Herbert H. Slatery, III will be the next Attorney General and Reporter of Tennessee, the Supreme Court announced Monday morning in Nashville.
Mr. Slatery, of Nashville, has served as Governor Bill Haslam’s chief counsel since 2011. Prior to that, he was an attorney at a Knoxville law firm for 30 years.
“He is an excellent lawyer with proven leadership ability and sound judgment,” said Chief Justice Sharon G. Lee, who stood with the other justices to make the announcement about their unanimous choice in the courtroom at the Supreme Court building in downtown Nashville.
“It’s an incredible honor,” said Mr. Slatery in remarks after the announcement was made. “I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity.” He thanked his wife, Governor Bill Haslam, and Attorney General Robert Cooper, Jr.
“He has played an important role in drafting major legislation during the current term and has worked closely with all branches of government. The people of the state of Tennessee can be proud to have someone of his caliber and experience representing them,” Justice Lee said of Mr. Slatery.
Speaking for the Court, Chief Justice Lee thanked all of the applicants for their efforts and their commitment to public service.
“It was a challenging process because of the quality of the applicants. In the end we selected the person who we thought would be the very best lawyer to serve all Tennesseans,” she said.
The Court also praised the work of the outgoing attorney general.
“The Court extends a special thank you to Attorney General Robert Cooper, Jr. for his eight years of dedicated service to the people of Tennessee, as he has led that office with the highest level of skill and intellect,” Chief Justice Lee said.
Chief Justice Lee spoke to this year’s open process for selecting the state’s attorney general, describing how the Court accepted applications from any licensed attorney in the state. The completed and detailed applications were then made available to the public on the Court’s website. The Court also held a public hearing where the applicants and their speakers made their case for appointment and members of the public expressed their opinions about the applicants. Finally, the members of the Court asked questions of the eight applicants during public interviews.
Mr. Slatery is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Tennessee College of Law. He has served as counsel to Governor Bill Haslam since 2011. Before serving in the Governor’s office, he practiced law for 30 years with Egerton, McAfee, Armistead and Davis in Knoxville. Mr. Slatery and his wife, Cary, have two children who both live in Knoxville.