Ben Cantrell

has mediated and arbitrated a variety of disputes from commercial, governmental, and employment disputes to family disputes, mirroring the vast experience he garnered during the thirty years he served as a judge.  He served as Chancellor in Nashville in 1973 until his appointment in 1980 to the Middle Section of the Court of Appeals where he served as Presiding Judge before his retirement in 2003.  He received the highest rating of excellence  as judge from all groups by the Evaluation Commission in 1998.    He was known for his clear, straightforward and practical opinions as well as for his promptness.  He was also known for being fair and tough, while using his wry sense of humor.  He was a great mentor and colleague.

 He is a Supreme Court Rule 31 Listed Mediator, a member of the United States District Court for Middle District Panel and the Worker’s Compensation Panel of the Supreme Court. He is presently with the firm of Tune, Entrekin and White, P.C. in Nashville.  Recently he has served as Special Counsel to the Tennessee Senate Special Commission on Elections and counsel to the Supreme Court Judicial Selection Commission .  He also serves as a member of the Supreme Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission.  He is Chair of the Appellate Mediation Task Force which has propsed a rule to the Supreme Court for all appellate cases to be screened for mediation referrals.

  Judge Cantrell has taught a class in Remedies at the Nashville School of Law for twenty-five years.  He has lectured extensively on judicial writing, family practice and administrative law with articles appearing in The Tennessee Law Review and the University of Memphis Law Review. 

 He was awarded the Order of the Coif upon graduation from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1957 after graduating from Vanderbilt University.   

 He presently serves as a trustee of Bethel College in McKenzie, Tennessee and as a member of the Board of the Tennessee Historical Society.  

 Judge Cantrell is married to Rose Cantrell with the law firm of  Parker, Lawrence, Cantrell and Dean.  They have two daughters.