Our Team
History
Established as father-daughter partnership Wilkins & Ivey Attorneys in 1984, the origins of Ivey Title can be traced to 1962, when Percy Wilkins, Jr. began practicing real estate law with an emphasis on closings, mortgage loans, and the handling of real estate transfers. Ivey Title, LLC, was established in 2021 to better reflect our scope of work on behalf of new and existing clients in a changing Nashville market. Though our name has changed, our company continues to distinguish itself as an established “Nashville original”. Our staff has over 100 combined years of experience in Middle Tennessee real estate and a reputation for providing our clients and agents with personalized service, diligent attention to detail, and a seamless closing process.
Milestones
1962
Percy Wilkins, Jr. begins his practice as a real estate attorney in Middle Tennessee.
1983
Christy Wilkins Ivey joins her father in practice.
1984
Wilkins & Ivey Attorneys is established on Crestmoor Avenue in Green Hills.
1998
Percy Wilkins, Jr. is appointed by Governor Don Sundquist to the Tennessee Real Estate Commission.
2000
Wilkins & Ivey relocates to Ivey Title’s present location on Woodmont Boulevard.
2004
Percy Wilkins, Jr. retires and Christy Ivey becomes sole practitioner.
2020
After a successful 25+ year career selling real estate, attorney Margaret Hutton Taylor joins Wilkins & Ivey Attorneys.
2021
Ivey Title, LLC is formed as a joint venture between Christy Ivey and Margaret Taylor.
Christy W. Ivey
Attorney
Admitted to the Bar 1983, Tennessee. Education: University of Tennessee at Knoxville (B.A. 1979, J.D. 1983). Member: Nashville, Tennessee, and American Bar Associations; American Land Title Association, Tennessee Land Title Association. Since 1983, Christy has worked exclusively in the area of real estate transactions, with a focus on residential real estate. She has two grown daughters. Most rewarding in her work is helping clients through the contract and closing phases of their home purchase. Christy’s involvement in the Nashville community includes Junior League of Nashville Board and Home Board, Tri-Delta Alumnae President, Eve of Janus Benefit Chair and Advisory Board, The Ensworth School Parent Association President and Trustee, Woodmont Christian Preschool Board, West End United Methodist Church Trustee, Legal Aid Society volunteer, Online Tennessee Justice.
Margaret H. Taylor
Attorney
Admitted to the Bar 2016, Tennessee. Education: University of Mississippi, B.A.; Nashville School of Law, J.D. 2016. Margaret grew up in Nashville and attended Harpeth Hall School followed by Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA, graduating from the University of Mississippi. After college, she attended paralegal school and worked as a corporate law paralegal and business development assistant at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis. Margaret left Waller to start a real estate sales career that lasted many years, during which time she also attended law school. In 2020, she began her practice of law at Wilkins & Ivey concentrating on residential real estate transactions. She has two grown sons and a Beagle named Clark, and is a member of West End United Methodist Church, Friends of Children’s Hospital, Cheekwood and The Ensworth School and Harpeth Hall alumni associations. In addition, Margaret has given her time to various community organizations including: the MS Society, Habitat for Humanity, Junior League of Nashville, The Ensworth School, Harpeth Hall, Cheekwood and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.
Leigh Ivey Hicks
Communications & Business Development
Leigh represents the third generation of the Wilkins/Ivey family to join the family business following a career in nonprofit fundraising and communications. She graduated from Southern Methodist University, B.A. 2009, and worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C. prior to returning home to Nashville in 2013, to work for Vanderbilt University Medical Center and The Ensworth School. Leigh married her high school sweetheart, Jack Hicks, in 2017 and together they are the proud parents of Frances, a black Lab. She is a member of the alumni associations of The Ensworth School and University School of Nashville, the Nashville Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club, West End United Methodist Church, and volunteers for Christmas Village, the PDS/USN Annual Fund, and Nashville Pride.
Debbie Leist
Closing Processor & Legal Assistant
Debbie grew up in Indiana and moved to Nashville, by way of Texas and Georgia. She studied business at Indiana University Southeast and is the mother of two adult children. After working for Ryan Homes, she became interested in real estate closings and began work with Wilkins & Ivey in 2003. She is an avid fan of all things Disney and the University of Tennessee sports.
Denise Woods
Closing Processor & Legal Assistant
Born in Camp Pendleton, California, and raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Denise studied Banking and Business Administration at Western Kentucky University. She has over 20 years of experience in the legal field, concentrating on insurance defense, family law, and real estate, and joined Wilkins & Ivey in 2019. Denise is the mother of two adult children and the proud grandmother of three-year-old Elliott. A handy “Jill of all trades,” Denise enjoys watching sports, spending time with her family, and cooking and baking.
Greg Polzin
Title Examiner
Greg was born in Los Angeles, California, to Tennesseans who returned to Nashville early enough for Greg to be considered a true Nashvillian. Greg graduated from Peabody Demonstration School, the University of Tennessee, B. A. 1979, and from the Nashville School of Law, J. D. 1987. He began work as a title examiner for Wilkins & Adams Attorneys in 1982 and has worked with Wilkins & Ivey for most years since. He enjoys history, politics, and classic television and film, and goes out of his way to help any client of the firm with any sort of title inquiry.