Decherd Lawyers

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

Daniel Barnes graduated cum laude with a degree in English from Sewanee: The University of the South in 2009. He attended law school at the University of Tennessee, where he was a member of Moot court board and the black law students association. He also received the "Raptor Award" in first semester torts, and received an award for the highest grade in Criminal Seminar. He graduated and was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 2012 and takes cases in the fields of criminal law, immigration, family law, and wills and estates.

Attorney Chase Walker is a young attorney full of energy and a desire to help others. Over the years, Chase has seen numerous legal issues arise with various friends and family members and often heard the same two complaints: I can't afford an attorney, and I don't feel like my interests are being fairly represented. Too often, attorneys claim to be client-centered, while simultaneously trying to figure out how they can resolve as many cases as quickly as possible, for the maximum profit, and with the least amount of time and effort possible. After taking the bar exam, Chase put...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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

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...

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.

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...

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.

Darren Drake is a United States Navy veteran. He graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a Bachelor of Science and subsequently attended law school there, earning a Juris Doctor. He moved to Murfreesboro immediately after graduation and began practicing law in 2010. Darren exclusively practices Criminal Defense law. He is an associate with Drake, Drake, Clarke, & Freeze - An Association of Attorneys.

Darren is licensed to practice law in the State of Tennessee and is also licensed to practice in the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee.

In his spare time, Darren enjoys spending time with his wife and...

The Reeves Law Firm was started in 2001 by attorney Jason Reeves. Mr. Reeves began his practice in 1999 with the law firm then known as Norton & Smith in Shelbyville, Tennessee. After one year of outstanding service to the firm, Mr. Reeves earned the position of managing partner at the firm whose name was changed to Norton & Reeves, P.C. After serving in this capacity for one year, Mr. Reeves fulfilled his career goal of owning his own law firm in 2001. Mr. Reeves has served as senior managing partner since that time. The Reeves Law Firm has had the...

John David Drake is an experienced trial attorney. John is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Law School. He served 5 years in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. There he gained significant general legal and trial practice. Since 1992 he has provided litigation services to the people of Murfreesboro, Rutherford and surrounding counties. His areas of practice include: DUI, Criminal Law, Divorce and Child Custody, Workers' Compensation and Personal Injury.

Sonya Smith Wright is a graduate of the Emory University School of Law, where she was inducted into the Order of the Barristers for outstanding oral advocacy and legal writing. She is an experienced litigator with a wealth of diverse experiences. Wright began her career with a large defense firm in its civil litigation department, where she participated in several state jury trials and successfully defended a multimillion dollar lawsuit in federal court for a national hotel chain. She also tried one of the first medical malpractice cases to ever go to arbitration in Tennessee obtaining a full defense...

Amanda Moore is the co-founder of the Tennessee Center for Estate and Elder Law, PLLC. Her practice focuses on probate, conservatorships, and elder law. A graduate of Yale Law School, Amanda also serves as an elected member of the Board of Education for Murfreesboro City Schools. Amanda's compassionate approach to her clients comes from her long career in public service. After law school, she clerked for the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She was then awarded a national Equal Justice Works Fellowship to represent clients in need at a civil legal aid firm in...

Graduate United States Naval Academy 1958 and University of Tennessee Law School 1963. Admitted to all state courts of record and Eastern and Middle District Federal Courts in Tennessee, and 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and United States Supreme Court.

Mr. Gilbert assists families in both the employment law and in special education law. He believes a wrongful termination affects an entire family. Additionally, Mr. Gilbert has long been active in upholding the rights of schoolchildren with disabilities—those who have individual education plans (IEPs) or 504 plans.

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.

Trial Attorney