Government

The City Attorney's Office, or Law Division, for the City of Memphis is headed by the City Attorney and is assisted by Deputy and Assistant City Attorneys, and other staff. This section has been created to help you understand the role and purpose of the Law Division of City government.

Staff:
Herman Morris, City Attorney
William Larsha, Claim Agent
Teresa Dyann Jones, Chief Prosecutor
Carlee McCullough, Contract Compliance Officer

The Law Division of the City of Memphis serves a number of vital functions for City government. Staff attorneys work in two basic areas: Service and Litigation. Attorneys working in the Service area are assigned to provide legal advice to various divisions of City government as well as a number of boards and commissions. City attorneys working in the Litigation area are responsible for defending lawsuits filed against the City. In addition, City attorneys are responsible for researching and preparing legal opinions that are requested by the Mayor, City Council or other City Divisions.

Herman Morris, City Attorney

Herman Morris, Jr., is the City Attorney of Memphis, Tennessee. In this capacity he represents the city prosecutes and defends all law suits brought by or against the city, collects taxes, supervises the review and adjustment claims by or against the city, drafts and reviews contracts provides legal advice and counsel to city officials, issues opinions and drafts and ordinances. He has been recognized by Woodard & White as one of "The Best Lawyers in America" several times. He is the former President, Chief Executive Officer, and prior to that General Counsel for Memphis Light, Gas, and Water. A graduate of Rhodes College and Vanderbilt University School of Law, Mr. Morris is a product of the Memphis Public School system and life long Memphian.
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City Claims
The mission of the City Claims Office is to provide an efficient and professional level of claims service on behalf of the City of Memphis. The office is responsible for investigating all claims for damages against the City of Memphis, attending to settlement of such claims under the direction of the City Attorney and assisting in the preparation of all lawsuits. In addition, the office is also responsible for pursuing subrogation claims resulting from damage to City-owned property by third parties. An online copy of the claims form is available.

The City Claims Office is located at 2714 Union Ext. Suite 200, Memphis, TN, 38112. The office can be reached at (901) 576-6616; the fax number is (901) 576-6605. Business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 A.M. until 5:00 P.M.

William Larsha, Claim Agent
Willam M. Larsha, Jr. joined the Claims Office of the City of Memphis in August 2006 after the serving with the City of Memphis as a Staff Attorney for two years. Mr. Larsha graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 1984 with a degree in chemistry. He then attended law school at The University of Memphis, graduating in 1990.

Mr. Larsha began his legal career with the law firm of McDonnell Boyd where he was a litigation associate practicing primarily in the area of insurance defense. He continued his insurance defense practice with the Stewart and Wilkinson firm where he represented such companies as State Farm, Geico, Progressive and Farmers. Mr. Larsha brings over fifteen years of insurance litigation experience to the Claims Office.

Risk Management
The mission of the Risk Management Department is to minimize the total cost of risk to the City of Memphis through sound risk management guidance to all operating divisions. The department offers assistance through Loss Control, Safety, Effective Communication, Training in addition to implementing new procedures to minimize the potential loss. The Risk Management department will continue to provide and obtain appropriate coverage in an effort to ensure the City of Memphis is adequately protected.

City Prosecutors
City prosecutors represent the City of Memphis in prosecuting violations of City Code for traffic, health, and safety pursuant to citations issued by Police, Animal Control Officers and other enforcement personnel. Prosecutors practice in three City Courts at sessions held Monday through Friday at 9:00 A.M. and 1:30 P.M. Prosecutors review matters on the Courts' dockets, do pre-trial investigation review and witness interviews, and decide on which cases will be prosecuted in City Court. Additionally, prosecutors represent the City of Memphis on cases appealed from City Court to Circuit Court and Appeals Courts. The City Prosecutors' office is located in the Criminal Justice Complex at 201 Poplar, Room LL-10, Memphis, Tennessee 38103, (901) 545-5475; the fax number is (901) 576-3470. The office hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.

Teresa Dyann Jones, Chief Prosecutor
Teresa Dyann Jones was appointed May 19, 2003. Ms. Jones was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1987. She is originally from Holly Springs, Mississippi. Graduated from Byhalia High School 1977 and Lane College B.A. Communications 1981. She moved to Memphis in 1981 and started work at Mid-South Express Newspaper as a reporter. In 1983 she enrolled in law school and received a Juris Doctorate from the University Of Memphis in 1986. She was adjunct professor at the University of Memphis, in the Tennessee Pre-Professional Program from 1991-1992. Since 2001 she had been an Adjunct professor at LeMoyne Owen College teaching Labor Relations and Negotiations and Business Law. Ms. Jones was a board member of Memphis Regional Sickle Cell Council, Tennessee Association for Memphis Youth (TAMY), Memphis Area Legal Services and Correctional Alternatives, Inc. She is presently a board member of the Alcohol & Chemical Abuse Rehab Center, Inc. (ACAR) since 2003 and was appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court as a commissioner for the Tennessee Lawyer Assistance Program (TLAP) in 1999. She has memberships in the Ben F. Jones Chapter National Bar Association, Tennessee Association Of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Bar Association. She is also a Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. From 1988-2003 she was an assistant public defender and criminal court supervisor with the Shelby County Public Defender Office where she represented indigent defendants exclusively in the area of criminal law.

Office of Contract Compliance
The Office of Contract Compliance serves as the support agency and administrative arm to the Minority and Women Business Enterprise Participation Program (M/WBE). The mission of the Office of Contract Compliance is to ensure that the legislative intent of City Ordinance #4388, which created the M/WBE Program, is carried out in all procurement activities and opportunities. Areas of administrative authority and/or enforcement include the three major areas of City procurement activity: construction, professional services, and non-professional goods and services.

Vendors who would like to participate in the M/WBE Program with the City of Memphis must be certified with the Uniform Certification Agency. The certification application may be picked up at:

Uniform Certification Agency
158 Madison Avenue, Ste. 300
Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: (901) 525-6512

Applications may also be picked up at:

Office of Contract Compliance
125 N. Main Street, Room 440
(Claims - Suite 2028)
Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: (901) 576-6210
Fax: (901) 576-6560

Carlee M. McCullough, Contract Compliance Officer
Carlee M. McCullough joined the City of Memphis Law Division February 2000. She is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she received a Bachelor's of Business Administration in Accounting; she is also a Certified Public Accountant. Ms. McCullough has worked for several Fortune 500 companies, including Arthur Andersen & Co., MCI, Baxter International, and Abbott Pharmaceuticals. She received her Juris Doctorate in 1998 from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and passed the California bar exam in July 1998.

Office of Intergovernmental Relations
The Office of Intergovernmental Relations was created to provide the City of Memphis with a more focused and coordinated approach to our relationships with other government entities - including the Federal government, the State of Tennessee, Shelby County government, and other local municipalities. The office coordinates the City's legislative efforts in Washington and Nashville and identifies Federal and State legislation that impacts the City. In addition, the office is responsible for researching and identifying Federal, State and private grant opportunities and assists with the preparation of grant applications from all City Divisions. The office is located in Room 336 of City Hall, 125 North Main Street, Memphis, TN, 38103. The Office of Intergovernmental Relations can be reached by telephone at (901) 576-6567, or by fax at (901) 576-6570 Monday through Friday, 8:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.

Permits Office

The Permit Office bills, collects and issues city permits for beer, dance, massage, taxi, carriage, limousine, wrecker and retail liquor by the drink as mandated by various ordinances in the most efficient and effective manner. It also serves as the administrative office of the Alcohol Commission.