"There are lots of people in Tennessee gifted in business or government or media or politics, but no one puts all of it together any better than Tom Lee. He sees the whole field."
– Harold Ford Jr., MSNBC Political Commentator
Thomas Lee
Principal
WHY TOM IS A LOBBYIST
"Public policy in the legislative and executive branches of government — the policy that drives virtually every facet of life — is a multi-player game of three-dimensional chess with politics, personalities, and policy on the board. Who wouldn't want a seat at the table? More to the point, who doesn't need — and deserve — a seat at that table?"
HOW TOM WINS
There are typically two ways to win in politics: you can go with who you know, or what you know. Then there's Tom's way: both of the above.
Three decades of experience as a trusted lobbyist, Best Lawyers®, winning campaign strategist and Emmy-award-winning journalist makes Tom the choice when you need a compelling story told — and heard. Tom remains sought after as a political strategist and as a fundraiser for candidates of both parties.
Recently, Tom has:
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Organized and led a statewide coalition to reform Tennessee's water laws to re-balance the public priorities of economic development and environmental protection
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Counseled a multi-state consortium in the development and procurement of a single unemployment benefits system to serve more that 20 million citizens across three states
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Protected the nation's premium finance industry against predatory legislation
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Represented clients in billions of dollars of Tennessee procurement matters, from the nation's largest Medicaid managed care organization to information systems developers
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Created economic incentive packages to attract jobs to economically struggling communities
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Authored and successfully lobbied passage of the nation's first state law protecting ticket-buyers and sellers against unlawful "bot" software giving offshore ticket brokers an unfair online advantage against sports and entertainment fans
HOW TOM MAKES CONNECTIONS
Recognizing the importance of ever-expanding relationships within the political and professional worlds, Tom is active in both.
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Senior advisor for policy and communications to the 2006 U.S. Senate campaign of Rep. Harold Ford Jr.
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Senior advisor to Nashville Mayor Karl Dean's 2007 campaign (rose from 2% in early polls to victory in eight months)
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Voted 2008 "Political Strategist of the Year" by TennesseePolitics.com readers
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B.S., Communications, University of Tennessee
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J.D., Vanderbilt University; Order of the Coif and Executive Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review
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AV® rating by Martindale-Hubbell®
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Served on the Tennessee Judicial Council
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Winner of two Emmy awards and other national awards for investigative journalism and documentaries
Tom is a seventh-generation Tennessean, a native of Nashville whose great-grandfather served in the Tennessee House. He is married to Laurie Sanders Lee, and they are parents of Virginia Carol Zhang Jing Lee, 13. The entire family is active at the West End United Methodist Church, where Tom has taught Sunday School, served as a youth counselor and recently preached his first sermon.