Best Lawyers in Tennessee, United States for Litigation - Labor and Employment
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Mary Dohner Smith is a partner in the Nashville office with experience involving every aspect of the employment relationship. She has been involved in complex litigation involving all aspects of Title VII, the ADEA, the ADA, the FLSA, USERRA, retaliatory discharge, and state law claims for breach of contract, fraud, negligence, and negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Before joining Constangy, Mary worked in Human Resources in both unionized and non-unionized facilities...
W. Chris Harrison is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. W. Chris, who practices law in Memphis, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which W. Chris is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Amber Isom-Thompson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Amber, who practices law in Memphis, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Amber is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Craig’s practice focuses exclusively on labor relations and employment law on behalf of employers and management. His practice regularly includes Title VII and other employment discrimination litigation, FLSA and state wage and hour litigation, trade secrets and non-competition disputes, collective bargaining issues, and alternative dispute resolution. Craig’s recent experience includes obtaining dismissals of lawsuits alleging race discrimination, gender discrimination, retaliato...
Elizabeth Washko is the Managing Shareholder of the Nashville office. Ms. Washko represents management in a wide variety of employment litigation matters, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, FMLA, FLSA, wrongful termination, breach of contract, and covenant not to compete cases. Ms. Washko has served as lead counsel in jury trials in both state and federal courts. In addition to her litigation experience, Ms. Washko also conducts training on employment issues, drafts and review...
Jeff Weintraub is the managing partner of the Memphis office. He is a trial attorney who has represented employers in more than 59 jury and bench trials in the private and public sectors in employment-harassment/discrimination and retaliatory discharge lawsuits alleging violations of public policies and statutes, such as the False Claims Act. Jeff also handles Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charges, wage and hour cases, labor cases, and enforcing non-competes in all federal an...
LISA A. KRUPICKA is a member of the law firm of Burch, Porter & Johnson, PLLC, in Memphis, where she heads the firm’s Labor and Employment Law group. She received her B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from Rhodes College, and her J.D. degree, with high honors, from Duke University where she was a member of the Duke Law Journal and the Order of the Coif. From 1986 to 1987, she was law clerk to the Honorable Julia Smith Gibbons (then United States District Judge for the Western District o...
Brittany Hopper is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Labor and Employment. Brittany, who practices law in Nashville, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Brittany is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Courtney Leyes is a partner in the firm's Gulfport, Memphis and Nashville offices. She represents employers throughout Mississippi and the greater Memphis-metropolitan area, with particular focus on the burgeoning industrial areas in the northern part of the state. Courtney has experience representing employers in litigation related to discrimination and harassment in the workplace, in particular, federal jury trial experience. She also has experience representing employers on wage and hour i...
John E. Winters, an effective trial lawyer with over 23 years of experience, focuses his practice in the areas of Labor and Employment and Commercial Litigation. His vast knowledge and experience coupled with a common sense approach to resolving disputes is vital to helping his clients save not only money but also valuable time away from their businesses. He takes the time to understand his clients' needs and legal goals and looks for cost-effective solutions that will get them the results th...
Jay Ebelhar guides company leadership through lawsuits and administrative proceedings to resolve complex employment disputes. He acts as a go-to resource for the full spectrum of employment matters, from harassment and discrimination claims to wage and hour challenges. Utilizing this varied experience, Jay partners with employers to explore options and develop sound strategies that manage risk in line with their organizational goals. Whether this means taking a case through trial or resolving...
Kendra Samson is a partner in Barton’s Nashville office. Kendra advises clients on how to avoid costly litigation, with a practice focused on employment law and commercial litigation. She believes the most effective legal counsel begins with building strong relationships—taking the time to understand a client’s business, their people, and their unique challenges. By investing in that knowledge, Kendra is able to craft practical, business-focused strategies that aim to resolv...
Aron Zwi Karabel is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Labor Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Aron Zwi, who practices law in Nashville, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Aron Zwi is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
HOWARD B. JACKSON is a Member of the Knoxville, Tennessee office of the firm, which he joined in 2001. His practice includes substantial experience with labor law, employment litigation, including both discrimination cases of all kinds and employee restrictive agreements, frequent training and counseling of employers on a wide variety of employment law issues, and commercial litigation. Howard graduated from Georgia Tech in 1983, with a B.S. in Industrial Management, from Duke University in 1...
David has nearly 30 years of experience practicing litigation in a variety of practice areas, including labor and employment, commercial, and products liability matters. A Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, he has particularly extensive experience in non-compete and trade secret matters. David is recognized in Chambers USA and other publications.
Charles (Chuck) Lee, Vice-Chair of the firm's Litigation Practice and Co-Chair of the firm's Labor & Employment Practice, has been with Miller & Martin since 1985 and concentrates his practice primarily on employment law, corporate/commercial litigation and federal agency investigations. In the employment law practice area, Chuck is lead defense counsel for a number of major companies and other employers in connection with wrongful discharge, discrimination, retaliation, FLSA, ADA, FM...
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.