Leigh Ann Roberts 

Institute for Conflict Management

Adjunct Faculty

Biography

Leigh Ann Roberts is an attorney, mediator, Professional Certified Coach, and organizational development consultant with more than 28 years of experience in civil mediation and conflict resolution. She is vice president and co-founder of Circle Center Consulting, LLC, where she works with leaders and organizations through executive coaching, team facilitation, workplace mediation, and professional development. Her work focuses on helping individuals and teams strengthen collaboration, navigate complex challenges, and build healthier workplace cultures.

Roberts has mediated hundreds of civil and business disputes and has served as a commercial arbitrator and mediator with the American Arbitration Association and other state and national dispute resolution panels, including the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Her legal experience includes serving as an Assistant Attorney General in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division and co-founding Papa & Roberts, PLLC, where she handled civil and commercial litigation, mediation, and consulting matters.

Roberts has also contributed to higher education through her teaching in mediation and negotiation. From 2015 to 2018, she served as an instructor for Lipscomb University’s Institute for Conflict Management, teaching mediation in business and workplace settings. She previously taught mediation and negotiation courses at Belmont University’s Massey Graduate School of Business and College of Law.

Her professional leadership includes serving as president of the Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators and chair of the Nashville Bar Association’s Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. She is a member of the International Coaching Federation and the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals and has served on professional mediation and arbitration panels throughout her career.

Roberts earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts, with honors, from the University of Mississippi. She has completed Rule 31 Civil Mediator Training and Presence-Based Coaching Training and holds the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential.

Academic Degree

J.D., University of Mississippi School of Law
B.A., with honors, University of Mississippi