Prior to joining Thompson Burton, Emily served as Deputy Director of the Codes Department for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, helping oversee the issuance of almost $5.5 billion in permits her final year.  In her role as Deputy Director, and before that in the department’s zoning division, Emily led a team which managed the mayor-appointed Board of Zoning Appeals.  She also drafted much of the department’s zoning legislation that was passed in recent years.

Before Emily’s work in the Codes Department, she worked for the Metropolitan Department of Law where she represented the city in all stages of litigation from the Environmental Court to the Tennessee Court of Appeals.  During that time, she advised the Codes and Planning Departments, the Board of Zoning Appeals, the Metropolitan Planning Commission, and multiple other departments, boards, and commissions.

Throughout her tenure at Metro, Emily worked closely with key personnel in various departments including the Mayor’s Office, Metro Council, Metro Codes, Metro Planning, Metro Water, NDOT (formerly Public Works), and the Fire Marshal’s office.  Emily spent ten years developing strong relationships with staff at all levels of the government connected with land use and planning in Nashville.  These relationships not only inform her outstanding skill set, but they also provide her an incomparable foundation from which she can pursue her clients’ goals.

Before joining Metro, Emily gained experience in both the private and public sectors including work as an intern at the White House and for former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour.

Emily and her husband Travis live in Brentwood and have three children.    When she is not practicing law or chasing her children around, Emily enjoys cooking and practicing hot yoga.