HILLARY HILL BELLAN

Attorney Hillary Hill Bellan, who originally joined Shea, Moskovitz & McGhee in 2012, says she always enjoyed working at the law firm and missed it when she moved to Florida in 2014. Now she is back in Memphis and has rejoined the firm, focusing her practice exclusively on family law matters, including divorce, custody disputes, child support modifications, parental relocation and termination of parental rights.

Hometown: Brighton, Tennessee

Experience: After graduating from The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Bellan went on to earn her juris doctor at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at The University of Memphis, where she was a member of the University of Memphis Law Review and a graduate assistant for the Legal Writing Center. She previously served as an attorney for Shea, Moskovitz, & McGhee from 2012 to 2014 and prior to that served as judicial law clerk for Chancellor Kenny W. Armstrong in Shelby County Chancery Court.

What attracted you to working at Shea, Moskovitz & McGhee? While I was a law clerk for Chancellor Armstrong, I had the opportunity to observe a significant number of attorneys in the Memphis area. I was so impressed by the attorneys at Shea, Moskovitz & McGhee, from their expertise in family law to the manner in which they handled themselves in the courtroom. I was so grateful to have the opportunity to join the firm and learn from all of them. 

Why did you choose family law as your focus area? I enjoy helping my clients navigate the ever-increasing complexities of family law so that they can focus on what matters most to them: their family.

What brought you back to Shea, Moskovitz & McGhee after leaving the firm in 2014? I always knew that if I moved back to Tennessee, I would come back to the firm if the opportunity presented itself. Over the past four years, the firm has grown, our office space has expanded, and we have added new practice areas such as criminal law, asset forfeiture and personal injury, and I am so happy to be a part of the firm’s continued growth.

What are your goals in your new position? To assist clients with sound legal guidance that has the best interests of their families at heart.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment? Raising my two children with my husband.

What do you most enjoy about your work? I enjoy helping clients make informed decisions during what can be a very stressful time in one’s life.

What talent do you wish you had? The ability to add more hours to a day.

Who has had the greatest influence on you and why? My children. They are great daily reminders of how simple and joyous life can be.

Away from work, what are your interests? When I’m not practicing law, I enjoy spending time with my husband, our two children and my extended family.

If you could give one piece of advice to young people, what would it be? Work hard.

Cory Lowery has joined architecture, engineering and surveying firm Allen & Hoshall as an architect. In his new role, Lowery is responsible for overseeing all phases of the architectural design process, from programming through construction administration, as well as providing project management and visualization. He previously worked as an architect for Eley Guild Hardy Architects in Jackson, Mississippi, and for Fleming Architects in Memphis.

Obsidian Public Relations has promoted Whitney Albert to senior account manager. Albert joined Obsidian in June 2016 as an account manager. In her new role, she will continue to lead a team of account assistants for several clients locally and nationally, primarily in the legal, education and health care sectors.

NAWBO Memphis has elected its 2018-19 officers and board of directors: Gwendolyn Tucker of Rix International, president; Stacy McCall of ServiceMaster by Stratos, president-elect; Lashan Robinson, WeR Business Solutions, membership; Rebecca Edwards, Jasco Realtors, secretary; Brandy Aden, A&B Construction, certifications; Andrea Bowles, Memphis Small Biz, policy; Elizabeth Tate, Signet Inc., programs; Chris Wilson, AFLAC, sponsorships; LaTisha Styles, LaTishaStyles.com, PR/marketing; and LaMeka Ivy, Ivy Mediation, treasurer.

Center for Transforming Communities has named three new board members: Cynthia Allen, community involvement manager for Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp.; Eureka Pickett, quality assurance supervisor at DuPont Nutrition and Health; and Sarah Farrell, FedEx Cares team member who manages the global citizenship campaign and enterprise-wide volunteer strategy.

Junior Achievement of Memphis & the Mid-South recently named the following new members to its board of directors: Adam Carr, director of IT, customer satisfaction at AutoZone; Trevia Chatman, senior vice president and Memphis market manager at Bank of America; Tanya Hart, senior vice president, total rewards at First Horizon National Corp.; and Michael Thompson, partner at Thompson CPA PLLC.

Memphis Tourism recently recognized Rep. David Kustoff as a Distinguished Travel Champion for advancing policies that strengthen travel to and within the United States. The U.S. Travel Association announced Kustoff would receive the award for leading a congressional sign-on letter urging the Trump administration to protect America’s Open Skies agreements with more than 100 countries worldwide, and to use an existing U.S. Department of Transportation process to resolve disputes over the agreements raised by the”Big Three” U.S. airlines.

The American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys has recognized John (Chris) Wagner, managing partner of Wilkes, McCullough & Wagner, among its 2018 10 Best Personal Injury Attorneys for Client Satisfaction in Tennessee. Attorneys selected to the “10 Best” list must pass AIOPIA’s selection process, which is based on client and/or peer nominations, thorough research and AIOPIA’s independent evaluation.