NASHVILLE, TN, April 01, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Bill Purcell, Esq., with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Purcell celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Mr. Purcell is an attorney in practice with Frost Brown Todd LLC, a large, full-service law firm with offices located in nine states throughout the country. Working in Nashville, Tennessee, he advises and represents clients regarding administrative and policy concerns throughout the state, as well as in the courts. He began his legal career as a staff attorney for West Tennessee Legal Services in Jackson. In the years that followed, Mr. Purcell served as a senior assistant public defender in Nashville, and as a partner at Farmer, Berry & Purcell, and with Farmer Purcell White & Lassiter.
Notably, Bill Purcell was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in Nashville in 1986. Serving five consecutive terms, he was elected as the majority leader between 1990 and 1996. During his 10 years in the General Assembly, Purcell's work placed him in the forefront of education, healthcare, worker's compensation, and juvenile justice reforms. Mr. Purcell was subsequently elected to two terms as the mayor for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, serving between 1999 and 2007. As mayor he focused on education, public safety, and quality of life. He was reelected with 84.8 percent of the vote.
Throughout his extensive career in the courtroom and the classroom, Mr. Purcell has made an impact. Among other roles, he served as the chairman of the Danforth Foundation's Policymakers' Program advisory board, the chairman of the Tennessee General Assembly's select committee on children and youth and the executive director of the Vanderbilt Legal Aid Society. At Vanderbilt University, Mr. Purcell accepted the position of director of the child and family policy center in the Institute of Public Policy Studies in 1996 and as an adjunct professor of public policy in 2013. Mr. Purcell previously contributed as the founding dean of the college of public service and urban affairs at Tennessee State University, the director of the Harvard Institute of Politics and a special advisor at Harvard University.
Mr. Purcell is a member of the Nashville Bar Association and the Tennessee Bar Association. He has served on the board of trustees for Saint Bonaventure University and East End United Methodist Church, the board of directors of the Oasis Center and the Forum Youth Investment, and the board of directors of the Nashville Children's Theater, among other positions. Mr. Purcell was appointed as the board chairman of the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency in Nashville in 2019.
Mr. Purcell graduated from Hamilton College with an undergraduate degree in 1976. He subsequently graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1979. Mr. Purcell has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.
During his outstanding career, Mr. Purcell has been recognized as the Legislator of the Year by the Tennessee Conservation League and the Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine. He was additionally presented with a State Leadership Award from the Civil War Preservation Trust, the Founding President Award from the Country Music Association, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Vanderbilt Law School and the John C. Tune Award by the Nashville Bar Association. A celebrated Marquis listee, Mr. Purcell has been highlighted in multiple editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in American Politics, Who's Who in the East and Who's Who in the World.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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