In 1987, after graduating near the top of his class at Mt. Juliet High School, Lebanon attorney Jeff Cherry thought he had a concrete career path before him. He'd earned a partial scholarship to David Lipscomb University and elected to begin studying medicine.

A chance encounter with a member of the local law enforcement community, however, would alter Cherry's plans and take him from Lipscomb's biology labs to the streets of Nashville and, ultimately, to a partnership with the Lebanon-based Law Firm of Lowery, Lowery & Cherry.

"I met a guy who I was really impressed with who was in law enforcement," Cherry said during a recent interview from his second-floor office on Lebanon's Public Square. "So, I decided to transfer to Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and changed my course of study to criminal justice administration."

While the change of course took his family and friends by surprise, Cherry knew he had found a career that was a perfect fit for him. Like medicine, a career in law enforcement would allow him to help others - a key factor in his decision to pursue a position with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

After earning his Bachelor's of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from MTSU, Cherry applied to the DEA and sat for an interview. But, when he was asked whether or not he would be willing to relocate outside the United States for the DEA post, Cherry - a man dedicated to his community and his family - politely declined.

"At the time, I had been dating a young lady all through high school, and we knew we wanted to get married," he recalled. "I knew that moving outside of the country would be a difficult step for us to take ... I was prepared to be asked to relocate to one of America's major cities - New York or Miami - but I couldn't ask her to live on a base in Colombia."

Undaunted, Cherry enrolled in the Metropolitan Nashville Police Academy for 23 weeks of rigorous training, both physical and academic. His unwavering commitment helped him graduate second in his class in 1992. He immediately joined the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) as an officer.

"Initially, I worked as part of a two-man team in public housing from 4:30 p.m. until 1 a.m.," Cherry said. "A lot of times, we worked on foot, patrolling through the public housing units. Sometimes, we'd make three or four drug arrests in a single night."

Shortly thereafter, Cherry also began serving with a MNPD drug unit, frequently working anywhere from 60 to 80 hours per week. And while it was an assignment in which Cherry took tremendous pride, the time soon came when he and his wife became focused on starting a family.

Cherry's superiors at the police department offered him a public speaking assignment, providing him with the opportunity to produce a weekly radio spot offering crime safety tips to Nashville residents, to organize some of the first "community-oriented" policing initiatives in Davidson County and to speak to thousands of area residents about the MNPD.

"If it wasn't for that, I don't think I could stand in front of people and do what I do today," Cherry said of the public speaking assignment. "On average, I was in front of about 30,000 people per year in that role."

After spending two years in the public speaking position, Cherry again found himself at the Metro Nashville Police Academy - only this time, he was at the front of the classroom, training each new class of recruits on every criminal statute in Tennessee's law books.

"I'd teach 132 classroom hours of law to each recruit class ... I basically knew it inside and out after all of those classes," he said. "My last four years with the (police) department was spent in law school, in essence."

His 1997 enrollment into the Nashville School of Law represented the next logical step along Cherry's career path. He graduated in 2001, then sat for the state bar exam in July of 2001 and was licensed to practice law on Oct. 24, 2001.

He would remain with the Metro Nashville Police Department for another six months before joining the Lebanon law firm in April of 2002.

"I'll never forget it, because my first day with Lowery & Lowery was April Fool's Day. I came into this beautiful building where everyone was smiling and happy. I had an office with windows," he laughed, recalling that his basement-level office as a member of the MNPD was without windows.

In the years that have passed, Cherry has developed courtroom concentrations in criminal defense, personal injury law and business litigation.

Cherry said there was "no doubt in (his) mind" that his experiences in law enforcement left him uniquely prepared to enter the legal profession.

"It enables me to communicate well with the prosecuting officers and the district attorneys, having been a prosecuting officer myself," he said, noting his entry into the legal profession had changed his method of thinking about the legal process. " ... Everyone accused of a crime has a right to a competent defense under our Constitution."

In the years since he left the MNPD, Cherry, his wife and his children have made their home in Lebanon and worked to help better the community. Cherry sits on the board of directors for Hearthside at Castle Heights, the board of directors for Prospect Inc. and has coached numerous youth baseball and football teams. He also proudly serves as vice president of the 15th Judicial District Bar Association and is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law Class of 2010.

"We already worshipped in Lebanon at what was then the College Street Church of Christ (now College Hills Church of Christ)," Cherry said of his family's decision to make Lebanon their home. "We felt like we'd already been embraced by the Lebanon community. We love Lebanon, and we're very active in our community. We care about our neighbors."

By BRIAN HARVILLE

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