Kim Hodde is a Partner in Meister Seelig & Schuster’s White Collar & Criminal Defense Group, Chair of the firm’s National Criminal Defense Practice, and Managing Partner of Meister Seelig & Schuster’s Nashville office. A federal criminal defense attorney based in Nashville, Tennessee, she represents individuals in investigations and prosecutions in federal courts nationwide and State courts throughout Tennessee, with a particular focus on constitutional and complex criminal issues.

Kim is active in local, regional, and national criminal defense organizations and legal initiatives. She has written numerous articles on the Constitution and federal criminal issues and has contributed to a federal column in the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ monthly magazine. She regularly presents at CLE events on a variety of federal criminal topics. Additionally, she has testified as an expert on the standard of care in federal criminal practice and on the ABA Standards for the Defense Function. She has served as a guest speaker at numerous law schools on trial advocacy.

Kim received the Founder’s Award as valedictorian of her law school class at Nashville School of Law, where she was also inducted into the Cooper’s Inn Honor Society for academic excellence. She was additionally selected for membership in the Harry Phillips American Inn of Court, a legal society composed of judges and respected lawyers dedicated to promoting ethics and maintaining high standards of professionalism in the legal community. Throughout her career, she has been recognized by courts and legal organizations for her excellence in federal criminal defense. Her honors include being named 2005 CJA Panel Lawyer of the Year for the Middle District of Tennessee; serving as a Tennessee Supreme Court Attorney for Justice (Pro Bono Award) from 2018 to 2025; receiving the G. Terry Jackson Friend of the Constitution Award from the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in 2018; becoming a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation in 2019; serving on the Criminal Operations Advisory Council since 2021; representing the Sixth Circuit on the Defender Services Advisory Group (DSAG) of the Administrative Office of the Courts since 2023; and from 2025 to 2029, serving as the National CJA Representative and Co-Chair of DSAG. In this role, she collaborates with other CJA representatives from each Circuit and a Public Defender from each Circuit to offer input on the defense function and necessary reforms to the Defender Services Committee of the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Throughout her career, Kim has been chosen to serve on various committees appointed by federal judges of the Middle District of Tennessee, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Currently, she serves as the CJA representative on the Criminal Operations Advisory Council (COAC), an oversight committee established by the Administrative Office of the Courts in collaboration with the U.S. Supreme Court. The Criminal Operations Advisory Council provides oversight and feedback to other federal committees, including the U.S. Sentencing Commission, the Rules Committee, and other working groups, on proposed changes to court procedures, administration, policy, and rules, as well as upcoming legislative and guideline initiatives impacting the federal judicial system. She also currently serves as both the National CJA Representative and the Sixth Circuit Representative to the Defender Services Advisory Group (DSAG) of the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Kim has served as a delegate for sitting federal judges, is an invited speaker at the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference, and is a life member of the conference. She is also a founding member of the Criminal Justice Act District Committee for the Middle District of Tennessee and serves as the district’s representative regarding the Criminal Justice Act Panel.

Kim is a passionate advocate for her clients. She is deeply respected by her clients, adversaries, and the courts. Throughout her career, she has handled complex federal matters, including federal capital and national security cases, and has served as lead counsel on several exonerations, both capital and non-capital. She has navigated hundreds of clients and their families through the most difficult times of their lives with compassion, respect, and heartfelt advocacy. Balanced against her immense credentials and accomplishments, she proudly provides every individual she represents with the service she would expect for her own child.