The Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) will welcome the Honorable Christopher D. Heagerty as its Commencement Speaker for the Class of 2026 during the law school’s graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 7 at 4:00 p.m. at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium.
“Our graduating students provided input as to who they wanted to speak at their commencement, and Chancellor Heagerty was at the top of the list,” said Matt Lyon, dean of LMU Law. “We are thrilled that he has agreed to be part of our celebration of the graduates and their families.”
Heagerty currently serves as Chancellor of Division III of the Knox County Chancery Court, a position to which he was appointed on January 23, 2021, by Governor Bill Lee.
Chancellor Heagerty graduated from the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law in 1994. After a clerkship with Hodges, Doughty and Carson during law school, Chancellor Heagerty was hired by the Carpenter and O’Connor firm, where he worked for six years as an associate and four years as a partner. Chancellor Heagerty then practiced with Hodges, Doughty and Carson from 2004 to 2015, handling mostly civil litigation. He started his own firm in 2015, and a large percentage of his practice was in litigation cases.
In addition to his many years as a litigator and record of public service here in Knoxville, Chancellor Heagerty has remained committed to legal education. Since 2023, he has served as an adjunct professor at LMU Law, teaching Domestic Relations and Remedies. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law.
The fourteenth graduating class of LMU Law is the largest in the law school’s history. The University will confer Doctor of Jurisprudence degrees on 105 graduates. Twelve of those graduates also will be receiving masters’ degrees, having completed one of LMU’s three available dual degree programs for students enrolled in the J.D. program. Outgoing Student Bar Association President AbbyGrace “AG” Rowe of Medina, Ohio has been selected by her classmates to be the Class of 2026 Graduate Speaker.
The Lincoln Memorial University-Duncan School of Law is located in Knoxville’s Historic Old City Hall Building. LMU Law is an integral part of LMU’s value-based learning community and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of lawyers to provide sound legal service in the often-underserved region of Appalachia and beyond. For more information about LMU Law, call (865) 545-5303 or visit us online at law.lmunet.edu.
