Haslam Names Jim Hamilton to Tennessee Claims Commission

Press release from the Office of Governor Bill Haslam, July 21, 2015:

Replacement for Nancy Miller-Herron in Western Section

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has named Jim Hamilton of Dyersburg to the Tennessee Claims Commission, replacing Nancy Miller-Herron, whose term expired on June 30.

The appointment is for the Western Section and is subject to confirmation by resolution of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly. The three commissioners hold eight-year terms.

The Tennessee Claims Commission adjudicates claims involving tax recovery, state employee workers compensation and alleged negligence by state officials or agencies. The commission is the tribunal that decides claims that are either transferred from the Division of Claims Administration or when the claimant wishes to appeal a decision made by the Division of Claims Administration.

“Jim Hamilton’s successful career as an attorney covering a wide range of civil matters will serve the people of West Tennessee well, and we appreciate his willingness to serve in this capacity,” Haslam said.

Hamilton, 59, is a partner in the Law Firm of Jones, Hamilton & Lay in Dyersburg. He has been with the firm since 1982.

“I want to thank Governor Haslam for the appointment. I am honored by the confidence the governor has shown in me,” Hamilton said. “I will do my best daily to justify that confidence in my work as claims commissioner.”

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1978 and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., in 1981.

Hamilton, who grew up in Trenton, has served as director of the First South Bank Advisory Board since 2003 and is a past chairman of the McIver’s Grant Public Library Board (2000-2011). He is active in the Dyer County Literacy Program and is an elder at First Dyersburg Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He and his wife, Becky, have two grown daughters, Claire and Catherine.