Sunny Eaton has been an award-winning trial lawyer for 17 years. After spending four years as an attorney with the Nashville Public Defender, she opened her own law firm in 2013. Sunny’s practice focused on criminal defense, LGBTQ legal protections and trademark law. She was subsequently awarded the TN Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ “Massey-Mcgee Trial Advocacy Award.”
In 2020, Sunny took leadership of the Nashville District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit as its Director and since that time the unit has exonerated five wrongfully convicted individuals. Her work has been featured nationally including a recent CBS Sunday Morning special and an upcoming NY Times magazine article.
Sunny has always been drawn to public service and advocacy. She attended a public-interest law school in Washington DC where she gained experience working at the DC Office of the Corporation Counsel, the Service Members Legal Defense Network, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Minority AIDS Council.
Sunny currently teaches trial advocacy at Vanderbilt University School of Law. She also serves on the Boards of Directors for Oasis Center, an emergency shelter and service program for at-risk youth and for the Onsite Foundation, a non-profit with the aim of ensuring all people affected by trauma are able to receive mental health assistance.
