Best Lawyers in Tennessee, United States for Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Taylor A. Williams received his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee, graduating with honors. He received his law degree from The University of Tennessee College of Law in 2009, graduating with high honors. In law school, Taylor’s case commentary was published in school’s business law journal. Since joining the firm, Taylor has over ten years of complex litigation practice, focusing on commercial disputes and defense of products liability actions in ...

Bob Chapski is a shareholder and a Rule 31 Listed General Civil Mediator in the firm’s Nashville office. He is chair of the firm’s Product Liability Practice Group. Mr. Chapski regularly represents businesses and individuals and is experienced in a variety of litigation-related practice fields including product liability, tort, commercial/business litigation and employment law. He often serves as local counsel to global law firms, advising attorneys and national clients in complex...

Taylor is an experienced trial attorney whose practice includes defending individuals and corporations in the areas of products liability, catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, professional liability and complex commercial disputes. He has tried, or assisted in the trial of, more than 25 jury trials to verdict across multiple different practice areas and jurisdictions. He has handled numerous bench trials, arbitrations, mediations and settlements of high-profile cases.

Mr. Dement is an AV rated attorney through Martindale-Hubbell and has that special combination of skill of being both an advocate and a counselor. Not only has he served as a litigator for approximately 29 years, he has advised many clients over the years in business, transactional, and financial matters. Prior to law school, Mr. Dement received a masters degree in business administration with a concentration in corporate finance. His training has given him unique insight into the problems hi...

Sam C. Doak is a shareholder in Lewis Thomason’s Knoxville office. Sam has been a trial attorney for over 35 years and focuses his practice primarily on civil trial litigation, arbitration and mediation in practice areas ranging from complex construction matters, product liability, marine product liability, commercial business disputes, employment litigation, transportation litigation, and general insurance defense. Sam served in several leadership positions in the Knoxville Bar Associa...

Kevin is a Member of Spicer Rudstrom’s Board of Directors and the Managing Member of the firm’s Memphis Office. His practice areas include tort liability defense, including catastrophic personal cases, trucking, and transportation cases, construction defect litigation, along with complex litigation. He is the Chair of the firm’s Construction, Construction Defect. He has received an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Dale Bay is a shareholder in Lewis Thomason's Nashville office, where he previously served as managing shareholder for 20 years and was a founding member of the board of directors and compensation committee. Since joining the firm in 1984, Dale has focused on civil jury trial litigation in state and federal courts across Tennessee and the southeastern United States. Dale’s current litigation work primarily involves medical malpractice (Healthcare Liability), professional malpractice def...

John R. Tarpley, a shareholder in our Nashville office, has been involved in complex litigation in the areas of transportation, tort, product liability, and a wide range of insurance-related matters in both state and federal courts. Mr. Tarpley has established himself as one of the pre-eminent lawyers who represent commercial transportation companies and their employees in Tennessee and nationwide. He has successfully defended trucking companies in both state and federal courts and at mediati...

Chip is a member of Butler Snow’s Pharmaceutical, Medical Devices & Healthcare Group, where he focuses his practice on health-related matters, including representation of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in multidistrict product liability litigations, consolidated state proceedings, individual cases in state and federal courts, and large mass tort matters. He is also actively involved in our Trucking Litigation group, representing both local and over-the-road carriers...

Haley E. Moody is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Haley E., who practices law in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Haley E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Brian represents pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers as trial counsel and in leadership roles of coordinated mass tort proceedings.

Edd is an Of Counsel attorney with Spicer Rudstrom in the Memphis office. He focuses on litigation throughout Tennessee and Mississippi. Edd primarily practices in the areas of employment law, healthcare liability, insurance defense litigation, and products liability. He is also a Tennessee Rule 31 Listed General Civil Mediator. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He received all league honors three years as a tight end on t...

Michael J. King currently serves as managing partner for the firm. He graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A. in mathematics and political science. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, with a deferred service commitment to attend law school. Mike obtained his law degree from The University of Tennessee College of Law in 1992. He then served for four years in the United States Air Force as a Judge Advocate. He is licensed in Tennessee ...

Mr. Nicoson’s practice focuses primarily on products liability, insurance coverage and bad faith litigation, commercial litigation, personal injury defense (premises/auto/trucking), defense of governmental entities and governmental immunity claims, toxic tort, and medical negligence. He actively practices before state and federal courts and has tried over a dozen matters and arbitration proceedings to verdict, including multiple jury trials. He is also an experienced appellate practitio...

Jessie Zeigler serves as Chair of the Products Liability and Torts practice group at Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC in Nashville, TN. As both a seasoned litigator and crisis management strategist, Jessie has represented clients in some of the nation’s most high-profile cases over the last 25+ years. Jessie has always returned successful results in the cases she has handled. Most recently, Jessie battled on behalf of an international pharmaceutical company in court rooms across Tennessee, K...

Emily L. Herman-Thompson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Emily L., who practices law in Knoxville, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Emily L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.