Attorney W. Neal McBrayer, of Brentwood, has been appointed to fill the vacancy in the Tennessee Court of Appeals Middle Section created by the retirement of Presiding Judge Patricia J. Cottrell, who revealed earlier this year she will not seek re-election in 2014.
Gov. Bill Haslam announced his appointment over the weekend.
“Neal McBrayer has a strong background as an attorney, and I am pleased to make this appointment,” Haslam said. “We are fortunate to have someone on the bench with his experience and expertise.”
McBrayer, 50, is an attorney at Butler, Snow, O’Mara, Stevens & Cannada in Nashville, concentrating on commercial litigation and bankruptcy law. He was previously at Miller & Martin from 1999-2012 and at Trabue, Sturdivant & DeWitt from 1989-1998.
“I am honored by the governor’s selection and look forward to serving the people of the Middle Section on the Court of Appeals,” McBrayer said. “I will do my utmost to uphold the trust that the governor has placed in me.”
Judge Cottrell has been a member of the Court of Appeals since 1998. She has a B.S. with honors from the University of Tennessee and is an honors graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Cottrell practiced law in a variety of roles, including with the attorney general’s office and as Director of Law for Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.
More information on McBrayer’s appointment is available from the governor’s office.