Matt Potempa
Partner
Matt’s practice has been devoted exclusively to probate and trust litigation for over fifteen years. In addition to being a trial lawyer and founding partner of MHPS, PLLC, Matt is a Rule 31 Certified mediator and an adjunct professor at Belmont University College of Law.
Born and raised in Memphis, TN, Matt received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Memphis in 2003 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. During both law school summers, Matt studied international and comparative law at University College Dublin School of Law, the University of Edinburgh Law School and the European Union Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. The experience ignited a lifelong passion for travel that has since taken Matt to more than 40 countries around the globe. Matt has solo trekked Southeast Asia, hiked and camped across Scandinavia and hunted and fished across North and South America.
Matt moved to Nashville in 2007. After a short stint with State of Tennessee, Matt hung his shingle in 2008 with the Financial Crisis looming. With no capital, only student loan debt to his name, little professional network or legal experience, The Law Office of Matt Potempa, PLLC, opened its doors for business in the Historic Washington Square building on 2nd Ave. His first office was a broom closet with no windows. As business picked up, he upgraded to an office with a courthouse vies and later a suite of offices with a view of the Cumberland River.
Matt is active in and a Fellow of the Nashville, Tennessee and American Bar Associations and has received numerous accolades for his service to the public and the legal profession.
The Nashville Post named Matt as a “Law Leader Rising” in 2012. The Nashville Chamber of Commerce awarded him their Emerging Leader Award in the Legal Services category in 2015. He has been named “Best of the Bar” by the Nashville Business Journal from 2016 through 2026? and designated a “Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters since 2016, a distinction achieved by less than 5% of Tennessee attorneys.
Matt is a frequent lecturer for the Nashville, Tennessee and American Bar Associations as well as LexisNexis and the Nashville Business Institute on topics related to Probate Administration and Litigation, Law Practice Management, Client Relations, Professional Ethics and Law Office Technology.
With an office located in the heart of Hillsboro Village near downtown Nashville, MHPS Law focuses on providing Estate and Trust Planning, Family Wealth Preservation, Probate and Business Litigation and Conflict Resolution, Conservatorships and Guardianships as well as Family Law and Personal Injury.
Matt is a resident of the historic Belmont Hillsboro neighborhood, a short walk from the office where he loves hitting the gym, eating at Martins or Edleys barbecue or enjoying local live music and new restaurants. An avid outdoor enthusiast, Matt loves getting out of the city and spending time with his two dogs and three sons at their farm on Mill Creek in Hickman County.
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Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
University of Memphis -Memphis, TN
Juris Doctor
University of Arkansas at Little Rock - Little Rock, AR
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Tennessee Supreme Court
Rule 31 Mediator
Tennessee Supreme Court Board of Professional Responsibility
Hearing Panel Member 2012-2019
Nashville Bar Association
Representative to House of Delegates 2018
First Vice President 2016
Member, Governance Committee 2012-2016
Member, Board of Directors 2012-2016
Member, Technology Committee 2015-2016
President’s Award for Bar-at-Large 2010
Young Lawyers Division Leadership Award 2010
Disaster Legal Services Coordinator, May Floods 2010
Solo/Small Firm Committee, Founder and Co-Chair 2010-2012
Modest Means Panel Member 2010-2011
Lawyers Care Committee, Co-Chair 2010-2011
Non-Profit Showcase Founder (in conjunction with Young Leaders Council and Center for Nonprofit Management) 2009-2010
Young Lawyers Division Board Member 2008-2010
Tennessee Bar Association
Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law (TBALL) Graduate 2013
Disaster Legal Services Committee Member 2009-2013
Representative to American Bar Association 2009-2013
Transitional Legal Education Co-Chair 2009-2010
Star of the Quarter Award, Young Lawyers Division 2008-2012
President’s Special Recognition Award 2008
Young Lawyers Division Board Member 2008-2010
Continuing Legal Education Board Member 2008-2010
Tennessee Continuing Legal Education Chair 2008-2009
Continuing Legal Education, Middle Tennessee Chair 2007-2008
American Bar Association
Law Practice Division, Lawyer Wellness Committee Vice Chair 2016-2019
Law Practice Division, Outreach Committee Vice Chair 2017-2019
Law Practice Division Fellow 2015-2016
Nashville Conference Host Committee Chair 2011-2012
National Public Service Project Coordinator National Pro-Bono Initiative “Project Salute: Young Lawyers Serving Veterans” 2011-2012
National Outstanding Young Lawyer Nominee 2010
Judicial Division Council Member 2009-2011
Young Lawyers Division District Representative (Tennessee and Kentucky) 2009-2011
International Law Section, Lawyers Lifestyle Taskforce Advisory Board Member 2008-2010
Civic Affiliations
Phoenix Club of Nashville, Emeritus Award 2019
Belcourt Theater, Board of Directors 2018-2019
Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Judge of Emerging Leader Awards’ Legal Services 2014-2016
Young Leaders Council Alumnus of Class 56 2011
Belcourt Theater, Board Member 2011-2012
Phoenix Club of Nashville, Board Member, Liaison to PENCIL Foundation of Nashville 2015-2016
Phoenix Club of Nashville, Board Member 2009-2012
The Nashville Post
Law Leader Rising 2012
The Nashville Chamber of Commerce
Emerging Leader Award in the Legal Services category 2015
Nashville Business Journal
Best of the Bar 2016-2023
Thomson Reuters
Super Lawyer 2016-2023
a distinction achieved by less than 5% of Tennessee attorneys.
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Matt is a frequent lecturer for the Nashville, Tennessee, and American Bar Associations as well as LexisNexis and the Nashville Business Institute.
He covers topics across Probate Administration and Litigation, Law Practice Management, Client Relations, Professional Ethics and Law Office Technology.
Publications
“Protect Your Freedom and Fortune by Executing a Durable Power of Attorney”, Forward Focus, Spring 2010.
Tennessee Bar Association, Leadership Law, CLE Presentation: “Ethics of Social Networking for Lawyers”, May 2010.
LexisNexis, CLE Presentation: “Ethical Concerns of Social Networking for Lawyers”, May 2010.
Tennessee Bar Association, Tenn Bar U Webcast CLE Presentation: “Introduction to Social Networking for Lawyers”, August 2009.
“Misconceptions in the Generation Gap: The Times They are a’ Changin’”, Tennessee Young Lawyer, Volume 3, Issue 4, Summer 2008.
Presentations
American Bar Association, Law Practice Division, TED Talk “Building the Practice of your Dreams”, October 2019
Nashville Bar Association, CLE Presentation: Closing the Deal: Conveying Real Estate With and Without the Probate Court, August 2019
M. Lee Smith Publishers, Law Conference for Tennessee Practitioners, CLE Presentation: “Probate Process Overview”, November 2018 and 2019
Tennessee Bar Association, CLE Presentation: “Wellness for Our Profession; Science Based Strategies that Work”, December, 2017
American Bar Association, Law Practice Today Article: “Tips for Dealing with Difficult People”, August 2017
Tennessee Bar Association, CLE Presentation: “Everything you Need to Know to Go Solo”, February 2017, February 2018
Tennessee Bar Association, CLE Webcast Presentation: “Conflicts and Confidentiality for New Lawyers”, November 2016
American Bar Association Law Practice Division Member Spotlight – Featured Attorney, March 2016
American Bar Association, Center for Professional Development, CLE Webinar: “Mind Your Own Business: Just DO IT! Tips for Understanding What Your Law Firm Needs from You”, November, 2015
Tennessee Attorneys Memo, CLE Presentation: “The Probate Process”, November 2015
National Business Institute, CLE Presentation “The Ultimate Guide to Probate”, May 2015
Nashville Bar Foundation 2015 Leadership Class, “Finding a Method to the Madness”, March 2015
University of Tennessee College of Law, “Leadership and Leaving a Lasting Legacy”, August 2014
National Business Institute, CLE Presentation: Probate Bootcamp, “Educating the Personal Representative” and “Spouse’s Elective Share vs. Second Probate”, May 2014 – December 2015
Tennessee Bar Association, CLE Ethics Presentation: “Opening a Law Practice and Getting New Business”, February 2014
Tennessee Bar Association, CLE Presentation: Transactional Practice “Probate: A Practical Primer”, October 2013
Nashville Bar Association, CLE Presentation: “Impact of New Conservatorship Legislation”, October 2013
University of Tennessee College of Law, Lecture to Leadership Class: “Leadership and Leaving a Lasting Legacy”, August 2013
Middle Tennessee Paralegal Association, Lunch and Learn Presentation: “Maintaining a Healthy Work-Life Balance While Thriving in a Law Firm”, March 2013
Tennessee Bar Association, CLE Presentation: “Law Practice Succession for Small Firms or Solo Practitioners”, September 2012
Tennessee Attorneys Memo, CLE Presentation: “Social Networking for Lawyers: Proceed With Caution”, November 2011
American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, National Teleconference Presentation: “Integrating Pro Bono Into Your Practice”, September 2011.
Tennessee Bar Association, General Practice Bootcamp, CLE Presentation: “Opportunity for New Business: Maintaining a Steady Stream of New Clients”, August 2011.
Tennessee Bar Association, CLE Presentation: Transitional Legal Education for New Bar Admittees: Beginning and Ending the Lawyer/Client Relationship, June 2011, November 2011, June 2012, November 2012 and June 2013
American Bar Association/Federal Emergency Management Association Annual Training, Chicago, IL, “When Disaster Strikes: Mobilizing Disaster Legal Services”, June 2011.