Whitwell Workers' Compensation 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...

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...

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.

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...

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

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.

A graduate from the George Washington University Law School (GW), Kent T. Jones is the Owner and Managing Partner of Jones & Associates PC. Kent's undergraduate work at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville was in English and Honors Political Science. At GW, Kent placed first as an oralist in the Mid-Atlantic Regionals of the Phillip Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition and was appointed to be a Member of the GW Moot Court Board. Additionally, he served as President of the GW International Law Society, sponsoring speaker panels on international trade law, international criminal law, international...

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...

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.

Timothy L. Miles is a nationally recognized securities class action and shareholder and employee rights attorney who has been leading the fight to protect shareholder and employee rights for over 20 years. Mr. Miles received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee in 1993 and his J.D. from the Nashville School of Law in May 2001, graduating third in his class, and was made a member of the Honorable Society of Cooper’s Inn which is reserved for students graduating in the top ten percent of their class. He is admitted to practice before the Tennessee...

Experienced. Caring. Responsive. Andrew Roberto understands that you’re out of work, in pain, and just can’t afford to miss out on everything you are entitled to under the law.

A Knoxville native, Andrew graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law and before entering private practice, was a Workers' Compensation Specialist with the Tennessee Department of Labor. One of the founding partners of The Lawyers of Brown and Roberto, Andrew and his team have recovered more than $45 million for their clients.

See the difference having our team on your side can make for you. Your free consultation is...

Mariana was born and raised in Brazil until the age of fifteen when her family moved to the United States. During her childhood, Mariana learned her appreciation for hard work and commitment to the safety and well being of others from her father, an engineer, and her mother, a physician. These qualities drove her passion to become an attorney.

Following secondary school, Mariana attended the University of Louisville where she received a full athletic scholarship playing tennis. She graduated with an undergraduate degree in psychology and a minor in chemistry. Mariana then proceeded to attend the Louis D. Brandeis School of...

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...

Born and raised in Middle Tennessee, Jeff Roberts respects honesty, hard work and the dedication it takes to do a job well. Jeff grew up in Gallatin, Tennessee where he was part of a working-class family. His father spent his career either working in a factory or driving an 18 wheeler; his mother worked as a teacher’s aide in the Sumner County Schools. The hometown values and working class roots pushed Jeff to work just as hard for his future. As a result, he became the first college graduate on either side of his family after earning political science degrees from...

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...

Joe has litigated cases in Ohio to successful conclusion over the past 26 years with amounts in controversy ranging from several hundred thousand dollars to several million dollars in dispute. He has been recognized by his peers as an Ohio Super Lawyer, a recognition given to only 5 percent of the state’s attorneys. Mr. Griffith has been certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a National Civil Trail Advocacy since 2004. During his career, Mr. Griffith has conducted well over 100 trials and has had many successful jury verdicts for his clients. Joe Griffith is a native of Portsmouth,...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

Matt grew up in Goodlettsville the son of a lawyer and grandson of a school principal who then re-invented herself as a lawyer in retirement, so it was pretty inevitable that Matt would also end up a lawyer. Predictably enough, he also has a younger brother who is ALSO a lawyer. Matt graduated from Tennessee Tech cum laude with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a minor in math. After working as an engineer with a global HVAC company, Matt realized engineering wasn’t his passion. He then went on to graduate magna cum laude from the University of...

Christopher Eads, a lifelong Tennesseean from Bluff City, has been a licensed attorney since 2015. After graduating from Sullivan East high school, Chris earned a football scholarship to Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business. He then returned to East Tennessee with the intention of pursuing a career job until friends suggested he apply to law school. Chris graduated in the top 10 of his law school class and started working as an insurance defense attorney in Brentwood, Tennessee, after graduation. He was recognized by Best Lawyers in America in 2020 as...

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...

Darrell Douglas was born and raised in LaFollette, Tennessee. He attended the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2010. His Doctor of Jurisprudence was awarded in 2014 from Mississippi College in Jackson, Mississippi. Darrell was licensed to practice law in Tennessee in 2014.

Having grown up in East Tennessee, Darrell knew he wanted to return home to begin practicing law. Darrell’s upbringing gave him a strong desire to assist those who have been injured through no fault of their own; and to help them recover compensation for those injuries.

During his time in practice, Darrell has experience in...

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...

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...

With more than 25 years of experience in the areas of personal injury claims, property and construction disputes, contract negotiation and preparation, business lawsuits, estate and trust litigation, landlord and tenant matters, homeowners’ association matters, workers’ compensation claims, and various other civil matters, I practice what I enjoy. I am both zealous and professional in my representation of my clients. Our attorneys are active members of the Knoxville, Loudon County, and Tennessee Bar Associations and are also active members of the Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel. I represent a wide range of clients with interests in Tennessee. I created this...

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...

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...

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...

Kathryn dedicates herself to achieving success and accepting challenges. She graduated from the University of Louisville with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Science in Justice Administration. She then went on to obtain her Juris Doctor at Northern Kentucky University – Salmon P. Chase College of Law. After graduating, she decided it was time to see the world and traveled to twenty-seven countries over a span of five months. After her adventures abroad, she returned home to Bowling Green, Kentucky to study for the Kentucky bar exam. While studying for the bar exam, Kathryn decided to...

Mr. Burton is originally from Tennessee. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Burton served as a police officer with the City of Sevierville before becoming a Federal Agent for the Social Security Administration. While working as a Federal Agent, Mr. Burton completed law school at the Nashville School of Law. After returning to East Tennessee, Mr. Burton began his own practice focusing on the representation of disabled individuals and criminal defendants on both the state and federal level. Mr. Burton’s experience as a Federal Agent with the Social Security Administration distinguishes Mr. Burton from other attorneys in his representation of disabled...