The University of Tennessee Law Library is named for Joel A. Katz, a 1969 graduate of the College of Law, in recognition of his benevolence to the UT College of Law. He funded a scholarship for students who are having trouble academically in law school due to family and financial situations, remembering that during his studies, he needed to work—as the night clerk at a Holiday Inn—to send money home to help to support his family.
Katz founded one of the country’s largest music entertainment law firms, Katz, Smith & Cohen, which in 1998 merged with the international firm Greenberg Traurig. Katz’s first client was soul legend James Brown. The roster of performers represented by Katz includes Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, George Strait, and B.B. King. In 1995 Katz was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the only attorney to receive that honor, and in 2010 he received a UT Distinguished Alumnus Award.