Adams and Reese Special Counsel and Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, has been selected Chair-Elect for the national Council of State Governments, beginning in 2014. CSG is the bipartisan professional association which is the only national organization serving all three branches of government in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. International affiliates include the Provincial and Federal governments of Canada.
Norris is the first Tennessean elected to the national leadership post.
“I am honored to assume this responsibility and look forward to continuing our work throughout the United States and North America,” said Norris, who will serve next year as Chair-elect under Senator Gary Stevens of Alaska who was also elected to serve as 2013 Chairman. “State governments face many challenges, and CSG is frequently on the front lines with solutions.”
Norris has served in the Tennessee Senate since 2000 and as Senate Majority Leader since 2007.
Founded in 1933, CSG’s region-based forum fosters the exchange of insights and ideas to help state officials shape public policy. This offers unparalleled regional, national and international opportunities to network, develop leaders, collaborate and create problem-solving partnerships. The organization is based in Lexington, Kentucky and also has an office in Washington, DC. It has regional offices in Atlanta, New York City, Chicago and Sacramento. Norris served as Chairman of the Southern Region in 2010-2011.
At Adams and Reese, Norris has practiced law since 1980 and is Special Counsel with the firm in the Memphis and Nashville offices. First elected to the Senate in 2000 and as Majority Leader in 2007, Senator Norris represents the West Tennessee Counties of Shelby, Tipton, Lauderdale, and Dyer. Norris is currently a member of the following Senate Committees: Finance, Ways and Means; State and Local Government; Ethics; Veterans’ Affairs; Pensions and Insurance; and Workers’ Compensation Oversight. He is Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee.
Norris has a diverse civil litigation and business practice. His commercial litigation caseload regularly includes products liability, petroleum marketing and franchise litigation, defense of professional liability claims, and condemnation/eminent domain cases He advises clients in crisis management and preventative measures to minimize risk and avoid the expense of litigation. He also appears before administrative, regulatory and municipal boards on behalf of a variety of clients in land use, permitting and zoning matters related to economic development.
He is actively engaged in the field of Transportation and Logistics. He is a member of the Transportation Lawyers Association, previously served as Chairman of the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee, and currently serves as chair of the Transportation Policy Task Force for the national Council of State Governments. He is a former Principal in the National Academy of Public Administration’s Intergovernmental Forum on Transportation Finance, and he testified before the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission in 2006.
Norris was named to serve as one of 12 members on the Communications, Policy and Economic Development Council of the U.S. Department of Energy’s program tasked with modeling and simulation of nuclear reactors. Known as “CASL” (Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors), the program includes Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee Valley Authority, and leading research universities in Tennessee, Texas, North Carolina, Florida and elsewhere.
Adams and Reese is a multidisciplinary law firm with offices strategically located throughout the southern United States and Washington, DC. American Lawyer includes Adams and Reese on its distinguished list of the nation's top law firms - "The Am Law 200". The National Law Journal also includes the firm on the "NLJ 250" list of the nation's largest law firms.