Riceville Lawyers

John was born and raised in Chattanooga. He was active in the Boy Scouts growing up and earned his Eagle Scout Award. In law school, John earned the Book Award in his estate planning class for the highest grade. Prior to joining his father's law practice in 2002, he worked for two years with UBS Trust Company (formerly Bradford Trust Company). John speaks on the areas of Chattanooga estate planning and probate to other attorneys and professionals, as well as the public. In the past, John served on local boards such as the Orange Grove Center, the Siskin...

I am happily married to my wife, Heather, and I am the proud father of three amazingly beautiful daughters. My life revolves around my family. I started practicing law in 2006 and I have operated a successful law practice since 2007 where I have represented hundreds of clients in personal injury cases, divorces, child custody battles, murder cases, drug cases, business disputes, etc. I have obtained six-figure settlements for some of my clients through aggressive and strategic negotiation. I have won numerous trials in custody battles. I have saved clients from life sentences. I have...

Nick has practiced law since 2012. His main practice areas include automobile liability, business and commercial litigation, family law, construction litigation, and premises liability, among other general civil litigation matter.

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...

Patrick A. Cruise is licensed in Tennessee, Georgia, and Louisiana. Patrick has handled over one thousand cases, including jury trials in Tennessee, Georgia, and Louisiana. He has obtained millions of dollars in compensation for his clients, including numerous six and seven figure settlements, judgements, and verdicts. Patrick focuses primarily on serious injuries involving commercial motor vehicle wrecks, and is Board Certified in Truck Wreck Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

Wayne grew up around Law Enforcement and Education. Wayne spent his formative years being active in the outdoors and sports. Wayne spent 12+ years in private sector investigations and holds advanced interview and interrogation techniques certifications.

I am an attorney based in Crossville, TN. My practice is focused on business and construction related clients and their personal and professional legal needs. Clients include homeowners, builders, sub-contractors, material supplier and many others connected with construction and general business activity. I am a former licensed general contractor in Tennessee. Over approximately 17 years, I built over 200 residential projects and developed three sub-divisions. DISCLAIMER: R. Jack Atkins is not certified as a specialist by the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization in the areas of practice listed on this website.

I am a Tennessee-licensed attorney and my practice focuses exclusively on assisting my clients with the acquisition, maintenance and enforcement of intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

One of my primary roles is to identify potentially patentable inventions and the scope of protection available for those inventions. In this role, I regularly prepare, file and prosecute U.S. patent applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and also work with attorneys around the world in order to obtain foreign patent protection.

I also assist clients in identifying competing technologies that might limit the scope of their patent protection or...

Morgan Adams limits his practice to cases involving tractor trailers, buses, dump trucks, box trucks, and other commercial vehicles involving wrongful death and serious personal injury. With offices on the East Coast and West Coast he is able to handle cases nationally. He has helped injured clients in 42 states to date.

Associate Attorney at England Injury Law, specializing in personal injury. RaDonna has over 15 years of experience in the personal injury field. She started as a runner at a local personal injury firm in Chattanooga while she finished her undergraduate degree in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She worked her way up from runner to paralegal where she stayed for 11 years. In 2019 she decided to go to law school. She continued to work while completing her law degree at Lincoln Memorial- Duncan School of Law. She is a first-generation lawyer who...

Shaheen I. Imami is the managing Member of Imami Law, PLLC, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Mr. Imami practices solely in the trusts and estates area and assists clients with: estate planning; trust, estate, and incapacity administration; and trust, estate, and fiduciary litigation. Having significant experience in each of these areas allows him to provide better, and more practical, advice to his clients. He primarily serves clients in Tennessee and Michigan, but with colleagues can assist clients throughout the United States. Mr. Imami holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Michigan State University. He earned his law degree from Georgia State University...

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...

I have been practicing criminal law for over 26 years in federal and state courts. I am licensed to practice in the states of Tennessee and Georgia, however, I have appeared or consulted in criminal cases in many other states across the United States. I have tried well over 150 jury trials, including approximately 20 murder and/or death penalty cases. I have also been successful in appellate litigation, and have argued cases before federal court of appeals and state supreme courts. In 2011, I successfully argued a constitutional speedy trial violation before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which resulted...

Julia Spannaus works in several areas of law related to families and children. Her goal is to provide you with a variety of options for your particular circumstance and work with you to find the most efficient route to your stated goal. Her experience as an agency attorney in two states and as an attorney for children and parents provides her with a unique background to assist you and your family. Most consultations are free, so call today to find out what she can do for you and your family.

Ben McGowan became a member of the firm, then known as Summers & Wyatt, PC, in 2012, following six years of successful private practice and Of Counsel association with Cavett & Abbott, PLLC. A native of New York City, Ben first moved to southeast Tennessee to attend the University of the South where he served as a University Proctor, fraternity president, and student Chief of the University fire department. After graduating in 1994, Ben lived abroad briefly before returning to the United States and in 1998 attending law school in Boston at Northeastern University. After graduation, he served as a Law...

John Mark Griffin obtained his doctorate of jurisprudence from the University of Mississippi in 1988. He obtained his Masters of Business Administration from Louisiana Tech University in 1986 and a bachelor of science in finance in 1982. He is licensed to practice law in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Ohio and is admitted to practice in both Federal and State Courts. For more than twenty-five years, Mr. Griffin has represented individuals hurt by the negligence of others. He has collected millions of dollars for his clients in jury verdicts, judgments, mediations and settlements against insurance companies and corporations for the injuries...

Mr. MacNeill graduated with honors from Nashville School of Law.

Chad W. Hampton received his B.A. in History, cum laude, from the University of Tennessee and his Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, from the University of Tennessee College of Law. While in law school, he completed a Concentration in Business Transactions in association with the Clayton Center for Entrepreneurial Law and earned honors as the top graduate. He maintains a transactional practice with a focus on general corporate and business matters, real property matters, and estate planning and administration.

Annette Kelley uses the past experience she had as an insurance defense lawyer for over a decade to help secure just compensation for her clients in cases involving car wrecks, truck wrecks, workers compensation, premises liability and other serious personal injury cases throughout Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.

Herbert Thornbury, Esquire and his staff work with clients who have personal injury claims including social security, workers’ compensation and accident injuries in Tennessee.

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...

Wagner & Wagner is one of the longest-established law firms in Chattanooga. With more than seven decades of proven legal experience, our law practice has steadily grown through repeat business, valuable referrals and a tradition of client satisfaction.

Pete Johnson has experience representing a wide variety of businesses ranging from small local companies to some of the country’s largest publicly traded corporations. Before joining the Hutton Company, Johnson was the General Counsel for a real estate development and commercial general construction company. Johnson has practiced with law firms in Georgia and Tennessee, including an AmLaw100 firm, primarily in the areas of general corporate transactions, government representation, construction, and real estate law. Johnson has held a variety of public offices including serving as Assistant District Attorney, City Solicitor, and Magistrate. He has been...

Trial Attorney

Estes has been practicing law since 1974. He started in Memphis, TN where he worked for the best criminal and personal injury lawyers in that City. He moved to Chattanooga in 1976 where he again worked under the tutelage of one of Chattanooga's premier criminal attorneys. In 1999 he joined ERMC and eventually became the Chief Legal Officer and Sr. Vice-President of that company. In that capacity he oversaw civil personal injury litigation in over 40 states and supervised up to 100 outside top-notch personal injury lawyers around the country, attending numerous trials and mediations regarding...

I have practiced law for twenty years. I learned the Court system under the guidance of my father who practiced law for over forty years. I have represented persons accused of offenses as minor as traffic citations and as serious as homicide. I have tried countless jury trials in both State and Federal Court and take pride in the knowledge that when discussing matters with prosecutors they have no doubt that if they are unreasonable I will try your case.

I am also very experienced in probating estates. I understand that not only is a...

Zack England, the founder of England Injury Law, is a native of the Chattanooga area who has dedicated his life to serving the community he holds dear. His journey into the legal field began with a strong academic foundation, earning a Bachelor’s in English Language and Literature from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. After completing his undergraduate studies, Zack pursued his legal education at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. His decision to become an attorney was deeply rooted in his desire to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives and...

I am a sole practitioner with 15 years experience practicing law in Tennessee. I am known for going the extra mile with my clients and for fighting for the very best possible outcome. I spend time on each case and respect the fact that there is a person behind every case. Because it impacts your life, it is of the utmost importance to me to do the best job I can for you - Your life and my reputation depend on it.