Family Panel of Professionals
Family Mediation
Mediation Organizations
Helpful Links
Fees
Workplace Mediation Articles
Civil Mediation Articles
Negotiation Articles
Mediation Humor Articles
Apology Articles
Contact
Hon. Paul Summers (Ret.) developed a keen interest in alternate 
dispute resolution (ADR) in the mid-1990s. As an appellate judge on the TN Court of Criminal Appeals, he understood the value of resolving disputes between the parties rather than battling in court. One of the first cases he encountered when he became Tennessee’s Attorney General in 1999 was Geier v. Sundquist, a higher education school desegregation lawsuit that languished in the court system for over 32 years. After studying the case’s history, General Summers suggested mediation to the federal judge; and the judge agreed. Within two years the case was settled and has since been dismissed because of Tennessee’s unitary system complying with the court’s orders.
General Summers was involved in hundreds of other complex cases, multi-state actions, the tobacco cases, tire and automobile industry multi-state cases, antitrust actions, consumer protection cases as well as Medicaid (TennCare) actions. General Summers plans to use his experience as a judge and Attorney General in managing conflicts among parties in complex problems before or after litigation. As AG, he led a staff of 340, including 170 attorneys, in all civil and criminal appellate litigation before state and federal courts. He also represented all agencies of state government. When he retired after eight years as Attorney General, he was serving as Chair of the Southern Region of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG).
General Summers now is a partner in Nashville’s largest law firm, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP. He was named as one of the 2007 Best Attorneys in Tennessee. Prior to his judgeship in the 1990s, he served as the elected District Attorney General for the five-county 25th Judicial District in Somerville, Tennessee, winning elections in 1982 and 1990. Before state public service, he practiced law in his hometown of Somerville, TN. He graduated with honors from both Mississippi State University and The University of Tennessee College of Law.
General Summers served as a JAG officer for more than 3 decades in both active and reserve duty with the Air Force, Army, and National Guard. He was an honor graduate of the U. S. Army Command & General Staff College. Retiring with the rank of colonel after 33 years of commissioned service, his last duty assignment was Command Staff Judge Advocate, TN Army National Guard. Upon his retirement in 2005, he was awarded the Legion of Merit by the President and the National Guard Distinguished Service Medal by the Governor of Tennessee.
General Summers is a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. He is past Chair of The Jason Foundation, Inc., a national nonprofit dedicated to the education and prevention of teenage suicide. He currently serves as Chair of the Government Relations Committee. He is a former adjunct professor at the University of Memphis College of Law and Cumberland University.
On a personal side, he enjoys watching his teenage son, Isaac, play golf and work out with General Summers in martial arts. A martial arts instructor, General Summers earned his black belt in karate at age 43. Isaac, the golf teacher, tries to educate his father on the finer points of that sport. The younger Summers has found that to be a challenge.
|
This site managed with Dynamic Website Technology
from Mediate.com Products and Services InstantAssist.com Conflict Consultation |