Joy Smith Kimbrough is a lifelong resident of District I. Born and raised in Bordeaux, she has attended every zoned public school in the district; Wade Elementary, Jordonia Elementary, Cumberland Elementary, Joelton Jr. High, and Whites Creek Comprehensive High School. Joy’s children and grandchildren were also born in District 1 and attended District 1 schools.
Joy received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Tennessee State University and received her Master of Science Degree from Cumberland University. Joy received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Southern University Law Center.
As a law school student, Joy was the Managing Editor of Law Review. While still in law school, Joy wrote and published an article about housing discrimination entitled, The Federal Housing Act: No More Absolute Owner Liability When Employees Discriminate. This publication has been cited by other highly regarded scholarly journals. Also, Joy was the recipient of the prestigious American Intellectual Property Law Education Foundation Scholarship (AIPLEF) which was only awarded to seven other law school students nationwide. While in law school, Joy clerked for the Honorable Robert Rigsby in Washington, D.C., and interned for the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. Prior to law school, Joy was a police officer who graduated at the top of her class.
Currently, Joy is a Civil Rights Attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Tennessee and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Joy has also represented clients in the State of Kentucky, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta, Georgia. As an attorney, Joy takes pride in representing the underdog. Joy has secured million and multi-million dollar settlements on behalf of her clients whose civil rights were violated. Also, as an attorney, Joy has personally filed to expunge over 3,000 criminal records which allows those who have paid their debt to society a chance at obtaining jobs, housing, and financial aid.
At the core, Joy is a ferocious advocate for social justice. Joy worked hand-in-hand with community advocates as they successfully gathered enough signatures to have the option of having a Community Oversight Board placed on the ballot. Joy worked with union members to educate the community on the advantages of keeping “right to work” out of the State Constitution. Joy has and continues to advocate on behalf of those with mental health illnesses to encourage treatment over incarceration. Joy has served as an attorney for the Legal Redress Committee of the Nashville NAACP and she has provided countless hours of pro-bono representation to those who could not afford an attorney.
Joy has litigated some of the most high-profile trials in Tennessee. As a result of her trial work, she has appeared on several national television shows as a legal analyst, including Snapped, Sins and Secrets, Secret Lives of Stepford Wives, and Chris Hansen’s Crime Watch Daily. Joy has also appeared on CNN, NBC, and CBS. Additionally, she has been interviewed by almost every local (Nashville, TN) news channel and newspaper.
Joy is a member of several academic honor societies, professional organizations, and service organizations. She was the recipient of the Nashville NAACP’s Legacy Award for exemplifying the tenets of the NAACP to ensure political, educational, social and economic equality. Joy was also awarded the Women of Legend and Merit award from her alma mater, Tennessee State University.
Joy has spent the majority of her adult life fighting for others. As an attorney she has greatly reduced her client caseload in order to take the fight and vigor she exemplified in the courtroom and in the community to the City Council on behalf of her lifelong District 1 neighbors.
