Barbara Moss, Esq. | Founder & Attorney
Barbara Moss, the founder of Elder Law of Nashville, PLC, has been a dedicated advocate for seniors and their families for over 30 years. Initially beginning her career as a trial lawyer, Barbara transitioned to focus on elder law which includes life care planning, conservatorships, probate, estate planning, Medicaid, and special needs trust planning. Her mission, and that of her team, is to alleviate the stress and anxiety that seniors and their families experience while navigating the legal and financial complexities of aging.
Barbara’s passion for elder law is rooted in both her professional journey and personal experiences. As a single mother and trial lawyer for 22 years, she understands the challenges of balancing personal and professional responsibilities, which fuels her empathetic approach to helping families maintain their standard of living as they plan for the future.
Recognized for her excellence in the legal field, Barbara was named the 2022 Lawyer of the Year in Elder Law and has been honored multiple times as one of Nashville’s “Best of the Bar” by her peers. She has been named a Mid-South Super Lawyer in Elder Law by Law & Politics Magazine since 2006 and has been consistently listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2005. The Tennessean has also recognized her as one of “Nashville’s Best Lawyers” since 2010. In addition, she was selected by Memphis Magazine as one of the Top 50 Women Attorneys in the Mid-South.
Barbara is not only a practitioner but also an educator. She served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University from 1984 to 2000 and has been on the faculty of the Nashville School of Law since 2020. Her leadership extends beyond the classroom, as she was the first woman to chair the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee, which oversees attorney ethics and discipline across the state.
Her many honors reflect her impact on both the legal profession and the community. In 2022, Barbara received the prestigious Martha Craig Daughtrey Award, a lifetime achievement award from the Lawyers’ Association for Women in Nashville. Other notable recognitions include the Athena Award (2007), induction into the YWCA Academy of Women of Achievement (2008), the Molly Todd Cup (2009), and the Nashville Business Journal’s Women of Influence (2007).
A prolific writer, Barbara has authored over 95 columns for The Tennessean, often offering “Advice for Seniors,” and has contributed articles to Bar Journals and Law Reviews. Her extensive experience as a trial lawyer, which spans over 35 years, combined with her dedication to elder law, led her to found Elder Law of Nashville in 2014, where she has become a pillar of the elder law community.
Committed to sharing her expertise, Barbara has hosted approximately 25 seminars for lawyers on elder law topics over the past decade, including organizing forums on Elder Law Basics for the Tennessee Bar Association every two years. She frequently speaks to Alzheimer’s caregiver groups, offering valuable insights and support about five to eight times a year, and is a popular speaker at churches and community groups.
Barbara’s journey began at Vanderbilt Law School, where she graduated in the top 10% of her class, served on the Law Review, and was President of the Honor Council. She broke barriers as the first woman hired by a major downtown law firm and recalls that it took another decade before she encountered another woman in a courtroom, whether as a lawyer or judge.
When she’s not practicing law or teaching, Barbara enjoys adventure travel, cooking, and spending quality time with her husband, Tom, and their grandchildren, all of whom live in Nashville.
- Educating seniors and their families through public speaking
- Writing for the Tennessean
- My roses
- My family
- Cooking
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Elderlaw of Nashville was a Godsend at a critical time. When you lose an entire family within a three- year period, you need to have all legal and financial matters in good order. Barbara Moss and Shannon Lashlee stepped in to assist my aged aunt and uncle provide wills and a living trust when they had nothing. They facilitated their only daughter in both will and estate planning. As the executor of all three, Elderlaw provided invaluable assistance to me. Adam Berk was especially helpful to answer my questions and provide wise counsel through probate process. Elderlaw is experienced, knowledgeable, and caring. I can recommend them without reservation.
I searched for at least a year until I found Barbara to help with support for my parents. Barbara and her team guided us through the process and pointed us to valuable resources we did not even know about. And they are still doing so! Janel and Chris are also wonderful, kind, and knowledgable. In short, my parents are now set up for the future with the support and peace of mind they (and I) needed. I cannot thank you enough! Reach out to Elder Law of Nashville to see how they can help you. Don’t wait to get your family’s future in order!
Elder Law of Nashville is the number one elder law group in the area to fit so many of our needs. When our parents and loved ones are aging to our own aging, Elder Law of Nashville’s staff members are the place to turn, providing expert and compassionate services for anything pertaining to Elder Care. From writing wills to probating wills, from a shoulder to lean on to decreasing anxiety and stress during some of our most tender and vulnerable moments, Barbara Moss and her caring staff are there to help. They assisted me in so many ways when I needed help with my mother’s aging needs before, during, and after she passed. I leaned on them for much necessary legal and emotional support and guidance. Their message is, “We’ll take care of it so you don’t have to!” And, they do, and did. Thank you!
Estate planning can be quite difficult and I truly appreciate Barbara Moss and the Elder Law team for everything she did to help my mother and father ensure their wishes were enacted after their passing. She was very caring and helpful and always answered our questions. The documents she prepared for my mother and father could not have captured their relationship and their wishes better. If you truly want professional advice tailored for your family’s needs, this is a great place to go. Thank you Elder Law of Nashville for serving my parents and our family!
The whole team at Elder Law at Nashville are experts at what they do. They helped me pull together all the documentation to apply for Medicare, including managing through estate spend-down requirements and the healthcare assessment, to full success for my aging mother. They are courteous and highly responsive. I recommend them to anyone in need of their services.
I am so grateful that Elder Law of Nashville was recommended to me . Barbara, Shannon, and Randall are an amazing team and have been great to work with. I would never have been able to navigate the very complicated Medicaid / TennCare system on my own. They have been professional, compassionate and truly caring in helping to get my husband into a long term care facility. I am so grateful for all their work. I would very definitely recommend them for your elder law needs.
I have used the services of Elder Law for some important family issues, and found them to be very thorough and very easy to work with. I will certainly reach out to them for future legal needs!
I evaluated a number of law firms in Nashville that listed elder law as one of their professional areas .. “professional area” is not the same as the firm’s focus. Elder Law of Nashville demonstrated in the handling of our family needs that this is not just an item on a website drop down menu. The firm is 100% focused in this specialty area and brought to our needs an exceptional depth and breath of professional knowledge, skill, resources, experience, creativity, and most importantly compassion for all members of the family involved in our case. Thank you Barbara and to your team.