Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell has appointed attorney Tyler Yarbro to serve as the next director of Metro Nashville’s Department of Law following the planned retirement of current Law Director Wallace ‘Wally’ Dietz later this summer.
The transition marks the end of a significant chapter for Metro Legal, which under Dietz’s leadership became one of the central forces behind Nashville’s legal battles involving state authority, federal funding and local government autonomy.
O’Connell praised Dietz for helping guide the city through a period of unprecedented legal challenges while also describing Yarbro as uniquely qualified to continue defending Nashville’s interests.
“Wally Dietz has been a staunch defender of Nashville’s right to self-govern, expertly navigating unprecedented legal battles against both state and federal unconstitutional overreach,” O’Connell said in a statement. The mayor added that Yarbro possesses the “management experience, legal talent, and tireless commitment to justice” needed to lead the department moving forward.
Dietz has served as Metro’s law director since 2021. Prior to joining Metro government, he spent nearly four decades at the Nashville law firm Bass, Berry & Sims, where he chaired the firm’s Compliance & Government Investigations Practice Group. Earlier in his career, he worked as a legislative and media aide for former U.S. Sen. Jim Sasser and served as a judicial clerk for U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Wiseman, Jr.
During his tenure, Dietz became closely associated with Nashville’s efforts to challenge state laws viewed by city officials as attempts to weaken Metro government authority.
Among the department’s major victories was a unanimous 2023 court ruling blocking the state’s effort to take over appointments to the Metropolitan Sports Authority Board. Metro Legal also successfully challenged a state law related to voting thresholds for demolition decisions at the Nashville Fairgrounds.
In 2024, Metro Legal secured another high-profile win when a three-judge panel ruled unconstitutional a state law seeking to reduce the Metro Council from 40 members to 20. The issue remains one of the most politically sensitive legal disputes between Nashville and state leaders.
Dietz’s office also defended Nashville’s ‘Choose How You Move’ transit initiative in court and won a federal ruling against the withholding of millions of dollars in grant funding. In that case, a federal court determined that the administration’s attempt to impose political conditions on congressional funding was “arbitrary and capricious.”
Metro Legal remains involved in several ongoing legal disputes. Those include another challenge over efforts to shrink the Metro Council, litigation involving the state’s attempt to influence appointments to Nashville’s Airport Authority and motions filed earlier this month seeking to compel the Tennessee Department of Correction to take custody of state-sentenced inmates contributing to overcrowding in local jails.
The department has also joined coalitions of cities challenging federal cuts to environmental programs and public health funding, as well as participating in legal briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court concerning birthright citizenship and access to the abortion medication mifepristone.
“Our Metro Legal team remains undefeated in defending the rights of Nashville and Nashvillians,” Dietz said. “I will miss doing this work but could not be more pleased with the selection of Tyler Yarbro.”
Yarbro currently serves as managing partner of Dodson Parker Behm and Caparella, where she focuses on employment, probate, business and appellate law. Before entering private practice, she spent more than six years as a Metro Nashville public defender.
She also co-founded the Tennessee Freedom Circle with attorney Margaret Behm, an organization involved in advancing reproductive healthcare policy in Tennessee, including efforts tied to IVF protections and abortion access for women facing medical emergencies.
“I’m grateful for the leadership and standard set by Wally Dietz, and thankful for his years of service to our city,” Yarbro said. “My career has been rooted in public service and courtroom advocacy, and I look forward to partnering with Metro departments, the Council, and the Mayor’s Office to help Nashville meet this moment.”
Yarbro’s appointment will now move to the Metro Council for confirmation in June. Dietz is expected to remain in the position through July 16 while Yarbro transitions out of private practice and prepares to assume leadership of Metro Legal.
