ACTL Installs John A. Day as its 76th President

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA (October 13, 2025) – The American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), one of the premier legal associations in North America, has installed John A. Day of the Law Offices of John Day, P.C. as its 76th President.

Mr. Day, who has been a Fellow since 2002, assumed the position of President before an audience of nearly 900 of the United States and Canada’s most accomplished trial lawyers during the recent Annual Meeting of the College in Washington, D.C., where 96 new Fellows were also inducted.

“It is an extraordinary privilege to serve as President of the American College of Trial Lawyers,” said Mr. Day, who is based in Nashville, Tennessee. “The College stands at the forefront of supporting an independent judiciary, ensuring access to justice and advancing the rule of law—principles that are essential to our democracy. I look forward to building on the College’s proud legacy of leadership and service to the profession.”

Mr. Day has practiced plaintiff’s personal injury law, including products liability and medical negligence cases, across the state of Tennessee from offices in Nashville, Brentwood, and Murfreesboro for more than four decades. He began his law practice in Nashville in 1981 and established a new firm, now known as the Law Offices of John Day, P.C., in 1993.

In addition to his role as President of ACTL, Mr. Day has served as President of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association and President of the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is a member of the American Law Institute, where he has served on committees contributing to several portions of the Restatement (Third) of Torts.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, Mr. Day was elected to the Order of the Coif and served on the North Carolina Law Review. He is the author of Day on Torts: Leading Cases in Tennessee Tort Law, Tennessee Law of Civil Trial, and Tennessee Law of Wrongful Death, and co-author of Tennessee Law of Comparative Fault. He has written more than 80 articles in peer-reviewed legal publications and has served for over 30 years as one of two non-judges on the Pattern Jury Instruction Committee (Civil) for the Tennessee Judicial Conference.

During the Annual Meeting, the College installed the following new Officers to serve until its 2026 Annual Meeting in New York, New York: President-Elect Sandra A. Forbes of Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP (Toronto, ON); Treasurer Catherine M. Recker of Welsh & Recker, P.C. (Philadelphia, PA); Secretary Jeffrey E. Stone of McDermott Will & Schulte LLP (Chicago, IL); and Immediate Past President Richard H. Deane, Jr. of Jones Day (Atlanta, GA).

The College also elected 5 new members to its Board of Regents at its meeting. The new Regents, who join 10 existing Regents, include: Ellen Epstein Cohen of Adler, Cohen, Harvey, Wakeman and Guekguezian, LLP (Boston, MA); James D. Curphey of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP (Columbus, OH); Kearns Davis of Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, L.L.P. (Greensboro, NC); Steven W. Fogg of Corr Cronin LLP (Seattle, WA); and Eugene K. Pettis of Haliczer Pettis & Schwamm, P.A. (Fort Lauderdale, FL).

To read the full press release, click here.