Emily O'DonnellChattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly has named attorney Emily O'Donnell as his pick to serve as city attorney.
If approved by Chattanooga City Council, she would be the first woman in history to occupy the city's top legal office. She succeeds Phil Noblett who served as head of Chattanooga's Office of City Attorney for nearly three years under former Mayor Andy Berke.
"Emily is an outstanding attorney and a committed advocate for families," Kelly said in a statement Wednesday. "Throughout her career, she has been a champion for women and vulnerable communities, most recently launching an eviction prevention initiative that kept dozens of families in their homes."
O'Donnell spent the first half of her career as an attorney for Legal Aid, providing legal services across the Chattanooga region, from assisting victims of the 2013 Patten Towers fire to litigating in General Sessions, Juvenile, Circuit, and Chancery Courts and the Tennessee Court of Appeals. She later served as a vice president of external relations for the Public Education Foundation and was executive director of the Women's Fund of Greater Chattanooga. She started her own law firm two years ago, focusing on family law.
"I am honored to have the opportunity to serve our community from the city attorney's office where we will uplift families, uphold justice, and remove the barriers to opportunity that exist for too many of our neighbors," O'Donnell said. "I look forward to serving the people of Chattanooga as their advocate, working alongside Mayor Kelly and the City Council to ensure that all voices are heard, and that residents always have someone in their corner."
O'Donnell is a graduate of the University of the South and earned her law degree from Georgia State University.