Cheryl Rice

Janet Hayes, a Shareholder in the Knoxville office, is an advocate for employers and businesses across the state. Her practice focuses on employment and appellate law. Ms. Hayes has successfully defended all types of employment claims including sexual harassment, retaliatory discharge, discrimination, workers’ compensation, invasion of privacy, wage/hour claims, and denial of benefits. She has also argued more than 50 appeals in Tennessee’s appellate courts, including the Supreme ...

Kim Burnette is a partner with Arnett, Draper & Hagood, where his practice focuses on tort litigation, product liability, workers’ compensation, mediation, and insurance issues. Kim is an East Tennessee native who received his J.D. degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1985, graduating with honors. Upon graduation, he served a one year judicial clerkship with United States Magistrate Judge John Y. Powers in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Thereafter he returned to Knoxvi...

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Jason H. Long, a shareholder in the firm’s Knoxville office, has a practice primarily dedicated to the defense of healthcare liability matters and professional board representation. He represents individual physicians, physicians’ groups, nurses, nursing facilities and other care providers in complex legal matters in Tennessee and Kentucky. He also handles matters involving business litigation, civil trial defense, nursing home and long-term care defense as well as legal malpracti...

Leslie F. Bishop, a distinguished shareholder at Lewis Thomason, is an experienced attorney overseeing all aspects of general defense litigation, with a particular focus on workers’ compensation and employment law. Her extensive employment law practice includes representing employers before state agencies and litigating a wide range of employment issues. Leslie also serves as the Co-Chair of the firm’s Workers’ Compensation Practice Group, demonstrating her leadership and ex...

George R. Arrants, Jr. focuses his legal practice in the areas of Corporate and Transactional and Employment and Labor and Taxation. He has extensive experience in his practice areas as well as a thorough knowledge of his clients' businesses and unique legal needs. While simultaneously protecting their business interests from unintended or unexpected legal consequences, he efficiently and effectively identifies and pursues the best options and/or solutions to their employment or business-rela...

Jay Mader focuses on employment and business litigation. His employment law practice includes cases involving discrimination, harassment, and retaliation with claims relating to age, gender, race, disability, and whistleblower allegations. He also handles wage and hour and FMLA litigation. Jay’s experience in business litigation includes cases involving breach of contract and fiduciary duty, fraud and misrepresentation, consumer protection, and other business torts. In addition to litig...

Preston A. Hawkins, a shareholder in the Knoxville office, concentrates his practice on general tort litigation, construction litigation, appellate advocacy, and criminal defense. Mr. Hawkins is lead trial counsel and has successfully defended global corporations in significant lawsuits in state and federal court. Mr. Hawkins has also successfully represented contractors, design professionals, and owners in numerous construction litigation matters and arbitrations. Mr. Hawkins has also succes...

John W. Elder received his undergraduate degree from Middle Tennessee State University in 2000. He received his law degree, with high honors, from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2003 and joined Paine Bickers in August of the same year. Since joining the firm, he has represented numerous individuals and entities on local, regional and national levels in all types of complex civil litigation. John is a 2007 graduate of IADC Trial Academy and a 2010 graduate of the Tennessee Bar A...

Rick Powers graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1975 and was Order of the Coif. He has more than 40 years of general civil trial practice experience with more than 350 jury trials. His practice areas now primarily include health care liability for hospitals, nursing homes, and physicians; insurance defense in trucking, automobile, and homeowners’ cases; and other commercial litigation. Over the last five years, Mr. Powers has successfully tried five ...