J. Rhea Tannehill, Jr. of Oxford became president-elect of The Mississippi Bar on July 12. He will serve as the Bar’s 120th President beginning next July. The Mississippi Bar is composed of nearly 9,000 active members who are licensed to practice law in Mississippi.

Tannehill has been practicing law in Oxford since he graduated from the University of Mississippi School
of Law in 1996. In 2004, Tannehill and his law partner, Jay Carmean, formed Tannehill & Carmean,
PLLC.

For 20 years their law practice has focused on representing the rights of injured persons, criminal defense,
estate planning and probate, real estate, and collection law. Tannehill is the firm’s Managing Partner.
Since 2007, Tannehill has served as Municipal Court Judge of Sardis, where he previously served as
Municipal Court Prosecutor.

He is a native of Union and a graduate of Union High School. Tannehill received a bachelor’s degree in
public administration and a master’s degree in education from the University of Mississippi.

Tannehill retired from a 28-year career in the Mississippi Army National Guard at the rank of Lieutenant
Colonel. He enlisted in 1992, but then accepted a direct commission to First Lieutenant in the Judge
Advocate Generals’ Corps in 1999.

Most recently, Tannehill served as Military Judge, where he presided over all courts-martials and hearings
regarding Army and Air National Guard Soldiers.

Tannehill served as Brigade Trial Counsel for the 168th Engineering Brigade during a 13-month
deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He was stationed at Forward Operating Base
Sharana, Afghanistan, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Combat Action Badge.

Tannehill was appointed by the Mississippi Supreme Court in 2020 as a member of the Complaint
Tribunal and has served on the Board of Bar Admissions Committee for Character and Fitness for 12
years.

Locally, he has served as President of the Lafayette County Bar and Tri-County Jr. Bar Associations.

Tannehill is married to the former Robyn McKenzie, who is in her second term as Mayor of Oxford. They
have three adult children, Maggie, 23, a counselor in Columbus, Jack, 21, who plays football at the
University of Southern Mississippi, and Molly Catherine, 19, who attends Mississippi State University.

They are members of Christ Presbyterian Church in Oxford, a church they helped found and