Seth Crabtree is one of the most respected legal minds in Middle Tennessee. 

From being raised by a single mother in public housing to having his name on the marquee of a premier law firm (Crabtree & Patterson, P.C.), he sees the challenges presented in early life as powerful tools for the journey to success. 

“I remember going to the grocery store and using food stamps back when they were actually physical stamps, and my mom telling me before we would go to check out, ‘This is not good. We’re not happy that we’re having to use this. We don’t want to always use this, we’re glad that they’re here when we need it, but we want to get to a point where we don’t have to rely on this. That’s the goal, that’s what we want to do.’ I had that ingrained in me early. We were in a tough spot, but the goal was to work our way out of it. My mom always had a dream that was just beyond the horizon, and ‘This is going to be the big break.’ So me and my brother were always excited for that, and truly felt ‘It’s going to happen for us. At some point, it’s going to happen.’ Crabtree added, “My dad was always working. He worked blue-collar jobs. He’d be the manager of a plant one year, and then he’d be selling insurance the next year, and then he’d be like a delivery man the next year. My dad kind of had that same mentality of just work hard and look for your opportunity. That was the mixing pot that I was raised in, and I didn’t really feel disadvantaged in any way.” 

After graduating summa cum laude from Tennessee Tech University with a 3.9 GPA and notching an LSAT score in the top 10% nationally, Seth attended the University of Tennessee on full academic scholarship where he attained a law degree and then passed the bar exam on his first attempt. However, after passing the bar, the career opportunity he had planned on pursuing fell through, leaving Seth at square one. Rather than waste time and energy on fretting the change in course, he set to work immediately building his own book of business. 

“I was gathering names of attorneys in town, going around, meeting with them, and just meeting after meeting was receiving responses like, ‘I don’t have room for an associate.’ At that time, there were virtually no traditional law firms in Cookeville. There certainly were no salaried associate positions. I finally found Will Roberson and he was like, ‘Well, I have an extra office. You can practice in there.’ I had a desk, my law school laptop, and access to a printer. I could not use the receptionist, and I used my personal cell phone as my business phone. I had to print my own business cards on the hardest stock paper I could find, but not actual business cards. I had six figures in debt with a high interest rate. I had no job, I had no prospects, I had no clients. I would go to court, meet the judge, and tell them who I was and that I was willing to take appointments in their court. Back then, four or five other guys who just got out of law school were there doing the same thing. So you had to fight for the appointments, which at that point were $40 an hour. And doing the math on the split I had arranged, I had to give half of that to the house. So I was working for $20 an hour before I paid business expenses. I’m a young attorney with no experience and no oversight, going all over Middle Tennessee taking these court appointments and then billing them out and trying to make something of it. If it wasn’t the hardest point in my life, it was in the top three. This was an incredibly stressful time, and financially, I had nothing. My first year out of law school with $100,000 in debt, I made $20,000. The next year I was incredibly successful and I doubled my income. I made $40,000. It was that sort of routine for the first five years, growing about $20,000 a year. Eventually, I went into practice with my friends, Jon Hatfield and Kelsy Miller, attorneys who were similarly situated to me. The wallpaper in our office was peeling off, the couches had stains. At least I had camaraderie at that point and people that were going through it too. To this day they are two of my very best friends and I really enjoyed that period. Then, I found Emma (wife and owner of Glass Tangerine, Emma Crabtree), and she said, ‘Hey, you need to move to this office on the square. It’s become available. Daniel Walker, who’s a friend of mine, is managing it.’ I’ve learned to follow her lead on these types of issues, and we moved to this office. I couldn’t afford the overhead, but realized I’m never going to get out of this rut unless I take some risks.” 

From these humble, stress-filled beginnings, Seth and his team have built a model law firm. A turning point in the practice came early in Seth’s career, as the young attorney not only argued (a rare feat on its own), but won a case before the Tennessee Supreme Court. 

He reflected, “In my third year, I was appointed to a man charged with a spree of auto burglaries – 42 counts in total. Judge David Patterson ultimately sentenced him to 31 years in prison. I filed a Rule 35 motion asking the judge to reconsider. In a surprise move, the judge invoked a rarely used rule and granted a ‘change of heart’ sentence reduction. The State appealed the modification and I lost. The Court of Criminal Appeals sided with the Attorney General who argued Tennessee law no longer allowed trial court judges the authority to reduce their own sentences after a period of reflection or ‘change of heart.’ They reinstated the 31-year sentence. I applied to the Tennessee Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari; a process where the High Court selects a small number of cases from a large pool of applicants because they present a significant legal issue. It was a long shot and things looked bleak for my client (less than 5% of these appeals are granted), but to my surprise they granted the application.” 

Seth elaborated, “During my oral argument in front of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General again argued that federal law and a majority of state courts, including Tennessee, had long since abandoned ‘change of heart’ modifications for different policy reasons. I agreed – a majority of the country had forsaken the rule – but countered that Tennessee had, in fact, never stripped this power from the trial court, for good reason. I identified the exact case where the courts went wrong which led to decades of misinterpretation and countless defendants deprived of reconsideration. The Attorney General pointed out that the Tennessee Supreme Court itself had upheld his interpretation of Rule 35 many times, to which Justice Clark stated, “Yes we have, but perhaps we were wrong to do that. Perhaps Mr. Crabtree has a point.” In closing, I argued, “I’m here today on behalf of my client, Jonathan Patterson. But I’m also here to argue for David Patterson, the sentencing judge” because judges are humans and deserve a chance to correct their own mistakes. On September 19, 2018, the Tennessee Supreme Court issued its opinion and adopted my appellate brief in full. They declared Tennessee remains one of the few states to retain the ‘change of heart’ rule, overturned every prior appellate and Supreme Court ruling to the contrary, and implemented the framework my brief suggested as the law across Tennessee for Rule 35 application. That is the law to this day, and that judge I argued for, he’s my law partner now.” 

When asked about how it felt to have one of the most respected judges in recent memory join his firm, Seth stated, “I had lost a jury trial against a rival prosecutor that I did not like losing to, but I knew, in the calculation of it, that even if I lost, I’d likely beat his offer when Judge Patterson sentenced the defendant. Well, I ended up being wrong, and we actually got a way worse outcome from the judge. So I was spurned. I lost my composure for probably the only time in my career. And it was very slight, but I was upset with the judge, and I was letting it be known. David got up from the bench and said, ‘I’ve made my ruling Mr. Crabtree, I’d like to see you in my chambers.’ I thought ‘Oh, my God, I’m about to get chewed out here. How much do I stand my ground on this, and how much do I just take my medicine?’ And so I go back in his chambers, which was probably the only time I’ve ever been beckoned that way, and we sit down. He does not bring up my decorum. He does not bring up the case. It’s an afterthought. He said, ‘I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’m retiring.’ It was all anybody had been talking about for months. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ve heard (but was thinking) when am I going to get to my lashing?’ He went on, ‘You know, I don’t think I’m done. I think I’ve got a little left in the tank, but I don’t want to go back into prosecuting.’ Eventually, he realized it was not dawning on me and he really leveled with me in the David Patterson way by saying, ‘I’m thinking about practicing, and I’m thinking I’d like to do it with you.’ That was a complete shock.” 

Beyond winning Supreme Court cases, partnering with legendary judges, and adding brilliant legal minds like Ben Marsee and Mike Giaimo to his practice, Seth has treated the vocation as a means of giving back, loving well, and showing respect to all who seek his assistance. He’s earned the trust of not only his clients but those who share an office with him. 

David Patterson stated, “I had the pleasure of watching Seth from my position as a judge. As he defended numerous clients charged with serious offenses, he approached each case with confidence and diligence. He was successful at trial. Juries liked him. He was skilled and smart. I asked him, upon leaving the judiciary, if he might have room for me in his office. As we have practiced together for the past 5 years, I have been pleased to see that what I observed from the bench is true.” 

With similar sentiment, Shana Wade (office manager and trusted ally who has been with Seth through the majority of his ascension as an attorney) said, “A quality leader is decisive, trustworthy, communicates clearly, empowers others, and is resilient. In my eight years of working side-by-side with Seth, I can confidently say that he embodies what a quality leader is. Last but not least, Seth’s ability to remain resilient, not dwell on short-term failures but focus on steering himself and the team to see what can be learned and applied towards future goals personally and professionally is remarkable. These traits are at the core of who Seth is and how he encourages myself and others to be.”