Baker Donelson has appointed Ashley Gibson to serve as Pro Bono Committee Office Chair for the Firm's Chattanooga office.
In this role, Ms. Gibson will work to identify and address local pro bono needs while coordinating with Baker Donelson Pro Bono Shareholder Samuel T. Bowman for global pro bono initiatives.
Ms. Gibson is an associate in Baker Donelson's Chattanooga office, where she concentrates her practice on business litigation matters. Her practice is focused in the areas of products liability defense, professional liability, trade secret litigation, employee benefits litigation and general commercial litigation. Ms. Gibson is past president and current board member at-large for the Southeast Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women (SETLAW) and a board member of the Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women. She also serves as a mentor Big Sister for a child through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, which she has done since 2017.
Through its commitment to pro bono representation, Baker Donelson provides legal services to groups and individuals whose resources are limited. For decades, the Firm's attorneys have provided a variety of counsel to many underserved populations that have had no options for legal representation. Baker Donelson's efforts include work on a wide range of matters, such as advocating for the homeless and organizations that serve the homeless, providing corporate legal services to non-profit organizations, collaborating with our clients to address particular community needs, and much more. The Firm has been instrumental in efforts such as expanding the Homeless Experience Legal Protection (HELP) program across the Southeast; creating courts dedicated to handling minor legal matters common among the homeless; assisting persons of limited means with obtaining driver's licenses, an essential need in helping these individuals reintegrate into society; and spearheading and organizing volunteer lawyer programs across Baker Donelson's footprint.
Baker Donelson has led the way in the legal industry by being one of the first law firms in the Southeast to create a Pro Bono Committee and designate a Pro Bono Shareholder. To further its commitment to pro bono, Baker Donelson also designates Pro Bono Committee Office Chairs in most of its 21 offices. These chairs are best suited to address local needs while coordinating with the Firm's Pro Bono Shareholder for global pro bono initiatives. This structure ensures Baker Donelson is well-suited to further its goal of addressing broad spectrum needs across the Firm's footprint and beyond.