Best Lawyers in Tennessee, United States for Labor and Employment Law - Employee
Judge Kevin Sharp is the Managing Partner of Sanford Heisler Sharp’s Nashville office. He joined the firm after serving as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee from May 2011 through April 2017, including service from 2014 to 2017 as the court’s Chief Judge. In his judicial role, Judge Sharp handled many high-profile cases, including Young v. Giles County Board of Education, granting an injunction against school officials who prevented a student f...
Douglas B. Janney III is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Employment Law - Individuals and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Douglas B. practices law in Brentwood, Tennessee Best Lawyers has recognized Douglas B. Janney III since 2013. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Douglas B. Janney III is held by other lawyers.
Brent Hannafan is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Employment Law - Individuals and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Brent practices law in Nashville, Tennessee Best Lawyers has recognized Brent Hannafan since 2025. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Brent Hannafan is held by other lawyers.
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 ...
Charles W. Hill concentrates his practice in the areas of employment law, securities and broker/dealer litigation, contracts and commercial litigation. Mr. Hill consults with employers concerning employment law decisions regarding their workforce, including discipline, discharge and the implementation of specific policies to ensure compliance with existing employment law, particularly the application of federal and state discrimination statutes. Mr. Hill provides advice and consultation conce...
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...
David Sanford is the Chairman and co-founder of Sanford Heisler Sharp LLP. He has recovered more than one billion dollars for individual clients and the United States government since 2004. David represents C-suite executives and non-managerial hourly employees throughout the US. He has served as lead counsel in more than 50 class actions and numerous qui tam cases around the country and represented more than 100 general counsel and attorneys (in-house and outside counsel) in contract dispute...
Alan G. Crone is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Employment Law - Individuals and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Alan G. practices law in Memphis, Tennessee Best Lawyers has recognized Alan G. Crone since 2020. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Alan G. Crone is held by other lawyers.
Isaac Westling is an attorney in Spicer Rudstrom’s Knoxville office, licensed to practice law in both Tennessee and Florida, and is a certified Tennessee Rule 31 Mediator specializing in civil law disputes. Isaac graduated Cum Laude from Florida Southwestern State College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Safety Administration. Upon moving to Tennessee, Isaac attended Lincoln Memorial University, School of Law. While there, he was elected to many leadership position...
Jonathan Tepe is a Partner at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, a Co-Chair of the firm’s Public Interest Litigation Practice Group, and the Chair of the firm’s Fellows and Junior Associates Program. Since joining Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, Jonathan has been recognized in the legal community as a Mid-South Rising Star by Super Lawyers and on Benchmark Litigation’s 40 and Under List – South. At Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, Jonathan’s practice has focused on p...
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.
