Mark Norris joined Adams and Reese in 2006 and serves as Special Counsel in the Litigation Practice Group. He also serves as Majority Leader of the Tennessee Senate.
Mark has a diverse civil litigation and business practice. His commercial litigation caseload regularly includes products liability, petroleum marketing and franchise litigation, defense of professional liability claims, and condemnation/eminent domain cases He advises clients in crisis management and preventative measures to minimize risk and avoid the expense of litigation. He also appears before administrative, regulatory and municipal boards on behalf of a variety of clients in land use, permitting and zoning matters related to economic development.
Having served as a County Commissioner in West Tennessee and as a member of the National Association of Counties and Tennessee County Commissioners' Association Board, Mark is also experienced in matters involving local government.
Mark is actively engaged in the field of Transportation and Logistics. He is a member of the Transportation Lawyers Association, previously served as Chairman of the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee, and currently serves as chair of the Transportation Policy Task Force for the national Council of State Governments. He is a former Principal in the National Academy of Public Administration's Intergovernmental Forum on Transportation Finance, and he testified before the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission in 2006.
Mark believes that community and public service is integral to the practice of law. After eight years as a County Commissioner, he was first elected to the Tennessee Senate in 2000 and will complete his third term in 2012. He served for many years on the Senate Judiciary Committee before his election as Majority Leader in 2007.
He is currently a member of the following Senate Committees: Finance, Ways and Means; State and Local Government; Ethics; Veterans' Affairs; Pensions and Insurance; and Workers' Compensation Oversight. He is Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee.
Mark has served as an officer of the 15-state Southern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments since 2007 and became Chairman in 2010. He was also appointed to the Southern States Energy Board in 2009.
His charitable endeavors in the community include The Med Foundation and National Ornamental Metal Museum. He is past President of the Buckman Boys and Girls Club and The Phoenix, Inc. He also served as Director of the Memphis & Shelby County Sports Authority, Boys and Girls Club of Memphis and the Memphis Cook Convention Center.
Mark and his family live on a working farm in West Tennessee.
Professional Memberships / Affiliations
Tennessee Senate, 2000-Present
Memphis Bar Association
Tennessee Bar Association
American Bar Association
Transportation Lawyers Association
Federal Bar Association
Southern States Energy Board
Southern Legislative Conference, Chairman
Health Lawyers Association
Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association
Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute at University of Memphis, Executive Board
Other Distinctions
AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Community Service Award - Tennessee Medical Association, 2011
"Who's Who" Among Top 100 Movers, Shakers and Newsmakers - Memphis Magazine
Articles / Publications
Remarks of Senator Mark Norris on SB 1522 Pursuant to Rule 61, 9/1/2011
Health Care Law: More Progress by Senator Mark S. Norris, Sr., The Memphis Medical Society Quarterly, 8/1/2009
Health Care Law: Shifting the Burden by Mark S. Norris, Sr., Esq., The Memphis Medical Society Quarterly, 4/1/2009
Health Care Law: Victory - Tennessee Medical Providers Have New Protections Against Frivolous Lawsuits - The Memphis Medical Society Quarterly, 12/1/2008
Health Care Law: Progress - Third Part of a Series of Annual Updates on Legislative Efforts to Adopt Medical Liability Reform by Mark S. Norris, Sr., Esq., The Memphis Medical Society Quarterly, 12/1/2008
Health Care Law: Medical Liability Reform: Connecting the Dots by Mark S. Norris, Sr., Esq., The Memphis Medical Society Quarterly, 12/1/2007
Seminars
CEO Energy Summit - "Memphis 2025 Energy and Alternative Energy: How Do We Become Sustainable?", 11/29/2011
Education Reform in Tennessee, 6/30/2011
Civil Justice Reform Act of 2011, 6/26/2011
Tennessee Real Estate and Environmental Law, 6/22/2011
Business Development Law in Tennessee, 6/15/2011
A Panel Discussion on Attorney General Selection in Tennessee, Held at University of Memphis School of Law, 3/18/2011
International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association - "Innovations in Transportation Finance", 3/8/2011
Southern States Energy Board 50th Anniversary, 9/16/2010
Health Care Profession and Economy in Tennessee: Tax Cuts to Tort Reform, 8/19/2010
State of the State, 8/10/2010
Housing Issues and Political Involvement, 7/29/2010
Tennessee Budget - How It Impacts the Practice of Law and How You Can Help, 6/24/2010
Events
Annual Fundraiser and Roasting of Senator Mark Norris
Tennessee Statesmen's Dinner
(Also at Nashville Office)