Find Lawyers in Tennessee, United States for Commercial Litigation
Practice Area Overview
Litigation increasingly occurs in various venues, from state and federal courts to private arbitrations and administrative hearings. Proceedings can involve business-to-business disputes or any number of government agencies. Understanding the motivations and outlook of each of the litigation participants is important for determining weak points to exploit and strong points that will persuade the audience in question. During the past decade, commercial litigators have seen a dramatic uptick in multidistrict and inter-disciplinary litigation, making the stakes higher, the cases more complex, the parties more numerous and the discovery more complicated and unwieldy. Firms that are able to develop and implement a creative legal approach to each individual problem, efficiently focus on the key legal and factual issues, and master and manage the various aspects of these complex matters will be the busiest in the years to come.
In the current challenging economic climate, commercial litigators are under increasing client pressure to keep costs in check, which has both sides testing the efficacy of alternative fee arrangements and the scope of reasonable discovery. Whether the “death of the billable hour” is ultimately realized, the keys to a commercial litigator’s success will continue to be strong client relationships, thought leadership, practical management skills, deep experience, and personal commitment.
The seeds of Mike Abelow’s success as a trial lawyer were planted early. As a formidable high school debater and strategy game enthusiast, Mike made compelling arguments and anticipated opponents’ moves and countermoves long before he took those same skills into the courtroom. Today, Mike’s determined and strategic advocacy has made him one of Nashville’s premier commercial litigation and commercial bankruptcy attorneys. Mike represents a diverse clientele in complex c...
Don Aho practices in the area of litigation with an emphasis on business and banking litigation, securities-related litigation, professional liability, healthcare, insurance, arbitration and mediation. With more than 30 years of experience in these areas, Mr. Aho is able to provide clients with guidance to assist them in avoiding disputes, to use creative alternative dispute resolution techniques to settle the disputes or litigate them to a successful conclusion. Mr. Aho routinely represents ...
Charles Barrett joined Neal & Harwell in September 2015. He works as a civil litigator in state and federal courts across the country. His practice focuses on personal injury cases, antitrust and consumer class actions, and False Claims Act claims, but he has also represented large multinational corporations in commercial disputes. Away from the office, Charles spends time with his wife, Elizabeth, and their five children. He also served on the board of directors of the Martha O’Bry...
Margaret L. Behm has earned the reputation as the go-to person in 45 years of representing clients and forging coalitions for change. After beginning her legal career in 1976 at Legal Services if Middle Tennessee, Inc., Behm and Marietta Shipley in 1980 founded Shipley and Behm, the city's first all-woman law firm. “Back then, women just weren’t taken seriously as business owners or lawyers,” Behm says. “I wanted to run my own business and demonstrate that women could ...
Thomas A. Bickers graduated with honors in 1984 from Middle Tennessee State University. He graduated with high honors from The University of Tennessee College Of Law in 1987. Following law school, he served as law clerk to the Honorable H. Ted Milburn of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In 1993, Tom was appointed by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee to serve as a member of the advisory group tasked with revising the Court’s l...
Rebecca Blair is a Problem Solver. Having litigated cases in state and federal courts for twenty-five years, Rebecca understands that litigation is about solving a problem. Whether the litigation is the means for solving the problem or litigation is the problem, Rebecca knows that what her clients need is a solution. Rebecca knows that no one enters into litigation lightly. Litigation is time-consuming, expensive, and stressful, but sometimes necessary. Rebecca knows how much is at stake for ...
Brandon Bundren is a trial lawyer who represents both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts in Tennessee and Texas. Brandon’s clients range from small businesses to numerous publicly traded companies. While Brandon handles a variety of complex commercial cases, his practice is focused primarily on intellectual property and competitive practices litigation, including non-compete, trade secrets, patent, trademark, copyright, and similar unfair competition matters. Brandon ...
Joshua L. Burgener, a partner in the firm’s Nashville office, focuses his practice on complex commercial and business litigation, employment disputes, class action litigation, and real estate litigation. Specifically, he specializes in trade secret and non-compete suits, contract claims, lease disputes, and business torts. In addition to his courtroom practice, Josh also advises clients on litigation assessment and avoidance. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers® as a “Risi...
Practice Areas: 31 years litigating at trial and appellate levels in Commercial, Construction, Insurance Defense, Medical Malpractice Defense, Personal Injury, Product Liability, and Wrongful Death disputes. She is a Rule 31 Listed Mediator in General Civil Mediation. Admitted: Tennessee; Texas; U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee; U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit; U. S. Supreme Court. Academic: University of Tennessee: 1986, B. S., with highest honors; 1991...
Webb Campbell’s business litigation practice focuses on representing companies and individuals in shareholder and corporate governance lawsuits, insurance coverage disputes, breach of contract and employment matters, business torts involving fraud and enforcement of restrictive covenants, and plaintiffs’ recovery cases in the area of antitrust. As a veteran trial lawyer with over three decades of experience spanning a wide range of high stakes matters, Webb also teams regularly wi...
Chris Cardwell is a trial lawyer in GSRM’s Litigation and Labor and Employment practice groups. He serves on the firm’s management, marketing and staff committees, and leads the Litigation and Labor and Employment practice groups. Chris represents life sciences, healthcare, railroad and transportation, and entertainment companies in complex commercial, employment, and intellectual property lawsuits.
George H. Cate, III, focuses his practice in civil litigation, crisis management, and representing corporations and individuals in connection with government and internal investigations. His civil litigation experience includes matters arising from a broad range of commercial and business transactions, misappropriation of trade secrets and other intellectual property disputes, non-competition and related business tort litigation, disputes under the False Claims Act, insurance litigation, bank...
Lee J. Chase, III, concentrates his practice in the areas of tort, health, and construction law with an emphasis on litigation, concerning personal injuries, medical malpractice, commercial disputes, and construction contracting, including construction contract negotiation and dispute resolution. Speaking Engagements: The Law – Big News in Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury, Understanding what you need to know about what the Courts have decreedMemphis Bar Association Annual Litigat...
David Cocke has served as counsel for secured creditors, debtors, unsecured creditors committees, and bankruptcy trustees in both business liquidations and reorganizations, and he has litigated many complex business cases in federal, state and bankruptcy courts. This extensive experience gives him a unique ability to serve his clients' bankruptcy and litigation needs. Mr. Cocke practices in the areas of commercial litigation, bankruptcy, and election law. He was honored by Super Lawyers in th...
Clay Culpepper serves as counsel for a number of businesses and aggressively advocates for injured individuals. Clay has litigated cases from Tennessee to California, in federal and state courts, in front of both juries and judges. Clay represents and counsels clients in various actions, including, but not limited to: Significant Personal Injury: Automobile accidents Trucking accidents Premises liability Malpractice Wrongful death Negligence Business/Commercial Litigation: Contract/transactio...
Lauren Curry’s practice is focused primarily on business disputes, complex commercial litigation, employment matters, and evaluating and resolving insurance coverage controversies. She provides counsel to businesses and executives navigating employment disputes or litigation and advises them on day-to-day employee relations. In her insurance coverage practice, Lauren represents insurance companies and policyholders and has assisted clients in resolving multi-million dollar coverage disp...
John A. Day is a founding partner of the Law Offices of John Day, PC, located in the Nashville, Tennessee, area. John graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1981. He is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist and has over 30 years experience in trying lawsuits. John has served as President of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association and Chair of the Council of State Presidents of the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers...
Roger Dickson, a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, concentrates his practice on litigation with an emphasis on complex commercial disputes, white collar crime, healthcare, personal injury and products liability. He has handled major civil litigation for the world's largest soft drink bottling company and has served as lead national counsel defending publicly traded consumer products companies in hundreds of pharmaceutical product liability cases. He also represents a publicly t...
Kyle Eiselstein is Vice-Chair of the Litigation Department and concentrates his practice in the area of civil litigation with an emphasis in complex commercial disputes. He represents business clients in a wide range of federal and state court cases, including matters involving alleged misrepresentation and fraud, breach of contract, business torts and insurance coverage. Kyle’s practice includes representing healthcare providers in the defense of federal False Claims Act litigation.
Mr. Evans’s practice is focused on products liability, pharmaceutical, commercial and insurance litigation in both state and federal courts. Matthew built his practice defending pharmaceutical and products liability cases and is adept at handling complex litigation, having significant experience in MDL cases, both in Tennessee and across the country. Matthew routinely works with highly specialized experts ranging from physicians to fire investigators and professional engineers. Matthew ...
John Farringer is a trial lawyer focusing on complex business and commercial litigation. He practices in state and federal courts at both the trial and appellate level and before administrative agencies. John is also experienced with all forms of alternative dispute resolution, regularly advises clients regarding litigation avoidance and assessment, and is listed as a Rule 31 General Civil Mediator. With over two decades of experience, John has litigated many high-stakes and high-profile matt...
Leah Gerbitz practices in the area of civil litigation with an emphasis on healthcare, data security and products liability. She manages diverse complex litigation matters, and she has tried multiple cases to verdict in state and federal courts. The matters she has handled include False Claims Act, fraud and abuse, HIPAA/HITECH, healthcare credentialing/peer review, healthcare risk management and general liability, data security and privacy, data breach response, product liability/mass tort d...
Tannera Gibson focuses on employment law, municipal law, healthcare liability, and commercial and business litigation. Ms. Gibson has extensive litigation and trial experience, and significant experience in conducting investigations and presiding over administrative matters. She is currently the Secretary/Treasurer of the Memphis Bar Association, is an active member of the community, and maintains a solid pro bono practice.
Mr. Griffin’s practice is focused on commercial, intellectual property, and insurance litigation in both state and federal courts. He has extensive jury and non-jury trial experience in corporate, business, entertainment, insurance, and personal injury litigation. Mr. Griffin has represented Country Music Hall of Fame songwriters, as well as various record companies, music publishing companies, manufacturers, and insurance companies in a wide variety of disputes. Mr. Griffin is a Tennes...
Ms. Hagerman’s practice focuses on employment litigation and complex commercial litigation, with a particular emphasis on matters pending in federal court. She has represented clients in cases involving employment discrimination, wage and hour class actions, civil rights, products liability, insurance coverage and numerous areas of commercial law. Ms. Hagerman also advises clients on a variety of employment matters including non-solicitation and non-competition agreements, employee hand...
Thomas M. Hale is an experienced, skilled and effective trial and transactional lawyer who brings a wealth of knowledge to his clients in his practice areas of: Corporate and Transactional Employment and Labor Estate Planning, Administration and Trusts Local Government and Public Utilities Real Estate Professional Liability Litigation Commercial Corporate Municipal Land Use/Zoning He is a solution seeker and problem solver and works hard as an advocate for his clients in an honest, straight-f...
Bill Harbison is a member of Sherrard & Roe and works primarily in the areas of corporate law and trusts and estates. He also handles litigation in those same practice categories. Mr. Harbison is a 1980 graduate of Harvard Law School, cum laude . He received his bachelor's degree with highest honors in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1977. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. Harbison is listed in The Best Lawyers of America. He is a member of the American...
Mr. Harwell focuses his practice on commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense and crisis management. Through the years he has been involved in many cases receiving national attention. He has been counsel for numerous public officials including judges, governors, congressmen, state senators, mayors and state attorneys general. For the last several years, he has represented Pilot Flying J, the sixth largest private company in the country, regarding numerous issues arising out of the ...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.