Legal Aid Society Hires Two Attorneys, Expands Legal Expertise

NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 28, 2017 — Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Tennessee’s largest non-profit law firm, announced today that two new attorneys – Kerry Dietz and Tiffany Tant-Shafer – have joined the firm.

Dietz will practice in the areas of mortgage foreclosure, housing and consumer law in the Gallatin office of Legal Aid Society. She most recently worked as interim counsel for Congressman Jim Cooper, where she researched and advised on legislative developments regarding intellectual property in the music industry, healthcare and education policy.

Prior to her time at the Office of Congressman Jim Cooper, Dietz interned with the Magistrate Judge John Bryant in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. She also worked with Ozment Law and The Immigrant Legal Resource Center to update their guide on how to protect constitutional rights of immigrants during removal proceedings.

Dietz graduated from George Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She earned her J.D. from Belmont University, where she was awarded best performance in contracts and sales, constitutional law and evidence. While earning her J.D., she was the editor in chief of the university’s Law Review.

“Kerry’s work experiences before coming to Legal Aid Society will be an asset when working with the clients she will be serving,” said Allison Cooley, managing attorney for Legal Aid Society’s Gallatin office. “She has an enthusiasm for assisting people who often cannot find justice themselves.”

Tant-Shafer joins Legal Aid Society’s Tullahoma office as its newest attorney with a focus on family, health and benefits and juvenile law. Prior to joining Legal Aid Society, she established her own firm where she was a sole practitioner primarily advocating for children as a court-appointed guardian ad litem.

Prior to launching her firm, Tant-Shafer was a full-time adjunct professor of legal studies at Missouri Western State University, where she coordinated a student project with the Midwest Innocence Project. She was previously an associate for The Law Office of Craig D. Ritchie, P.C., handling family and appellate cases and worked as a family law attorney for Legal Aid of Western Missouri.

Tant-Shafer graduated from The University of the South with a bachelor’s degree in English. She earned her J.D. from Washburn University School of Law and her LL.M. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. At Washburn, she was the student editor in chief of the American Bar Association’s Family Law Quarterly, awarded the John K. Kleinheksel Prize for Excellence in Oral Advocacy and inducted to the Phi Delta Phi International Legal Honor Society.

“Tiffany’s work as a guardian ad litem and family law attorney is already proving helpful for the domestic violence survivors she is working with,” said Iska Hoole, managing attorney for the Tullahoma office of Legal Aid Society. “She has so much compassion for her clients and is willing to go the extra step to make sure they achieve safety and independence.”

About Legal Aid Society
Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands advocates for fairness and justice under the law. The non-profit law firm offers free civil legal representation and educational programs to help people in its region receive justice, protect their well-being and support opportunities to overcome poverty. It serves 48 counties from offices in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge and Tullahoma. Legal Aid Society is funded in part by United Way. Learn more at www.las.org, or by following the firm on Facebook.