J. Michael Ivens

Brandon D. Fersten is the owner of Barnes & Fersten, PLLC, a Knoxville, Tennessee law firm dedicated to criminal defense, including general criminal matters, DUI / DWI defense, and juvenile defense. Brandon regularly appears in General Sessions Court, Criminal Court, and Juvenile Court throughout East Tennessee, where he represents individuals facing misdemeanor and felony charges. His practice includes defending clients through negotiations, hearings, bench trials, and jury trials. Brand...

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...

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...

Ben Jones is a shareholder in the Knoxville office of Lewis Thomason. Mr. Jones' practice primarily concentrates on personal injury, insurance and casualty defense in civil litigation with his primary emphasis in the areas of hospitality litigation, amusement litigation, commercial vehicle/automobile litigation, professional liability and general tort defense. Mr. Jones has defended wrongful death and other catastrophic injury cases and has extensive trial experience in courts throughout East...

Heidi Barcus has dedicated her legal career to advocating for healthcare professionals and institutions in the complex arena of healthcare liability. As a shareholder in Lewis Thomason’s Knoxville office, she has established herself as a preeminent figure in the field, offering unparalleled expertise and unwavering commitment to her clients. Licensed to practice law in both Tennessee and Kentucky, Ms. Barcus has consistently demonstrated her legal ability by successfully defending a wid...

Marshall Stair, a shareholder in the firm’s Knoxville office, concentrates his practice in employment law with an emphasis on the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA/wage & hour/overtime), insurance casualty defense, and general commercial and tort litigation. While attending law school, he worked for the United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, assisting federal investigations enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act. After earning his degree from the University of Tenne...

Mikel Towe is a shareholder in the firm’s Knoxville office and joined the office in 2013 after graduation from law school. Mr. Towe graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law and devotes his practice to civil litigation focusing primarily in the areas of insurance litigation involving automobile and trucking accidents, products liability, commercial liability, general liability, as well as insurance coverage and claims litigation. Mr. Towe handles matters in both state an...

Jeffrey Whitt is a highly respected criminal defense attorney based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Known for his formidable presence in state and federal courtrooms across Tennessee, he has built a reputation as a skilled trial lawyer and relentless advocate for his clients. Jeff earned his law degree from Samford University in 1991 and holds a bachelor’s degree from Maryville College, where he was an Academic All-American and All-Conference honoree in both football and tennis. An active lead...

Tyler Smith, a shareholder and a lifelong Tennessean, is in the firm’s Knoxville office. Mr. Smith has extensive experience representing employers in the defense of workers’ compensation claims through trial and administrative hearings with the Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. He has obtained numerous positive results for employers on issues of medical causation, last injurious exposure, notice, statute of limitations, independent contractor, drug free workplace, a...

Rodney A. Fields, managing shareholder of the Knoxville office, joined Lewis Thomason in 1991. He is Chairman of the firm’s Board of Directors and manages the firm’s Business Practice Group. Mr. Fields divides his practice between litigation and transactional work. His practice focuses primarily in the areas of business law, commercial litigation, bankruptcy and casualty defense litigation. Mr. Fields also serves as legal counsel to multiple local motor vehicle dealerships and nat...