Stites & Harbison, PLLC

". . . everybody wants to hire him."

  - ChambersUSA 2009

". . . one of the most intelligent and thoughtful individuals I have had the honor to work with."

  - ChambersUSA 2010

Among Julian Bibb's biggest passions are his law practice and the community of Franklin, Tenn. He joined the firm in 1977 and is the chairperson of the firm's Real Estate & Banking Service Group. His practice centers largely on banking and includes various credit facilities. Among these are the documentation of syndicated credit facilities, agent-administered loans, asset-based loans, real estate financing, non-profit and charitable institution credit facilities, and the extension of credit to varied types of businesses.

Mr. Bibb is also experienced in real estate law. He has counseled a wide variety of clients on acquisitions, dispositions, financing, zoning, development, planning and leasing. In addition, he counsels not-for-profits and has experience in historic preservation and conservation easements.

Mr. Bibb is listed in The Best Lawyers in America^® (1995-2011) in the categories of Banking Law, Corporate Law and Land Use & Zoning Law for 2011, and he has also been recognized by the 2010 publication of Chambers USA as a leader in the fields of banking and finance law and real estate law. Mr. Bibb also was named in the Mid-South Super Lawyers magazine each of 2006-2009, was named in the Top 100 Lawyers in Tennessee by Mid-South Super Lawyers for the past three years, and was selected to the 150 Best Lawyers in Tennessee by Business Tennessee magazine, 2006-2010. Mr. Bibb has been named by the Nashville Business Journal as one of the attorneys selected as "Best of the Bar" for 2010, a recognition he has received each year since its inception. Mr. Bibb was recognized in 2010 by the Nashville Post magazine as one of the 50 Most Influential Professionals in the Commercial Real Estate Industry in Middle Tennessee.  In 2009, Business Tennesseemagazine recognized Mr. Bibb for being "a force in the banking industry."  He is also a Fellow of both the Tennessee and Nashville Bar Foundations. Mr. Bibb is AV^® Peer Review Rated in the Martindale-Hubbell® Law Directory.

Mr. Bibb has been recognized for his many civic contributions. In the March/April 2010 issue of Nashville Post, he was recognized as one of Nashville's "difference makers."  In May 2010, the Williamson County Bar Association awarded Mr. Bibb its annual Liberty Bell Award for his work in both the legal community and the community at-large.  In 2008, he received a Certificate of Merit from the State of Tennessee Historical Commission for his work in historic preservation. In 2007, Mr. Bibb received the 2007 Williamson County Impact Award from the Nashville Business Journal for his many contributions to Williamson County. In 2006, Mr. Bibb received the Outstanding Chamber Member of the Year from the Williamson County-Franklin Chamber of Commerce. Previously he has been named by the Nashville Business Journal and Williamson Works as one of the 25 most influential business leaders in Williamson County. He also is a past recipient of the Patron's Award (the highest honor presented by The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County) for his work in historic preservation.

Recent Assignments

• Led efforts on behalf of bank clients to recover or protect their interests in a wide variety of assets involving the automobile industry, manufacturing, and real estate development (2010)
• Completed a diverse variety of conservation easements on behalf of The Land Trust for Tennessee to protect historic sites, farmland, and scenic viewsheds across the State of Tennessee (2009)
• Coordinated efforts to preserve Civil War Battlefield sites in Franklin, Tennessee (2009)

Recent Speaking Engagements and Publications

• "What is happening in Franklin," article in Civil War News, 2010
• Presentation to Nashville Lions Club on Battlefield Preservation, 2010
• Presentation at annual meeting of the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, 2010
• Presentation to Franklin Tomorrow Board, 2010
• 2010 Cumberland Regional Tomorrow Regional Summitt
• Publisher of Tennessee Conservation Easement Law.com blog, 2010
• Presentation to Leadership Franklin, 2010
• "Development in recent years represents a significant improvement from past practice," an interview of Julian Bibb by William Williams, Nashville Post, December 1, 2009
• Co-wrote and co-edited the Commercial Loan Agreement and Guaranty sections for the Tennessee Practice Section of West Publishing Company
• Presentation with New York Times bestselling author, Robert Hicks, to the Civil War Preservation Trust at its annual meeting in Gettysburg on battlefield presentation, 2009
• Presentation to Board of Trustees of Lipscomb University on "Conflicts of Interest," 2009
• Presentation to Board of Trustees of University of the South on Conservation Easements and Lost Cove, 2009
• Conducted training seminars to banking clients on loan documentation, 2009
• Presentation to the National Preservation Conference of The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2009
• Co-hosted with Everett Cowan of Gresham Smith and Partners, the Nashville Real Estate Focus Group, 2009
• Serves on the Board of the Tennessee Bar Examiners

More than Stites & Harbison

Many claim that Julian is Franklin's Number One Booster. He serves on the board of directors of Leadership Franklin, an organization he helped co-found. He is a board member of Franklin's Charge, Transportation Management Association (Chairman, 2010-12), Cumberland Region Tomorrow, Williamson County-Franklin Chamber of Commerce, and Williamson County Convention & Visitors Bureau. He is pro bono legal counsel for a number of non-profit organizations, and he is legal counsel for Land Trust for Tennessee. Julian also is twice past president of the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County (an organization dedicated to historic preservation) and former co-founder and past president of Franklin Tomorrow, a visionary organization for Franklin.

Besides Stites & Harbison

His great love is his family. He is married to Jayne, and their children are Julian and Debra, Polly, Joseph and Allison, and John. He has three grandchildren. His other loves include soccer, hiking, Franklin and anything Sewanee.