The statement “great minds think alike” certainly holds for University of Tennessee Winston College of Law alumni Maureen Wood (’05), Terri Simmons (’09), and Charles Simmons (’14).
These three siblings, who grew up in Murfreesboro, Tennessee with no particular interest in law, found their vocational calling at Winston Law and now serve in various roles in the legal profession—in practice, in academia, and on the bench.
Hailing from a family of educators who encouraged an interest in STEM-related fields, the siblings all earned undergrad degrees in mathematics from HBCUs near Atlanta—Maureen and Terri at Spelman College, and Charles at Morehouse College. However, they each realized that continuing in mathematics wasn’t the career path for them. They also saw in themselves skills and personality traits well suited for the field of law.
Paving the way
Maureen Wood, who had once considered pursuing an engineering degree, recognized herself as a strong and persuasive communicator.
“I’ve always liked to advocate for whatever my position was, or perhaps for somebody else’s,” she says. “So, I think law was a natural fit for me.” It’s a skill that wasn’t always appreciated early on. A teacher in grade school once commented on her report card: “I’m sure Maureen will be president of the United States one day, but right now she just talks too much in class.”
When Maureen ultimately decided to study law, attending UT was the natural choice. “Both of my parents graduated from UT,” she says. “Even though we were raised in Murfreesboro, I was born in Knoxville. So, when it came time to consider law schools, for me it was a no-brainer to be at home.”
She entered Winston Law in 2002. Several things stand out in her mind about the college, from the helpfulness of her professors to unique experiences, such as the Student Bar Association’s regular “Rump Court” gatherings, that enriched her time and fostered connections. One particular connection she made through the Winston Law Legal Clinic opened the door to a valuable internship.
“At the time Donna Smith was doing some adjunct work with the Domestic Violence Clinic,” Maureen says. “I got the opportunity to advocate in court for people who were victims of domestic violence. That was a great hands-on experience. Donna also gave me my first internship opportunity in a small, all-woman, family law firm. It was really a great experience.”
Another family connection is Maureen’s husband, David Wood. He earned his JD from Winston Law in 2005, and the couple married while at UT. In 2006, they opened a general practice firm, Wood & Wood, in Conyers, Georgia.
“My husband and I started a law firm together,” Maureen says. “I primarily practiced family and juvenile law, but David was primarily doing commercial and residential real estate. Around the time the market crashed, a significant amount of his work shifted, and I picked up some consumer bankruptcy as well. So, we were truly a general practice firm.”
Maureen was appointed Juvenile Court Judge of Rockdale County, Georgia in 2016 and served for almost nine years as the county’s only juvenile court judge. In 2024, she was elected as one of the county’s two superior court judges and began presiding in January 2025.
“Basically, we’re the highest trial court on the local level,” she says. “I hear criminal matters, felony cases, civil matters, personal injury, medical malpractice cases, tort claims—civil is pretty broad. And then I hear all the family law matters as well. So, it’s a really cool court to be in because it’s something new almost every day.”
While serving in these positions, Maureen has been a role model for her younger siblings, sharing advice and encouragement over the years.
Exploring possibilities
Early on, Terri Simmons aspired to become a math teacher, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother. However, by her junior year of college, she decided that teaching math ultimately wouldn’t be a good fit for her. She was open to other career possibilities—and to Maureen’s suggestions.
“A lot of my friends in school were taking the LSAT,” Terri says. “Maureen was at UT at the time. She’s honestly the reason I ended up taking the LSAT. I took it the summer after my junior year and did pretty well. Then, during my senior year, I was unsure what I wanted to do next, and Maureen was like, ‘You should just apply to law school.’ So, I applied and got into UT. Right before my first semester, I thought, ‘What have I done?’”
Terri didn’t necessarily want to be a lawyer and was therefore uncertain about entering law school. But with encouragement from her mother and others to view it as an opportunity to explore her interests, Terri entered Winston Law in 2006 without feeling pressure to choose a conventional career path.
“One thing that allowed me to have such a good time in law school was going in with eyes wide open,” she says. “After my first year, I just took classes to see if I enjoyed them. I didn’t have the same type of pressures that a lot of students have, so I didn’t stress myself out.”
She was also relieved to find that law school required a lot of reading—an activity that, despite her undergrad degree, she always preferred over solving math equations.
During her third year, she participated in the Domestic Violence Clinic and represented a client in court along with a licensed attorney. She later realized that not all law schools offer students such opportunities, and that some lawyers don’t gain court experience until after they start practicing.
Terri found encouragement from numerous people at Winston—from the camaraderie she developed in the Black Law Students Association to the support and guidance she received from faculty members, including Dwight Aarons, associate professor of law; Penny White, professor emerita; and Iris Goodwin, associate professor emerita.
While Terri was preparing for the Tennessee Bar Exam, Maureen reached out with challenging advice. “My sister said, ‘You should just take the Georgia Bar and the Tennessee Bar at the same time.’ Being 20-something, I had no idea how crazy that was. At the time, it worked because Tennessee would accept Georgia’s Multistate Bar. But somehow, I passed. Thank God I took the Georgia Bar, because I ended up in Atlanta.”
After graduating from Winston Law and clerking for a judge in Tennessee, Terri moved to Georgia and for four years worked as an associate at Wood & Wood, Maureen and David’s practice. “People say that families shouldn’t work together, but we actually had a really good time, and I learned a lot from them,” says Terri. She has continued to work as an attorney in various areas, primarily in family law. Since 2015, she has been a staff attorney for the DeKalb County Superior Court.
Terri also never gave up on teaching. She has taught higher education courses in legal and paralegal studies, business law, criminal law, and other areas. In 2020, she joined the faculty of Purdue Global Law School.
“I’ve always wanted to teach and have been doing it for 15 years now,” she says. “That’s a goal that I stuck with and am really happy doing it.”
Public defender
Like his sisters, Charles Simmons was a somewhat unconventional candidate for law school, given his mathematics degree, but his personal traits lent themselves well to law.
“I’ve always been pretty good at conflict resolution and relating to other people, finding similarities to people from different cultures and walks of life,” Charles says. “So that’s a useful skill for a lawyer. Additionally, my older sister was the one who went through law school first, and seeing how she did it while being married and having her first child, I saw that it’s possible.”
Naturally, Maureen and Terri strongly influenced his decision to attend Winston Law. But as an undergrad, Charles had also heard positive comments about the law school from people outside his family.
“There was somewhat of a pipeline between the Atlanta University Center Consortium—including Spelman, Morehouse, and Clark—and UT,” he says. “I had talked with people who spoke highly of the school. That drew me there, as well as former dean Doug Blaze. He really made you feel valued as a student and that your place was important there.”
Charles entered Winston Law in 2011 and found the university to be a supportive environment for the type of law he wished to study. “I’ve always had more of a passion for the criminal aspect of law,” he says. “Some law schools are so huge on pushing that private firm or Big Law, whereas UT respected my desire to pursue criminal law and even public sector law.”
Although the campus offered every bit of the state-school experience he wanted, Charles also found it a supportive environment when it came time to learn and focus on his studies. He cites several Winston faculty members who were particularly helpful during his program.
“Professor Dwight Aarons was a brilliant legal mind and an excellent educator,” he says. “Professor Ben Barton [Helen and Charles Lockett Distinguished Professor of Law] was very engaging and relatable, and a talented presenter. John Sobieski, Jr., professor emeritus, was a Navy vet and a very firm, serious professor. But he emphasized the importance of preparation and being able to speak confidently when called upon.”
During his final semester at Winston Law, Charles gained experience and mentorship working as a legal assistant for the Knox County Public Defender’s Office. This hands-on training aligned well with his career trajectory after graduating. Since 2015, he has served as a staff attorney for the City of Atlanta Public Defender’s Office and assistant solicitor for Fulton and DeKalb counties. He now serves as senior attorney for the City of Atlanta Public Defender’s Office and, since 2023, as magistrate judge for the Magistrate Court of Fulton County.
“I was a past president of the DeKalb Lawyers Association here in Atlanta,” he says. “I’ve served as a prosecutor and public defender for the past 10 years, working on both sides of criminal law. And being appointed to the bench for the Magistrate Court of Fulton County, being able to sit as a judge, that’s also been a highlight to play that role and use my skills differently.”
Collaboration and advice
The Simmons siblings haven’t collaborated professionally, other than Maureen and Terri practicing together in Conyers. However, the three of them communicate regularly about legal issues and enjoy the special bond they share
“Charles, Maureen, and I are constantly talking, discussing issues,” says Terri. “It’s really awesome to have two people to go to and work through issues together, and we do it all the time.”
“We very often pick each other’s brains on law in general, especially with my oldest sister on the superior court,” Charles says. “We have a lot of discussions on anything from evidence to procedure. Sometimes you’re afraid to ask certain questions to colleagues in your profession, maybe not wanting to come off as ignorant about a subject. Being that my siblings practice as well, we can really be transparent and have in-depth discussions where there’s no judgment.”
Even for students with a professional mentor in the family, it’s still important to make connections and develop a network while in law school.
“I heard people talk about networking, but I didn’t truly understand what that meant,” Maureen says. “It means getting to know people. Some people naturally have those connections through family or work, but I think a lot of people like me who came straight from college to law school don’t have that network. I think building that is just as important as working to be at the top of your game academically.”
“Don’t be afraid to connect with professors and local lawyers and even judges,” Terri adds. “You’d be surprised how many lawyers out there are willing to mentor somebody in law school.”
When it comes to academics, Charles recommends treating it like a full-time job but knowing when to clock out for the day. “Go to class, read, study, try to do that from nine to five, but then once 5 p.m. gets there, it’s time to enjoy yourself. If you do that, I think you’ll be more than prepared to pass any exam.”
Terri has a similar recommendation for preparing for the Bar. “Studying for the bar was probably one of the most challenging experiences of my life,” she says. “Think of it as a marathon, but you absolutely can do it. Treat it like a job, set a schedule for studying each day, be consistent, and you can absolutely get through it.”