Meet the Team
(615) 669-6859 | Ext – 102
Joanna L. McCracken is a collaborative divorce professional and an experienced litigator. As a family law attorney, Joanna strives to guide her clients through their toughest life experiences with education, advocacy, and compassion, utilizing her versatile skill set to create solutions that deliver long-term benefits protecting her clients’ best interests and futures.
Joanna’s dedication to her practice and clients has earned her the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys’ 10 Best for Client Satisfaction Award many years in a row. She has consistently been ranked in the Top Ten by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, has been named a Mid-South Rising Star by Superlawyer magazine multiple times, and is recognized by the American Jurist Institute as a Top Ten Family Law Attorney for Tennessee. Joanna is an active member of the American, Tennessee, and Nashville Bar Associations, and is one of a core group of attorneys in the Middle Tennessee Collaborative Alliance, an organization that promotes the use of the more harmonious, supportive, and structured collaborative divorce process, in lieu of litigation.
In addition to her legal accolades, Joanna is a meditation and yoga teacher. She uses the skills learned in these disciplines to educate the legal community on how to better handle occupational stress and how to use such skills to better serve clients. Joanna teaches Continuing Legal Education and gives talks at law schools, legal conferences, and for various professional organizations. Joanna serves on the Tennessee Bar Association’s Wellbeing Committee and on the Board of the Mindfulness in Law Society, working in conjunction with Bar associations and legal organizations around the nation to improve the working lives of lawyers.
Prior to forming her own firm, Joanna worked as a litigator at a large regional law firm where she honed her skills in a broad range of practice areas including family law, medical malpractice, professional liability, real estate, and entertainment law. However, it was her own experience with divorce that prompted Joanna to build a dedicated family law practice. As a single parent with two small children, Joanna faced many challenges as she rebuilt her future, leaving her with a great appreciation for the difficulties of transitioning to a new life and a deep sense of empathy for her clients. Joanna and her colleagues envisioned and created a family law firm that would truly seek to determine each client’s personal goals and priorities, to provide the resources and options to ensure custom-handling of each client’s case, and to give clients a home where they could feel confident and cared for.
Joanna originally hails from London, England. You might notice the accent! She attended London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in African Studies, majoring in the Swahili language. Joanna moved to Nashville in 2002 while working in the music business. She enjoyed success as a music publishing manager and copyright administrator on Music Row for Tom Collins Productions. Joanna also pursued her love of real estate by working toward, and obtaining, a broker’s license. Joanna’s background in music and real estate has uniquely positioned her to advise family law clients regarding real and intellectual property issues that need to be addressed during divorce, for prenuptial agreements, estate planning matters, and other family law situations.
After ten years of raising her daughters as a single parent, Joanna is happily remarried. She and her husband, Ryan, have four amazing children between them. Joanna and Ryan now share a great appreciation for the role stepparents can play in a blended family. Together, they enjoy pursuing outdoor adventures, exploring new places and experiences, and making family meals. Joanna’s various familial experiences have taught her that, while life is unpredictable, support and care can be found in all situations. Joanna aims to be an integral part of a support system for her clients through their family law matters and beyond.
Professional Recognition
Joanna has earned many prestigious honors throughout her legal career, including the following:
- Awarded the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys 10 Best for Client Satisfaction Multiple Times
- Ranked in the Top 10 by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys
- Named a Mid-South Rising Star by Superlawyer Magazine
- Top 10 Family Law Attorney for Tennessee by the American Jurist Institute
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Tennessee Bar Association
- Nashville Bar Association
- Middle Tennessee Collaborative Alliance
- American Institute of Family Law Attorneys
- National Academy of Family Law Attorneys
- Mindfulness in Law Society
- Yoga Alliance
