark served as a LAW Director for two years. She also was one of the first women partners in a large law firm in Nashville, Farris, Warfield & Kanaday.
Justice Clark worked tirelessly to help Middle Tennesseans of all ages and backgrounds learn about the judicial system. She has made innumerable presentations at churches, schools, women’s organizations, Rotary clubs, libraries, and other community events, such as Leadership Franklin and citizens police academies. She has served the Congressional Conference on Civics Education as a National Judge for the “We the People” High School completion, helped create the Tennessee Supreme Court’s SCALES program, has taught more than 450 schools and 25,000 students in the state about the importance of the legal system, and served as a leader in the Access to Justice faith-based initiative. Justice Clark is both a role model and an advocate for women across the state. Justice Clark has spent her career working to ensure that Tennessee’s legal system is fair for all citizens and paved the way for women to take on roles of responsibility. Her dedication to the legal community and promoting women in the legal profession demonstrates why Justice Clark is so deserving of this award.
Rising Star Award
Ashonti T. Davis
Ashonti Davis has been selected for the 2017 LAW Rising Star Award. Ashonti has served LAW as a Newsletter Editor, First-Year Director, and a Second-Year Director. In addition to her commitment to LAW, Ashonti is also dedicated to her profession and her community.
She has served as a Judicial Clerk to the Honorable John W. McClarty on the Tennessee Court of Appeals, worked as a litigation attorney at both Miller & Martin, PLLC and Butler Snow, LLP, and is now in-house counsel at Aetna Senior Supplemental Insurance.
She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Nashville Bar Association, and the Harry Phillips American Inn of Court. Ashonti has also been selected as a Member of the Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law Program, the Nashville Bar Foundation Leadership Forum, and the Young Leaders Council.
Her community involvement includes coaching a mock trial team at Stratford High School, serving as a mentor for the Nashville Bar Association’s Minority Internship Program, coaching a mock trial teams at the 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee Summer Camps, and being a Board Member of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. With all of her accomplishments and dedication to LAW, it is easy to see why Ashonti was selected as LAW’s 2017 Rising Star Award.
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