B. Riney Green

B. Riney Green helped found the Tennessee Justice Center and guided TJC through its first decade of success. A respected Nashville business lawyer and nationally recognized leader in the provision of pro bono services for the poor, Mr. Green led the statewide efforts of Tennessee bar leaders that culminated in TJC’s founding in 1996. He then served as Chair of TJC’s Board from its creation until 2006.

Mr. Green is a member of Bass, Berry & Sims in the firm’s Corporate and Securities and Health Practice Areas. In addition to his leadership of TJC, he has served on the Boards of the Nashville Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and the Tennessee Bar Foundation, which he currently chairs.

Mr. Green has worked tirelessly to make Equal Justice Under Law a reality for all people. He has raised millions of dollars in private funding for legal services for the poor, and his leadership was crucial to the authorization of state funding for legal aid throughout Tennessee.

Mr. Green’s public service has earned numerous national and state honors. He was the 1996 recipient of the American Bar Association’s prestigious Pro Bono Publico Award. Both the Nashville and Tennessee Bar Associations conferred on him their Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Awards. In 1999, the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services established the “Riney Green Award” in his honor. The annual award recognizes individuals who embody his collaborative spirit and dedication, and who have made extraordinary contributions to justice for the poor.

Mr. Green graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Vanderbilt University in 1977 and received his J.D. from the University of Virginia. He has been recognized in local publications and in The Best Lawyers in America for his expertise in Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Corporate Law. Not only does he go the distance in service to the public and his clients. Mr. Green is a devoted long-distance runner who has completed seven marathons, including the 2008 Boston Marathon. He and his wife Lynn and their three children live in Nashville.