Meet Caroline E. Sapp

Sparta City Attorney & Personal Injury Advocate

A Legacy of Advocacy in the Upper Cumberland

Caroline is a native Tennessean with a deep-rooted legal legacy. She returned to her hometown of Sparta in 2021 to provide elite advocacy for the families of the Upper Cumberland. Her great-grandfather served as a White County Judge and Sheriff, and her grandmother was the White County Clerk & Master for over 30 years. Today, Caroline continues that tradition of service, treating every client like a neighbor and every case with the highest level of personal accountability.

Elite Experience with a Hometown Heart

Before founding the Law Office of Caroline E. Sapp, Caroline honed her skills at some of Tennessee’s most respected litigation firms. From 2014 to 2020, she represented injury victims at the Law Offices of John Day, P.C. She later served as the Managing Attorney for The Barnes Firm’s Tennessee office, where she oversaw complex, catastrophic injury cases. In 2021, she brought that “big city” experience home to Sparta, ensuring her community has access to world-class legal representation right here in Middle Tennessee.

Educational Foundation

  • Juris Doctor (J.D.) – University of Memphis, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
    • Editor-in-Chief, Mental Health Law & Policy Journal
    • Grading Committee Member, Moot Court Board
    • Judicial Intern to the Honorable Bernice B. Donald, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
    • Oral Advocate, Wagner Labor and Employment Law Moot Court Team (National Competitor)
    • Law Clerk, Kustoff & Strickland, PLLC
    • Research Assistant to Professor Jodi L. Wilson
    • Advanced Moot Court Participant & Student Ambassador
    • Secretary, International Law Society
    • Student Orientation Leader & Public Action Law Society Member
    • Blogger, Law Launch Project (Tennessee Bar Journal)
  • Master of Arts (M.A.) – Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, TN)
    • Graduate Teaching Assistant, English Department (Instructor for English 1010 & 1020)
  • Bachelor of Science (B.S.) – Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, TN)

Professional Honors & Recognition

  • Mid-South Rising Star, Super Lawyers Magazine (2018–2025)
  • 2025 Young Leader Award, Sparta White County Chamber of Commerce (2025)
  • Contributor of the Year, Nashville Bar Association (2016, 2022)
  • Attorney for Justice, Designated by the Tennessee Supreme Court
  • Dean’s Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award Recipient
  • Managing Editor & Co-Chair, Nashville Bar Journal
  • Board Member, Lawyers Association for Women (Marion Griffin Chapter)
  • Class Member, Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law (2020)
  • Class Member, Nashville Bar Foundation Leadership Law (2019)
  • Class Member, Young Leaders Council (Spring Nashville Class 76)

Community Involvement

  • Secretary, Rotary Club of Sparta
  • Secretary, Sparta White County Chamber of Commerce
  • Board Member, Sparta/White County Family YMCA
  • Past Board Member, Rotary Club of Sparta
  • Member, Foster Care Review Board
  • Past President, Upper Cumberland Young Lawyers Association
  • Legal Aid Society Volunteer, Multiple Clinics including:
    • Debt Collection Clinic
    • Tornado Victims Clinic
    • Essential Documents for Essential Workers
    • Joint Operations for Veterans (Legal Services Volunteer)
  • Volunteer Judge, Putnam County Schools “Fairy Tales on Trial” Mock Trial Competition
  • Community Organizer:
    • Planned and organized local Swearing-In Ceremonies for new attorneys.
    • Spearheaded Upper Cumberland Foster Care backpack drive (Donated 289 backpacks and school supplies to DCS).
    • Spearheaded and was a co-planner to form the first arts Nonprofit in White County

Presentations

  • UCYLA’s Suffrage Project, 2020
  • Careers for English Majors, Panelist, Tennessee Technological University, 2019
  • Dog Parent Duties, Tennessee Paralegal Association, Presenter, 2018
  • Dogs Days of Summer: CLE and Yappy Hour, NBA, Panelist, 2018
  • Bones, Bumpers, and Bottom Lines, Sparta Rotary Club, Presenter, 2017
  • Jobs for English Majors, Panelist, Tennessee Technological University, 2017

Bar Service

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  • Local Rules Advisory Committee, Thirteenth Judicial District
  • Tennessee Bar Association, Member, 2015–Present
  • Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Tournament, Volunteer
  • Nashville Bar Journal Committee, Co-Chair and Managing Editor, 2018–Present
  • Nashville Bar Association (NBA), Member, 2015–2022
  • NBA’s Mock Trial Tournament, Volunteer
  • NBA’s Defending Freedom in the Nashville Sit-in Trials, Volunteer Presenter
  • NBA’s Friday Fundamentals, Participant
  • Upper Cumberland Young Lawyers Association, President, 2019–2021
  • Upper Cumberland Young Lawyers Association (UCYLA), Member, 2015–Present
  • UCYLA’s Suffrage Project, 2020
  • UCYLA’s Packs for Pints, Spearheaded the Second Annual Event, 2020
  • UCYLA’s Packs for Pints, Spearheaded the Inaugural Event, 2019
  • Lawyers’ Association for Women (LAW), Newsletter Editor, Board Member, 2019–2021
  • LAW’s Publicity, Technology, and Social Media Committee, Chair, 2017–2019
  • LAW’s Judicial Appointments, Elections, and Awards Committee, Co-Chair, 2015–2017
  • Putnam County, Tennessee Schools’ “Fairy Tales on Trial” Mock Trial, Volunteer
  • Legal Aid Society Debt Collection Clinic, Attorney Volunteer
  • Legal Aid Society Tornado Victims Clinic, Attorney Volunteer
  • Lawyers for Littles Bowling Tournament, Volunteer
  • Joint Operation for Veterans, Legal Services Volunteer, Cookeville, Tennessee
  • Project Homeless Connect, Volunteer
  • Alternative Spring Break Volunteer, Family Law Track Participant

Awards

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  • 2023 Mid-South Rising Star List, Super Lawyers Magazine
  • 2022 Nashville Bar Association’s “Contributor of the Year”
  • 2022 Mid-South Rising Star List, Super Lawyers Magazine
  • 2021 Mid-South Rising Star List, Super Lawyers Magazine
  • 2021 Attorney for Justice, Designed by the Tennessee Supreme Court
  • 2021 Young Leaders Council, Spring Nashville Class 76
  • 2020-2021 Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law, Class Member
  • 2020 Mid-South Rising Star List, Super Lawyers Magazine
  • 2019 Nashville Bar Foundation Leadership Forum, Class Member
  • 2019 Mid-South Rising Star List, Super Lawyers Magazine
  • 2018 Mid-South Rising Star List, Super Lawyers Magazine
  • 2016 Nashville Bar Association’s “Contributor of the Year”
  • 2014 CALI Award Recipient, Elder Law Clinic
  • 2013 CALI Award Recipient, Comparative Law Seminar
  • 2013–2014 Leo Bearman Sr. American Inn of Court, Pupil
  • 2014 Law Student for Justice
  • 2012 Dean’s Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award Recipient
  • 2011 Lora L. Printz Poetry Award Recipient

Publications

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  • A Pop Star, a Politician, and a Reality TV Star: Dog Parents and Incidents Involving their Beloved Pets, 21 Nashville Bar Journal 3 (June/July 2021) Read Caroline’s Article
  • Year 2020: Can There Be Any Silver Lining? 20 Nashville Bar Journal 6 (Dec./Jan. 2020-2021)
  • Dog Parent Duties: A Dog Owner’s Responsibilities in Tennessee, 18 Nashville Bar Journal 3 (June/July 2018) Read Caroline’s Article
  • Some Not So Minor Considerations for Settlements for Minors, Legal Summit (March 2018)
  • Syria and The Refugee Crisis, 17 Nashville Bar Journal 4 (Aug./Sept. 2017)
  • Revenge & Privacy Protection: Tennessee Takes a Stand Against Nonconsensual Distribution of Private Images, 16 Nashville Bar Journal 2 (Apr./May 2016) Read Caroline’s Article
  • Tennessee’s Waltz With Charter Schools: When Will The Music Stop, 16 Nashville Bar Journal 2 (2016) Read Caroline’s Article
  • John A. Day & Kelly J. Smits, Litigating Tort Cases, 31 Summary Judgment (Materially assisted with reviewing and updating Chapter 31, Summary Judgment) (2015)
  • Rehabilitate or Incarcerate? A Comparative Analysis of the United States’ Sentencing Laws on Low-Level Drug Offenders and Portugal’s Decriminalization of Low-Level Drug Offenses, 23 Cardozo Journal of International & Comparative Law 1 (2014)
  • Protecting the Victims of Cyberbullying: An IDEA, 23 Mental Health Law & Policy Journal 1 (2013)
  • When in Rome, Homespun (2012)
  • Risky Writing, CompTime Annual (2011)

Life in Sparta

In her spare time, Caroline enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time with her husband, daughter, friends, family, and golden retriever who loves to dig holes and collect rocks.