Rosemarie Hill
Rosemarie Hill has been appointed by the judges of the Hamilton County Criminal Court as the Concurrent Grand Jury Foreperson for the county. She was sworn in by Judge Boyd Patterson. The appointment was from Judges Patterson, Barry Steelman and Amanda Dunn.
She replaces another former attorney, Hugh Moore.
Ms. Hill retired from the Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel law firm in March of this year after practicing law for 38 years. In addition to her trial practice, she has served on Ex-Governor Bill Haslam’s Council for Judicial Appointments for two terms. She was also appointed by Governor Haslam as a Tennessee Supreme Court justice for a specific case before that court.
She served three terms as a Hearing Panel member for the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility and remains a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the American, Tennessee, and Chattanooga Bar Foundations.
Ms. Hill is upcoming president of Signal Centers, Inc. and has been on that board and executive committee for many years. She also recently joined the Advisory Board of the Hart Gallery. She has served as president of Girls Inc., Ballet Tennessee, and was as a founding member and president of the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy Board.
She said, “I loved the practice of law, but my civic work has always been a top priority as well. It’s meaningful for me and important to the people the agencies serve. Plus, it’s often fun and I’ve met wonderful friends through this work. The staff and volunteers for many of our nonprofit agencies work just as hard as any attorney or other professional I know (and surely some of my partners will beg to differ).
“I love being retired. More time with my family is the best of it, and there’s no time to be bored.
“To be the foreman of this Grand Jury has already been interesting and rewarding. The law enforcement personnel on all levels seem dedicated and underappreciated – and I’ve found this grand jury to be the same. Everyone wants to do the right and best thing, but I’ll quickly admit that obstacles exist every step of the way – not enough resources, under-appreciation of law enforcement, and sometimes outright hostility from some (I believe that hostility and enmity is not even close to what exists in many places in our country, but maybe that’s easy for me to say because I’m not on the streets or in the courts every day).”