Conversations with BPW Members - Thursday, October 14, 2021
Judge Kathleen N. Gomes
Probate Court - Division 1, Shelby County, Tennessee
Judge Kathleen N. Gomes: After earning her B.A. in Political Science from UT-Chattanooga in 1974, Judge Kathleen N. Gomes moved to Washington, D.C., and spent a year working as a Staff Assistant for a member of Congress until moving to Nashville to become Assistant to the Director of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System. Judge Gomes made her final move to Memphis after enrolling at The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (formerly Memphis State University School of Law), where she earned her J.D. in 1980.
For three years she worked for the Memphis law firm Canale, Mitchell, Lucas & Watson (formerly Ratner, Sugarmon) before starting her own practice—Mitchell, Gomes & Ballew—in 1982. In 1985, Judge Gomes moved her practice to Peppel, Gomes & MacIntosh, where she remained until appointed Judge for Shelby County Probate Court, Division I, in 2013. She was elected as Probate Court Judge in 2014.
Judge Gomes has been a lawyer for over 38 years. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Gomes practiced exclusively in the area of Probate law. She has extensive experience in Probate litigation, focusing on conservatorships, guardianships, wills and estates. Because of her Probate expertise, she has received numerous referrals and consultations from other attorneys, and successfully handled a number of Probate cases with the Court of Appeals. Judge Gomes has been asked to speak at many seminars both during her years of practice and as Judge, regarding all aspects of Probate law.
Outside of the courtroom, Judge Gomes remains civically active in the Memphis community. She formerly served as Chairman of the Wills and Probate Section of the Memphis Bar, and from 2005 to 2011 she served as a Board of Professional Responsibility Hearing Officer. In 2012, she was selected as a fellow for the Memphis Bar Foundation. In 2017, Judge Gomes was named as one of the twelve Most Outstanding Women of the Judiciary by the Memphis Inter-Denominational Fellowship. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Arc of the Mid-South and for the Greentrees Civic Association. In 2018, the Arc of the Mid-South honored Judge Gomes with an award for her community service to the intellectually challenged and disabled community. She is currently a Cantor at Church of the Holy Spirit in Memphis, Tennessee, where she has also served on various committees. She is a member of the Memphis and Tennessee Bar Associations, a member of the St. Thomas Moore Catholic Lawyers Guild, a member of the Leo Bearman, Sr. Inns of Court, and a member of the Kiwanis Club.
Probate Court - Division 1, Shelby County, Tennessee
Judge Kathleen N. Gomes: After earning her B.A. in Political Science from UT-Chattanooga in 1974, Judge Kathleen N. Gomes moved to Washington, D.C., and spent a year working as a Staff Assistant for a member of Congress until moving to Nashville to become Assistant to the Director of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System. Judge Gomes made her final move to Memphis after enrolling at The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (formerly Memphis State University School of Law), where she earned her J.D. in 1980.
For three years she worked for the Memphis law firm Canale, Mitchell, Lucas & Watson (formerly Ratner, Sugarmon) before starting her own practice—Mitchell, Gomes & Ballew—in 1982. In 1985, Judge Gomes moved her practice to Peppel, Gomes & MacIntosh, where she remained until appointed Judge for Shelby County Probate Court, Division I, in 2013. She was elected as Probate Court Judge in 2014.
Judge Gomes has been a lawyer for over 38 years. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Gomes practiced exclusively in the area of Probate law. She has extensive experience in Probate litigation, focusing on conservatorships, guardianships, wills and estates. Because of her Probate expertise, she has received numerous referrals and consultations from other attorneys, and successfully handled a number of Probate cases with the Court of Appeals. Judge Gomes has been asked to speak at many seminars both during her years of practice and as Judge, regarding all aspects of Probate law.
Outside of the courtroom, Judge Gomes remains civically active in the Memphis community. She formerly served as Chairman of the Wills and Probate Section of the Memphis Bar, and from 2005 to 2011 she served as a Board of Professional Responsibility Hearing Officer. In 2012, she was selected as a fellow for the Memphis Bar Foundation. In 2017, Judge Gomes was named as one of the twelve Most Outstanding Women of the Judiciary by the Memphis Inter-Denominational Fellowship. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Arc of the Mid-South and for the Greentrees Civic Association. In 2018, the Arc of the Mid-South honored Judge Gomes with an award for her community service to the intellectually challenged and disabled community. She is currently a Cantor at Church of the Holy Spirit in Memphis, Tennessee, where she has also served on various committees. She is a member of the Memphis and Tennessee Bar Associations, a member of the St. Thomas Moore Catholic Lawyers Guild, a member of the Leo Bearman, Sr. Inns of Court, and a member of the Kiwanis Club.