Tony Seaton Lifetime Achievement Award
JOHNSON CITY, TN — Tony Seaton, long known for his “Talk to Tony” tagline, received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA) over the weekend at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC.
The statewide accolade recognizes those who “have had significant career accomplishments promoting justice and making a difference in the lives of Tennessee citizens” and “have shown success over time exemplifying hard work, integrity, and a passion for justice.”
Tony Seaton is a former president of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association and has more than four decades of trial experience.
Seaton currently works with The Garza Law Firm and is a senior teacher and administrator for the Keenan Trial Institute, which pioneered the use of persuasion psychology, focus groups, and mock juries for courtroom litigation.
Seaton has won record judgments for clients, preferring to win cases before a citizen jury instead of settling out of court.
Nineteen out of 20 suits are settled, according to Seaton, who manages over one hundred of the top trial teachers nationwide.
“Most make a practice of settling,” he said, “but we teach the science of persuading real juries.”
Locally, Seaton helped establish Washington County’s first Free Legal Clinic, which still operates today, offering free legal advice to the needy every month.
As a result of the clinic’s success, the Tennessee Supreme Court asked Seaton to join the Access to Justice Commission.
For six years, Seaton has traveled the state meeting with judges and attorneys to establish similar “pro bono” legal clinics in almost every judicial district in Tennessee.
“While I’m humbled by this award,” Seaton said, “I’m even more grateful to have worked with so many solid professionals who are committed to the honorable practice of plaintiff law.”
The TTLA is an organization “dedicated to protecting the constitutional promise of justice for all by guaranteeing the right to trial by jury, preserving an independent judiciary, and providing access to the courts for all Tennessee citizens.”
Tony Seaton (right) with Marcos Garza (left) and Brent Morris.