James Cope
· civil litigation
· corporate law
· governmental law
Mr. Cope is the senior partner of CHSR&M, and has been engaged
in the practice of law since 1974. His practice is focused in the areas
of civil litigation, corporate and governmental law.
Mr.
Cope currently serves as County Attorney for Rutherford County,
Tennessee, and has done so since 1983. In addition, Mr. Cope serves as
general counsel for the Middle Tennessee Electric Membership
Corporation, the fifth largest electric cooperative in the United
States with over 170,000 members, Consolidated Utility District,
Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport Authority, The Daily News Journal and
the Murfreesboro Housing Authority. Mr. Cope also served as attorney
for the Town of Smyrna, Tennessee, from 1980 to 1995.
In
addition to his practice, Mr. Cope is invited to lecture on the
subjects of jury selection in civil cases, eminent domain law, local
governmental law and planning, and land use planning at continuing
legal education seminars for attorneys. Mr. Cope has presented legal
seminars on successful strategies for the presentation and trial of
eminent domain cases and lectured to the Tennessee State Attorney
General's Conference on the subject of "Selecting the Right Jury for
Your Case" in civil proceedings.
Mr. Cope is an
active member of the Murfreesboro / Rutherford County community. Mr.
Cope served on the Rutherford County Commission from 1977 to 1983, and
in 1983 served as the presiding chair of that body. Mr. Cope has served
as president of the Murfreesboro Noon Rotary Club and the Middle
Tennessee State University Foundation. Additionally, Mr. Cope served as
a Member of the Hearing Panel, Board of Professional Responsibility of
the Supreme Court of Tennessee, from 1988 until 1993.
Mr.
Cope is admitted to practice in Tennessee state courts, the United
States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, the United
States Court of Appeals for the 6th and 11th Circuits and the United
States Supreme Court.
Mr. Cope received his
undergraduate degree in political science and economics, with honors,
from the University of Tennessee in 1971, and received his doctorate of
jurisprudence from the Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1974. Mr.
Cope began his practice of law with the Nashville law firm of Neal
& Harwell in 1974 before returning home to Murfreesboro in 1976.
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