Steve Jacoway said he decided early in life he wanted to get a law degree because he saw how legal training is valuable in business and politics as well as the courtroom.
"It opens a lot of doors and gives a lot of opportunity to look at different careers," Jacoway says.
Ultimately, the 58-year-old graduate of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and the University of Memphis Law School attorney decided to become a lawyer. For most of his 33-year legal career, he has practiced both civil and criminal cases with the law firm of Patrick, Beard, Schulman & Jacoway in his hometown of Chattanooga.
Jacoway is also the 2019 president of the Chattanooga Bar Association, the local association of more than 800 Hamilton County attorneys which works to promote education, ethics, relationships and service among local lawyers.
The local bar association began in 1897 as a way of establishing a joint library after a fire destroyed the downtown Richardson Building where many law firms were housed and where thousands of law volumes and books were destroyed in the blaze. Although most law books and records have moved to digital formats, the bar association has remained as an organization to promote respect and fellowship among members of the profession.
Jacoway, who was involved in creating the Young Lawyers division of the Chattanooga Bar Association early in his career, says he is working this year to encourage the association's "Lawyer helping lawyer" program to offer confidential assistance to attorneys with mental health or substance abuse problems.
"Attorneys don't like to admit any weaknesses because it is a chink in our armor," Jacoway says. "But just like any profession, there are a lot of issues out there where our attorneys could provide assistance and help. Frankly, I think it is an underutilized asset we have at the bar."
Jacoway said the local Bar association continues to promote its committees which specialize in different types of law as well as the Young Lawyers division of the Chattanooga Bar. The young attorneys group every year sponsors the Mock Trial tournament, which had the highest participation ever this year with more than 20 participating schools.
"We want to continue to make the Bar relevant to our members and to the public," Jacoway says. "To the attorneys in town, the Bar is an incredible professional networking opportunity and for the community we want to provide a valuable service to the public."