Bedford County Lawyers

I concentrate my practice on the defense of citizens accused of crimes. The principle of my practice is simple: I believe that you have to care for the people you represent. This ideology results in my offering a personal and specialized approach to each of my clients. I offer genuine concern and empathy for those I represent and this is the core of my practice. I will do everything that can be done to provide you the best defense possible and I and my team of lawyers, paralegals and investigators will do it to the best our ability. I...

Jill knew at a very early age that she wanted to become an attorney, but the journey to her chosen profession did not come easily. Attending law school was difficult, especially as a single mother. Jill started with Hughes & Coleman as a runner in 1996 while attending law school. During this difficult and strenuous time of her life, she worked, went to school and came home to be a mom. This conditioned her to fight harder than anyone else for the things she wanted in life.

After graduating from Nashville School of Law in 1997, Jill immediately began...

Tom Shumate is the founder of Meridian Law, PLLC, which represents individuals and businesses across Tennessee in a variety of civil matters including business, contract, and employment litigation; disputes involving non-competition agreements and theft of trade secrets; insurance defense; personal injury and wrongful death actions; and probate cases. Mr. Shumate graduated with honors from Vanderbilt University in 1995 and from Notre Dame Law School in 1998. He has practiced in Nashville, Tennessee since that time. In 2011 and 2013, Mr. Shumate was selected as a “Rising Star” by the Mid-South edition of Super Lawyers Magazine. He...

Craig Glenn is an associate attorney at GriffithLaw focusing on personal injury litigation. Craig received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama in 2007. Upon his return to Tennessee, he received his law degree from the Nashville School of Law in 2012. Throughout his career, he has represented injured clients in state and federal courts as well as several other jurisdictions outside the State of Tennessee.

Craig joined the firm in 2020. Since he was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 2012, Craig has dedicated his practice to representing people who are victims of others’ negligence.

Raised...

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,...

Jonathan is proud to be the newest member of the GriffithLaw team. He has dedicated his legal career to fighting for injured people and their families. Jonathan grew up near Charlotte, North Carolina as the son of a pastor in a family of seven. This upbringing left Jonathan with a strong desire for justice, particularly for the disadvantaged. Jonathan graduated summa cum laude from Appalachian State University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and received his law degree from the University of Kentucky in 2012. While in law school, Jonathan felt called to spend his time helping...

Don Himmelberg is a criminal defense attorney in Nashville, TN.

Don graduated Middle Tennessee State University before moving on to pursue his J.D. at the Nashville School of Law in 1985. While in law school, Don was employed in the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office; he also gained experience as the Law Clerk for Circuit Criminal Court. Upon admittance to the Bar, Don served as an Assistant District Attorney, responsible for prosecuting both misdemeanors and felonies.

After several years as a prosecutor, Don made the decision to enter private practice with his partners, Jim Higgins and Rick Piliponis. Together, the three attorneys opened...

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...

Seamus received a bachelor's degree in Business and Political Science from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School here in Nashville. While at Vanderbilt, Seamus received several awards for leadership in the Nashville community, clinical work, and academic achievement. Seamus also served as Editor-in-Chief of Vanderbilt's environmental journal ELPAR and coauthored an article about environmental legal scholarship. In between Trinity and Vanderbilt, Seamus spent several years managing, launching, and closing down restaurants throughout the Greater Philadelphia area, all while writing and performing music. Prior to forming Music City Law in 2019 with David Goldman, Seamus spent...

I worked at Social Security for 17 years before becoming an attorney.

John M. Milazo has been practicing primarily in the area of Divorce, Family Law and Criminal Defense since July of 1999. If you are going through a Divorce, Child Custody or Post Divorce modification; or if you have been charged with a crime John Milazo and his staff can help you through the legal process. Both Contested and Uncontested Divorces are handled professionally and with personal care and attention to detail. Aggressive and Passionate legal representation can be expected from this firm.

At the Law Office of Joshua D. Miller, Josh handles criminal, civil, small business, and family cases. Josh has a passion for the practice of law, as well as an ability to ensure that the smallest details are done right. Josh’s adherence to those values ensures that every one of his client’s gets the service and attention they deserve.

Joe is a Middle Tennessee native. Growing up in West and South Nashville he personally witnessed the massive population growth. He attended Middle Tennessee State University and then attended law school at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.   After graduating law school in 2005, Joe started his legal career at the Nashville law office Feeney & Murray, P.C. where he practiced insurance defense. After two years defending cases against injury victims, Joe realized his passion was helping injury victims, not defending the deep pockets of insurance companies.      Joe established a personal injury practice in 2009 in...

Crystal Etue focuses her practice in matters related to Family Law, Probate, Entertainment and Immigration incorporating two of her biggest passions; Arts & Entertainment and helping families in distress. Her services in the area of family law and probate include divorce, child custody, post-judgment modifications, wills and estate administration. Her experience as a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and TN Air National Guard coupled with her time spent working as a high school teacher, Crystal is uniquely prepared to handle family law cases with empathy, objectivity, common sense, discipline, patience, and a proclivity for standing her ground....

Ben primarily handles business disputes, product liability, nursing home neglect/abuse, medical malpractice, and complex personal injury cases. He spent the first eight years of his career with a firm which defended insurance companies and those they insured, but he now represents individuals and businesses who have been harmed by others. This experience often comes in handy through the course of his cases. Mr. Miller obtained his B.A. from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem, NC. During law school, he met his wife and fellow attorney, Elizabeth. Additionally, he enjoys...

Michael Fort provides aggressive and experienced representation in divorce, custody, alimony, criminal and personal injury cases. Prior to becoming an attorney, Michael Fort clerked for the 21st Judicial District's Circuit Court Judges Office. After graduating in the top ten percent of his law school class, Michael was invited to work as an associate attorney at the law firm of Schell, Binkley and Davies. After successfully litigating hundreds of cases, Michael Fort accepted a partnership at Schell and Davies.

Shanone Emmack has had a diverse range of experiences that have shaped her into the accomplished attorney she is today, based in Franklin, Tennessee. Originally from a small town outside Birmingham, Alabama, Shanone started her academic journey at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she earned her degree in Quantitative Methods/Business. Following her graduation, Shanone ventured into the realm of business ownership by establishing a flourishing medical spa in 2005. Through her astute leadership, the venture grew into a million-dollar enterprise before Shanone's decision to part ways with it. This marked a transition as Shanone pivoted towards her legal...

My practice is devoted to Divorce, Child Custody and Criminal Defense cases in Rutherford and surrounding Middle Tennessee counties.

I provide my clients with experienced and aggressive representation with the singular goal of getting the best possible results in each situation. Feel free to review my profile at Avvo.com as well.

My job is not only to advise my clients on the law but to also communicate with them in a way that gives them a clear understanding of each and every step of the legal process, so that they can be comfortable that they are making informed decisions in each case.

I was born in Columbia, Tennessee to a family of seven. My father was a trial lawyer and I fell in love with the profession at an early age. I graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Business Administration and enrolled into the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2007. In the summer during law school, I clerked for the Circuit Court Judges in Williamson County. This experience was invaluable from a legal perspective. It also made me realize how much I love Franklin, TN. After I completed law school, it just...

Justin completed his undergraduate education at the University of Mississippi, where he ended up graduating with honors and earning a Bachelor of Science Degree. After undergrad, he decided to further his education at Western Michigan University’s Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where he also graduated with honors and earned his Juris Doctorate. During his career at Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School he received several awards, including: the Criminal Law Best Essay/Book Award Recipient, Civil Procedure Best Essay/Book Award Recipient, Taxation Best Essay/Book Award Recipient, Pre-Trial Skills Book Award Recipient and Trial Skills Book Award Recipient. Each of...

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...

After I graduated from Vanderbilt  Law School, I chose to practice family law due to my genuine concern for those needing representation during what can often be the most stressful and emotional periods of their lives. I now focus my practice on a range of family law matters including: child support, custody, grandparent visitation, alimony, guardianships, adoption, divorce, and father's rights. My undergraduate degree in Psychology, past work in a domestic violence legal clinic, and my internship for the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse division of the Indianapolis Prosecutor's Office have given me a unique insight into some of the...

Erin Nations focuses her practice in the area of family law. She has a solid and lengthy history of skillfully assisting clients through divorces, custody battles, and post-divorce issues of every variety. While based in Williamson County, Erin enjoys working with the courts in surrounding counties as well. In addition to her law practice, Erin serves as a Williamson County Commissioner. She was elected to represent Brentwood's District 6 in 2018 and very much enjoys her work as an elected representative of her friends and neighbors. While in law school, Erin was selected for a full-time clerkship by the...

Rebecca is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Personal Injury Litigation and Business Litigation. She has been listed with Mid-South Super Lawyers since 2009. She was selected to a list of the Top 50 Mid-South Women Lawyers in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. She was selected Top 50 Nashville Lawyers and Top 100 Tennessee Lawyers in 2013, 2014 and 2015. She enjoys an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating in Martindale Hubbell.

Rebecca is the founder of the Blair Law Firm based in her hometown of Franklin, Tennessee. The firm specializes in Personal Injury litigation and...

Nashville attorney Zach Scott Gainous was born in Tallahassee, Florida. After graduating high school, Zach moved to Nashville to pursue his bachelor's degree at Middle Tennessee State University. Zach attended MTSU's College of Media & Entertainment and studied in the Recording Industry program where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Business.

While attending MTSU, Zach completed courses in artist management, music publishing, music production, concert promotion & touring, record label marketing, record label operations, A&R, copyright law, music business contracts and legal issues, and more. During his studies at MTSU, Zach also began working as an independent producer...

Focused on building practical skills to assist his future career, C.J. spent the majority of his law school career working in litigation. C.J. gained experience as a law clerk working for a prominent family law firm in Memphis. Through this law firm, he was able to learn through court room trials, hearings, and deposition observations. He was also able to work on high profile cases such as one involving the legitimacy of marriages conducted by ministers who were ordained through online churches. On top of being a law clerk, C.J. served as a student attorney at the same time in the...

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...

Julie Travis Moss’ practice areas include estate and trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, estate planning, real estate, and related litigation. She also advises closely held business owners regarding general corporate matters. Julie has more than 18 years of diverse legal experience, including ten years as a general practitioner in Michigan and teaching legal writing at Vanderbilt Law School. With her depth of experience, Julie provides comprehensive services to meet her clients’ diverse needs. And with her depth of understanding of family relationships and dynamics, Julie is able to work with our clients to resolve their most difficult and complex matters.

Julie...

Tennessee personal injury lawyer, John R. Colvin, is a practicing trial lawyer who uses his legal training and experience to help individuals and families throughout the Tennessee Valley region, cope with and recover from the hardships brought on by disability, injury, or the loss of a loved one. His practice concentrates primarily in the areas of Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Premises Liability, and Social Security Disability.

In the specific areas that I focus my law practice, I have an opportunity to help individuals throughout Southern Middle Tennessee and Northern Alabama who have suffered a tragic loss or have been injured through...

Sydney represents clients in Arkansas and Tennessee in the areas of Sports and Entertainment law, Intellectual Property, Business Law, Trademarks, and Estate Planning. Sydney attended law school at the University of Arkansas, where she graduated cum laude with her J.D. in 2023. While in school, Sydney worked for two years in school in the Arkansas Razorback Athletic Department under the Associate General Counsel for Athletics where she gained experience working with contract review and negotiation; compliance and Title 9 issues; intellectual property; Freedom of Information Act requests; and Name, Image, and Likeness policies and procedures. Sydney wrote and amended various...

Zach is a seasoned attorney dedicated to serving the needs of clients in the real estate development, design, and construction industry as well as companies doing business with government entities. He is admitted to practice law in Tennessee, Kentucky, and before the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Zach helps clients avoid disputes by advising them on contracts and risk management. He has experience in traditional design-bid-build projects, as well as more specialized contract structures like design-build, P3, and IPD. Zach has worked on projects ranging from roads and pipelines to retail, office, industrial, and residential developments. He...

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...

In practice for over 16 years, Jana Davis Lamanna is experienced in the areas of Divorce, Family Law, Probate Law, Guardian/Conservatorship Law, Estate Planning, Medical Malpractice Defense, and Assisted Reproductive Technology Law. Jana Lamanna is a member of the American Bar Association (Family Law Section) Assisted Reproductive Technologies Committee, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (Legal Professional Group); RESOLVE, Tennessee Bar Association, and Memphis Bar Association, where she previously served on the Board of Directors and as Chair of the Litigation Section. She is also a current member of the Leo Bearman Chapter of the American Inns of...

Michal Durakiewicz has distinguished himself as a relentless advocate for the interests of his clients. He is familiar with courts throughout Tennessee, and represents clients in Criminal Defense, Divorce, DUI/DWI, Domestic Violence and Family Law matters. With hundreds of hours of courtroom experience, he has established an impressive record of acquittals, dismissals, and reductions of criminal charges. Understanding that the secret to success in the legal field is being willing to outwork one’s opponent, Michal has achieved victories in the courtroom time and time again. No matter what your case involves, Michal is focused on your success. Contact him today...

Don is the main lawyer for the firm’s Estate Planning and Probate division. Probate is the legal process which happens after someone has passed, in order to properly and legally distribute assets, according to the will or state law. He drafts wills/trusts, assists clients in developing a comprehensive estate plan, and counsels administrators of both simple and complex estates through the probate process. He has been doing Probate/Estate for the entirety of his legal career. Mr. Byrd graduated top of his class at Belmont University’s College of Law and received both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Music Theory and Composition...

Having been born and raised in Athens, Tennessee, Josh’s small-town conservative values have been motivation in achieving his goals of being an attorney and being a zealous advocate for individual’s rights. Josh attended McMinn County High School where he played football and baseball and graduated in 1990. In 1995, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Middle Tennessee State University. While attending college, he served as President of the MTSU chapter of Sigma Chi and is still an active member of the organization’s alumni association. After graduation, Josh attended Nashville School of Law while working full-time for the...

After completing a six-year tour of duty as a Navy Corpsman (medic) assigned to a Marine Corps infantry battalion, Jason went to nursing school. He then enjoyed a 12-year career as a Registered Nurse (RN), where he worked in many different areas including emergency departments, intensive care units, renal dialysis centers, and post-anesthesia care units. He finished his nursing career serving as a charge nurse on a spinal cord injury unit. While working in healthcare, Jason witnessed first-hand the many ways in which negligence can lead to serious, sometimes fatal injuries. Unfortunately, the negligence of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers...