Van Buren County Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Mr. Higgins is a Nashville native. He attended the University of Tennessee where he graduated with honors and returned to home to work with a large insurance defense law firm. About 17 years ago Mr. Higgins left the defense practice and created a firm that only represents injured victims and their families. To better serve his clients the firm is broken down into specific litigation groups, such as the nursing home neglect division and serious injury division.

Mr. Higgins is a member of the million dollar advocates forum, recognized by Best Lawyers and is a board...

Jeffrey W. Rufolo grew up in New Jersey and originally came to Chattanooga in 1983 to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on a wrestling scholarship. He liked the area so much he decided to stay. Since joining Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers, Mr. Rufolo has successfully represented those who have been injured on the job, or injured in car accidents, fall down cases, or other premises liability type cases due to the negligence of others. Recently, Mr. Rufolo successfully overturned an unfavorable decision from the trial court in a wrongful death lawsuit brought against Hamilton County, Tennessee, in which a...

Valerie W. Epstein currently owns her own firm concentrating her practice in the areas of civil litigation, wills and estates, arbitration/mediation and business. She has been a practicing Rule 31 mediator for over 10 years and she has been a commercial arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association for over 15 years (by invitation only). She was awarded a contract with the State of Tennessee to perform Independent External Reviews and she is a neutral for the American Health Lawyers Association. She has had numerous cases in Chancery, Circuit and Sessions court in Hamilton County representing both plaintiffs and defendants. She...

Jerry H. Summers is a lifelong resident of Chattanooga and Hamilton County, Tennessee. Following his graduation from law school, he initially worked for two years as a prosecutor in the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office. Entering private practice in 1969, he became the founding member of what is now Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers. An experienced trial lawyer, Mr. Summers is one of a small number of attorneys who has been included in every yearly volume of "Best Lawyers in America" in both personal injury and criminal law. He is also only one of approximately five attorneys in the State of...

Matthew Harris is managing partner and trial counsel with The Harris Firm, P.C. in Manchester, Tennessee.   He practices on behalf of individuals and corporate entities in all state and federal courts in Tennessee and Mississippi.  He has personally tried personal injury matters including premises liability claims (i.e., "slip-and-fall" cases), motor vehicle accidents, as well as medical and dental malpractice lawsuits to verdict on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants.  Mr. Harris earned a B.S. in Political Science from Austin Peay State University in 2008 and a J.D. from Mississippi College School of Law in 2011.   The Harris Firm, P.C. represents litigants...

Jimmy W. Bilbo has been a practicing attorney in Cleveland, Tennessee since 1985. He is a Board Certified Civil Trial Specialist by the TN Commission on CLE and Specialization. He is Dual Board Certified as a Trial Specialist and in Civil Pretrial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is a former president of the Tennessee Association for Justice.

I am a trial lawyer practicing in Memphis, TN and surrounding areas. I focus my practice on serious injury and professional malpractice cases, including auto and truck accidents, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, and legal malpractice.

I have obtained numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements throughout my career. I have tried several jury trials in both state and federal court, and I have appeared before the Tennessee Supreme Court, Tennessee Court of Appeals, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

More importantly, I know each of my clients personally,...

Brandon Bass is a shareholder at The Law Offices of John Day, P.C., located in Nashville, Tennessee, where he’s been practicing law since he graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2002. Brandon is active in several legal organizations, including: the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association Executive Committee, Board of Governors, Amicus Curiae Committee Chair, and Mentor; the American Association for Justice on their New Lawyers Division Board of Governors; the Tennessee Bar Association’s Leadership Law; and the Nashville Bar Foundation as a Fellow and Mentor.

Brandon has received many accolades throughout his career. He has been named in...

John A. Day is the founding partner of The Law Offices of John Day, P.C., located in the Nashville, Tennessee, area. John graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1981. He is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist and has more than 30 years’ experience trying cases. John has served as President of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association and Chair of the Council of State Presidents of the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America). John has also served on the boards of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, Lawyers...

Larry V. Roberts represents the injured and grieving. He is an experienced trial attorney actively and aggressively representing people who have been seriously injured and families who have lost loved ones. If you are seriously injured or lose a loved one, Larry V. Roberts will take the time to talk with you and your family to truly understand how a serious injury or death of a loved is effecting you and your family. Larry V. Roberts is committed to helping his clients obtain the compensation they deserve. The National Association of Distinguished Counsel has named Larry in the Nation’s Top...

Mitch Grissim’s father, a prominent Nashville lawyer, taught him at an early age that it is the little things that make all the difference in the quality of the legal services offered and the level of client satisfaction. Simple but important actions, such as returning all phone calls before the end of the day and doing exactly what you say you’re going to, is the standard at Mitch Grissim and Associates.

Mitch lives on the lake east of Nashville in Sumner County and attends Bluegrass Baptist Church of Hendersonville. When not in the office, Mitch enjoys working out and training for...

Kelly Tanner is a Knoxville DUI attorney and Knoxville Car Wreck attorney. Before attending the Duncan School of Law, Kelly served as a law enforcement officer in Knoxville, TN. In fact, Kelly is highly skilled in the area of FIeld Sobriety Testing, having received countless hours of training in both administration and interpretation of these tests, and has been a part of actually training the police officers who administer them. To say that he has knowledge of how the prosecution makes their cases is an understatement. He knows the system from both sides.

His former career as a Law Enforcement Officer...

Cathy spent the early years of her life growing up on a farm in the Midwest. Following high school, she attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee before attending Indiana University at South Bend. Cathy graduated from Indiana University at South Bend with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Administration. After graduation, she worked for several years for a consulting firm before deciding to attend law school. Cathy received her law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School.

Cathy worked for several firms, and for the State of Tennessee’s Department of Human Services, before joining Hughes & Coleman in 2006....

Mark Hartsoe is dedicated to providing high-quality legal services to injured persons and their families in the Knoxville, Maryville and East Tennessee area. For over 33 years, Hartsoe has aggressively litigated on behalf of his clients to assist them in getting the justice they deserve. He has decades of experience with car accident, truck wreck, motorcycle wreck and premises liability/slip and fall cases. Mr. Hartsoe regularly works with other firms on a referral fee and co-counsel basis. He has been long recognized by his peers as one of the top injury lawyers in East Tennessee and has...

Richard is a hometown lawyer, born and raised in Bowling Green. He attended Warren Central High School and continued his education at Western Kentucky University, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He then attended Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law, graduating cum laude in 2010. At NKU, Richard was an Associate Editor for the Northern Kentucky Law Review and had his law review article chosen for publication in 2010. After law school, Richard returned home again to begin his career with a defense firm focusing primarily on civil litigation, including insurance defense, personal injury...

Joy Day is one of only fourteen female lawyers in the State of Tennessee who is certified as a civil trial specialist by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification and serves as a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 Listed General Civil Mediator. With more than 150 days of trial to her credit, Joy has significant trial experience in high-exposure, complex cases and is more than comfortable in the courtroom.

Joy has a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating, the highest rating possible, since 2004, and she has been named a Mid-South Super Lawyer every year since 2009. Joy is licensed in state...

As founder of Bailey & Greer, R. Sadler Bailey has battled his fair share of insurance giants and wrongdoers and has achieved numerous multimillion-dollar results for the victims of catastrophic injuries and their families. What’s more, he has been involved in more than 40 appellate court decisions affecting Tennessee personal injury law, including many landmark appearances before the Tennessee Supreme Court. In addition, he’s one of only a handful of lawyers in Memphis to have earned an advanced law degree in litigation. As a symbol of his respect within the Tennessee legal community, he is consistently called upon to teach...

Evan graduated from University of Tennessee Knoxville with degrees in political science and history. His legal career began at Belmont University College of Law, where he served as the Vice President of the Health Law Society and graduated with a health law certificate in addition to his law degree. During his last 2 years at Belmont, he served as a law clerk at a Nashville land use firm. After passing the Bar in 2018, his family moved to Chattanooga, where he worked for an insurance defense firm representing insurance companies in slip and fall, car accident, and workers’ compensation claims. After...

Michael K. Pence is a founder of the Law Offices of Thornton & Pence in Nashville, Tennessee. Michael is a devoted personal injury lawyer who provides legal representation to individuals and families that have been harmed by the negligent and careless actions of others. Michael worked as a law clerk for 3 years before becoming an attorney, handling exclusively Personal Injury, Wrongful Death and Workers Compensation claims and Criminal Litigation. Michael has recovered millions of dollars for his clients and their families. Michael’s work doesn’t stop there, he has also successfully overturned two decisions at the Tennessee...

Shannon received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, where she majored in business and specialized in communication studies. This specialization in communication studies laid the groundwork for her to effectively advocate on behalf of her clients. After completing her undergraduate degree, Shannon earned a scholarship to attend Florida State University College of Law, a Top 50 law school in the country. There, she furthered her trial advocacy skills as a member of its prestigious mock trial team. All the while, she received recognition for making the Dean’s List. Shannon began her legal career in Central Florida in 2012. Her...

Sabina is a first-generation immigrant and is bilingual in Bosnian and English. Her passion for helping others began early on. Sabina would translate for many members of the Bosnian community and volunteered at many international events. Following high school, Sabina attended Western Kentucky University where she pursued her undergraduate degree. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts as a double major in Political Science & Psychology with a minor in Criminology. Sabina obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law. During her college career, Sabina stayed involved in extracurricular activities and served as the president of Phi...

Winning is what matters! Brian has 20+ years of litigation experience successfully handling and trying medical malpractice and personal injury cases. He has obtained over $26,000,000.00 for his clients in just the past few years, which earned him a lifetime membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Less than 1% of attorneys are lifetime members of the Forum. He only takes on select cases so that he can personally handle every aspect of that client's important case. Other firms pass clients and cases off to junior attorneys who the client never would have selected. Brian never does that. Brian's dedication...

Mr. Coleman is now the Managing Partner and majority owner of Hughes and Coleman Injury Lawyers, a firm he cofounded in 1985 with J. Marshall Hughes. The firm has grown during its 37 years, and currently has 30 attorneys and 10 offices in Kentucky and Tennessee, and an affiliated firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Lee is proud that two of his sons, Benjamin and Andrew, are attorneys practicing with H&C. Lee earned his Law Degree from the University of Louisville, graduating in 1981, and earned his undergraduate Business Administration degree from the University of Kentucky, graduating in 1978. In 1985 Lee...

E. Michael Brezina, III’s career includes more than fifteen years of litigation experience in the private and public sectors, including extensive and diverse trial experience. Michael graduated Summa Cum Laude in three years from the University of Tennessee (“UT”) in Knoxville, where he was selected Phi Beta Kappa. He was also a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. In 2004, he graduated Cum Laude from UT College of Law. He was a partner for many years at one of the region’s oldest and largest law firms, starting his practice there after graduating from law school in 2004. During his 15-year tenure...

Working multiple jobs throughout high school and college, Zack set out to obtain his Bachelor’s as quickly as possible, graduating from Western Kentucky University with a double major in History and Spanish in only two and a half years. Zack never stops moving, and he tries to do as much as he can as quickly as possible. He’s always seeking to expand his knowledge and gain perspective by setting and reaching new goals. While earning his law degree at Belmont University, Zack clerked at a law firm where he assisted on an unforgettable medical malpractice case. His client had a faulty...

Born and raised in Knoxville, Brent graduated from both the Memphis University School and the University of Memphis. He then went on to attend the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in Memphis, where he excelled as a Herff Scholar and served on law review. In 2005, he graduated with honors and began his legal career in Knoxville, specializing in civil insurance defense. Brent later gained experience in Connecticut while working in-house for Chubb insurance before returning to Nashville to continue his insurance defense practice. However, in 2020, Brent and his wife decided to return to their hometown, and he made...

Eric was born and raised in Ohio and resided there while attending undergraduate and law school. Following law school, Eric moved to Kentucky and began practicing in a small office. Eric soon moved to a larger city and began narrowing his practice to personal injury. He has successfully represented plaintiffs throughout Kentucky and Tennessee for the last 22 years. For Eric, the legal profession continually challenges him to perform at his best while granting him the ability to serve others. In 2017, he was selected by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys as part of the 10 Best Attorneys for...

Andrew J. Gregory-Mabrey holds a Bachelor of Arts from Purdue University, and received his Juris Doctor from Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law in 2010. He is proud to have joined Hughes and Coleman as a member of the Social Security Disability team. While in law school, Mr. Gregory-Mabrey participated in the Kentucky Innocence Project (the post-conviction branch of the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy), and worked for the Children’s Law Center, Inc., a non-profit organization focused on protecting the legal rights of minors. He also interned for the Law Office of Katherine Siereveld and was employed by Chevalier, Fox...

Civil trial attorney in private practice since 1976. Mr. Burkhalter has extensive trial and appellate experience in both State and Federal courts. He is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

Laura Baker is a shareholder at The Law Offices of John Day, P.C., where she represents clients in personal injury, wrongful death, and tort litigation cases. Laura's reputation and experience have earned her several accolades. Most recently, Laura was awarded the "Rising Star Award" by the Lawyers' Association for Women in 2016. She was also recognized as an Athena Young Professional Award Nominee in 2016. In 2015, Laura was a winner of the Nashville Business Journal's “40 Under 40” award. Laura has been recognized as one of the “Best of the Bar” by the Nashville Business Journal in 2015 and...

Dan Pilkington is a member at the firm of Watson, Roach, Batson and Lauderback in Knoxville, Tennessee. Mr. Pilkington practices civil litigation in federal and state courts, with an emphasis on public officials and law enforcement. His experience includes defending municipal clients in civil rights actions, including police misconduct ligation.

An East Tennessee native, Dan Pilkington attended East Tennessee State University where he obtained his Bachelor Degree in Business Administration. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law. Mr. Pilkington was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 2005. In addition, he is also admitted before the United...

Ashley is a native of Bowling Green where she graduated from Bowling Green High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Communication Studies from Western Kentucky University in 2009. Ashley attended the College of Law at the University of Kentucky earning her Juris Doctorate in 2012. While in law school she was a staff editor for the Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture and Natural Resources Law. After law school, Ashley returned to Bowling Green as a law clerk for Warren Circuit Court Judge John Grise and Judge Steve Wilson. Following her tenure as a law...

Scott grew up on a family farm just outside of Sparta, Kentucky. Since 1995, Scott has successfully represented injured clients in matters involving wrongful death, brain injury, dismemberment and disfigurement. Scott has successfully represented injured clients in civil actions against corporate giants such as Ford Motor Company, Firestone Tire, Kubota Tractor and Rifle Coal Company. Scott attended high school in Owen County, Kentucky. Following high school, he pursued his undergraduate degree at the University of Kentucky and graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of the Arts in English. In his pursuit to follow his dreams, Scott received...

In June 2006, Johnnie Bond started Bond Law as a boutique, general practice law firm in Washington, DC. Through Bond Law, Bond weaves together his transactional and litigation skills to provide his clients with comprehensive legal services designed to achieve success and add value. Bond's practice includes Accident/Personal Injury Litigation, Bankruptcy, Divorce, DUI/DWI, Business Law and Commercial Litigation for Government Contracting Companies, Contract Disputes, Real Estate and General Legal Services for Small Businesses and Start-up Companies. Bond Law also collaborates with Lita Rosario, Esq. and Wyz Girl Entertainment for Copyright and Trademark Infringement Law.