Contact Information
1111 N. Northshore Drive, Suite S-700
Knoxville, Tennessee 37919
Phone: 865-584-4040
Fax: 865-584-6084
Leah W. McClanahan focuses her practice on defending clients in federal court. Having served nearly a decade as an Assistant United States Attorney defending the United States in civil suits, she has litigated 250 cases in the District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee and many more in Chancery and Circuit Courts throughout East Tennessee. Additionally, Leah has briefed multiple cases to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Leah has defended a variety of employment actions under the ADEA, ADA, and Title VII and has also represented dozens of federal law enforcement officers against allegations of Constitutional violations. In bankruptcy proceedings and foreclosures, Leah has wide experience representing the Internal Revenue Service, the Small Business Administration, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Leah is experienced in leading federal civil rights investigations and in federal Touhy regulations. At the Department of Justice, Leah served on the Eastern District of Tennessee’s Standing Committee on Corporate Criminal Monitoring and served as the Ethics Advisor. Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Leah served as a law clerk to the Honorable C. Clifford Shirley Jr. and H. Bruce Guyton, United States Magistrate Judges for the Eastern District of Tennessee, for seven years.
Leah enjoys building relationships with clients and finding pragmatic litigation solutions. She has deep knowledge of East Tennessee and relishes opportunities to learn about persons and businesses in the region and to aid in addressing their legal challenges. She also values discussions that aim to prevent future litigation.
Leah was born in Knoxville and grew up in Fountain City, graduating from Central High School in 2001. She attended the College of Charleston, where she was named the top history graduate, and then attended the University of Tennessee College of Law. Leah has served on various boards for the Knoxville Bar Association and University of Tennessee and as a professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law, but outside the practice of law, Leah enjoys spending time with her husband and three children.
Education
J.D., University of Tennessee College of Law, 2008
cum laude
Tennessee Law Review, Editor
Student Bar Association
Honors in Bankruptcy, Investigatory Criminal Procedure, Adv. Constitutional Law
B.A., College of Charleston, 2005
cum laude
Political Science & History
Honors College Graduate
Kappa Delta Sorority
Student Government Association
Admissions
Tennessee, 2008
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Tennessee
Memberships
Knoxville Bar Association, Gov’t Section Co-Chair
Federal Bar Association
Court Historical Society, President
University of Tennessee, Alumni Chapter Secretary
Hamilton Burnett American Inns of Court, Master of the Bench – Emeritus