Franklin County Lawyers

Martin L. Pierce is a native of Memphis, Tennessee, and received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Tennessee Technological University in 1978. He received that institution's Outstanding Young Alumnus Award in 1988. Martin received his law degree, with high honors, from the University of Memphis in 1981, where he was a published member of the University of Memphis Law Review. He is licensed to practice law in Tennessee and Georgia, as well as before the U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Martin works primarily in the areas of: (1) Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, Elder Law,...

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.

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...

Amanda manages a boutique firm which serves clients in Tennessee and Georgia. Amanda focuses primarily on business and estates matters including: contracts, trademarks, business formation, wills & trusts, powers of attorney, and probate.

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.

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...

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...

Mr. Bragg has been working in the legal field off and on since the age of 16 and exclusively the last four (4) years. Starting off as an office assistant at Bragg, Mansfield, and Stegall, there Mr. Bragg got his first exposure to the legal system. During his employment at BMS he helped mainly in the area of real estate law. Mr. Bragg has also worked for the Honorable J. Mark Rogers during the Summer of 2006. After attending the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and graduating in 2006, Mr. Bragg enrolled at the Nashville School of...

Rodney M. “Rod” Scott is an attorney currently engaged in the general practice of law, focusing on estate planning and elder law. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Accounting from West Virginia University in 1979, and his law degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1982. Originally admitted to practice in the states of Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, he has happily chosen Tennessee as his home and the location of his practice. In his 34+ years of experience as an attorney, he has seen the impact of pre-planning and crisis estate planning upon individuals, their...

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...

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...

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...

Mrs. Henderson concentrates her practice in marital and family law in Bedford, Coffee, Cannon, Davidson, Dekalb, Maury, Rutherford, Wilson and Warran Counties. Mrs. Henderson is an esteemed and highly involved member of the local legal community. Mrs. Henderson is committed to protecting her client's rights and serving their children's best interests. Mrs. Henderson has extensive experience handling difficult and complex family law cases in a professional and compassionate manner negotiating when possible and aggressively litigating when necessary.

Mrs. Henderson is a 2001 graduate of Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Upon...

Mr. Weiss concentrates his practice on civil litigation and criminal defense. This defense lawyer represents individuals and businesses in a wide range of legal issues. He has handled an array of civil cases including automobile collisions, malicious prosecution, defamation, bad faith insurance claims, residential construction disputes, and many others.

As a keen negotiator and litigator, this criminal law attorney has resolved numerous cases that achieve results that meet or exceed client expectations. As a strong proponent of zealous advocacy, Mr. Weiss stands up for the rights of his clients. For those accused of a crime, Mr. Weiss is able to effectively...

Robert B. Bragdon was born in Greeneville, TN prior to relocating to Murfreesboro, TN at a young age due to his father’s relocation in the military. After graduating from Oakland High School in 2002, Robert enlisted in the Tennessee Army National Guard, with stations in Smyrna and Jackson, TN, as an Apache Helicopter (AH-64) crew chief, while graduating at the top of his training class. In 2006, Robert obtained his Bachelor’s Degree at Middle Tennessee University and worked for his father’s law office throughout college and until the present day, giving him a major advantage prior to entering law school in...

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...

I own and operate the Law Office of W. Scott Kimberly, located on the Murfreesboro Public Square. My practice currently focuses on criminal defense, family law, and personal injury.

James Flexer is a Nashville native who graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy in 1974, Rhodes College in 1978, and Tulane School of Law in 1981. In 1981, he started Flexer Law, and has represented thousands of Middle Tennesseans in bankruptcy cases over the years. He has grown the firm to include 8 experienced attorneys with a friendly support staff of paralegals and legal assistants in 3 Middle Tennessee office locations. James is a member of the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, and the Nashville Bar Association. He has...

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...

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...

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.

Practicing in the Chattanooga area since 2010, David is fluent in Criminal, Family, and Bankruptcy law. He also speaks some Russian and French. Armed with a Master's degree in Economics, he can bring the right financial perspectives to legal issues. David graduated from the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences in 1993 and has since spent time living in Annapolis, Santa Fe, Washington, New York, Knoxville, Moscow, and Kyiv.

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...

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.

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

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...

Michael Auffinger chose a career in criminal law so that he could be a fierce advocate for constitutional rights. It does not matter what you did or did not do – justice demands that law enforcement treat you fairly and not obtain evidence through illegal means. Even when criminal acts have taken place, the government often overcharges defendants and deals penalties that are much harsher than what the situation warrants. Attorney Auffinger thoroughly investigates every detail of a case to make sure this does not happen. He knows how stressful this situation is for his clients and guides them through...

If you are searching for an estate planning lawyer in Murfreesboro, you should come to LaRoche Law Office. It is of the utmost importance that you have an attorney you can count on—a lawyer who has a thorough understanding of the issues at hand and who is ready to stand beside you and assist you today. Attorney David B. LaRoche is up to the task! He obtained his undergraduate degree from The College of Santa Fe in New Mexico. He later received his Juris Doctorate at Vanderbilt University Law School. He is the Preside of the Stone River Watershed Association,...

I am the attorney entrepreneurs and content creators hire to protect their business and secure
their brand. I'm passionate about helping creatives protect their brand and content so that they
can operate in their genius unbothered by the copycats.

Impassioned by the desire to fight for the legal protection of creatives and entrepreneurs,
I took a leap of faith and launched the Law Office of Aleece McKnight. In my practice, I
focus on trademark registration, copyright registration, business formation, and contracts for
creative entrepreneurs. With years of experience in the industry, I have been able to ride in
the passenger seat with my clients as they grow...