From the Publisher

Story by Nathan Sparks

As a young boy, I loved everything about baseball. Well, almost everything. I wanted to be part of the team, build friendships, and enjoy the thrill of victory. Being somewhat of a nerd, I never found my rhythm in the sport. Yet despite my failings at being a good player, baseball would point me toward of one of my true callings.

I spent more time in the dugout than on the field, but despite that, I was committed and showed up always trying to improve. But it was also fear that drove me back again and again, the fear of not being accepted by my peers, despite the often less than kind teasing that lesser players receive.

There were times that i questioned my decision. Like the day I was “catching up” behind the pitcher during practice. The batter hit a hard line drive and the pitcher jumped to avoid being hit just as I turned to hand him a ball. The missile arrived just below my belt line. Writhing in pain, and wishing I had remembered my cup, my fellow teammates drug me through the dirt to the dugout by my feet, laughing the whole way. Perhaps this wasn’t for me.

Still, the following year at the start of 8th grade, I tried out for the school team, where I assumed everyone would get to play. No more Little League dad-coaches playing favorites to their sons; I would finally get a fair shake. After all, this was a public school. Were they not there to teach everyone? I went to tryouts, confident of becoming a member of the Bluff City Junior High School baseball team, the Grizzlies. At the end, the coach announced he would post the results on the bulletin board the next day.

I found no joy looking at that list. The coach said, “Sorry, but you didn’t make the cut. If you don’t already have an alternate activity, then the Yearbook Club is right down the hall.” Seriously? Didn’t make the cut? The Yearbook Club? What a nightmare! I wasn’t doing well in English class. I was introverted and shy. Clearly I wasn’t cut out for the Yearbook Club. My heart sank.

I went to the room and explained what had happened. The girls in the room—there were no other boys—giggled at my misfortune. Then the teacher asked how my grades were in English, and I said, “Not good at all.” The girls laughed all the more. Embarrassed and somewhat depressed, I stood in silence. I will never forget what that teacher did next.

She walked to a cabinet, reached in and handed me a Rolleiflex camera. “You are now the school photographer,” she said. I confessed, “I don’t know anything about photography. “It doesn’t matter, you can learn.” she said. My fear of failure turned instantly to respect. This teacher cared about everyone. My spirit was renewed. I now had something of value to offer my new club.

She told me I could go anywhere on campus and take pictures. My previous despair melted away, and I was off to the races, inspired to come to school early and stay late. Finally, I found an activity that made me feel successful and accepted. That single moment changed my life. A simple act of kindness and genuine compassion put me on course to a lifetime of joy taking pictures.

Sometimes failure leads to success. Successful people will tell you that for every win, they have countless failures. The key to winning is more than just not giving up; it’s also about finding a way to change fear into respect.

I now photograph forCityviewbecause I enjoy the creative process, and making our city and the people that live here look awesome makes me proud and gives me joy. But by far, the most fun thing to share is my knowledge because seeing the light come on in someone’s eyes reminds me of that moment when someone cared enough to point me in the right direction.

Clear Vision

Glassmaker sees teaching as a critical part of his craft

Story by Susan Alexander

Johnny Glass’s name is his destiny. The Knoxville native grew up dreaming of a career on stage and screen, worked at the Bijou as a teen and even had some early appearances in films and TV shows, enough to send him to LA to pursue fame. While there he signed up for some classes at Santa Monica Community College—including one in glassmaking. Though the waiting list for the class was long, organizers moved his name to the top of the list. And instantly, it was what he wanted to do.

Making glass can involve a variety of techniques, and Johnny has worked his way through all of them. Blown glass is created by inflating molten glass on a rod to form a hollow bubble. Bit work involves attaching bits of glass to that blown glass piece. Liquid glass can be poured into a mold or cast in a kiln. Glass slumping shapes glass into something new with the help of a mold; glass can also be fused to combine multiple sheets of glass into one piece.

Johnny spent three years honing his craft before opening his own studio, Glass by Glass, at his home on the West Coast. He made the studio mobile and took it to craft centers and schools to demonstrate his art. Eventually he landed at Knott’s Berry Farm, creating glass objects and showing his technique to crowds there 100 days a year. “It is a catalyst for interesting people in glass,” he says. “I put on a show and combine my two art forms: performance and glass.”

In between, Glass returned to East Tennessee and discovered one of the country’s best craft programs at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, where he earned a BFA. Later he got a master’s in fine art at Tulane University in New Orleans and established a Tennessee studio at his parents’ home in Rockford, where he produces the pieces he sells throughout the year. He also sells and demonstrates his work at the Gatlinburg Craftsmen’s Fair each fall.

In addition to the shows he attends, Glass sells his pieces at about 30 retail outlets around the country. “I drive to California every year, and I use that trip to visit new galleries and grow my outlets.”

Though his blown glass pumpkins in an array of colors and patterns pay the bills, Glass most enjoys creating bowls and vases in the Italian style of cane and murine blown glass. “They show off my skills,” he says. The technique involves creating colored patterns or images within the glass, from simple circles to detailed designs, made famous by Venetian glass artists in the 16th century.

Should he gaze into a crystal ball, Glass hopes to see a future in which he’s teaching glassmaking at the college level. “Glass is a dying art form,” he says. “I want to help keep it alive.” Learn more about Johnny and his work atwww.glassbyglass.com.

Expression of Joy

Brent Thompson channels his inner theater kid as he connects to jazz

Story by Chris Blue

Jazz has always been a love of mine. Growing up in church, the music has always been inspired by the genre, and I find myself deeply connected to the rhythms and composition. So when the opportunity arose to speak with Brent Thompson about his life as a local jazz vocalist, I welcomed it with open arms.

“In my heart, I’ve really never known anything other than being made of music,” he tells me. He grew up in southeastern Tennessee, singing in the Chattanooga Boys Choir. “I was a boy soprano, singing all the high notes.”

While today this University of Tennessee grad and marketing professional can identify as lyricist, composer, singer, and instrumentalist, his entry into the artist’s world began originally in theater.

“Music and theater was really what made sense because that’s what my parents did,” he says. “Theater life was quite a wonderful upbringing.” Brent’s entire family participated in theater when he was young, and this sort of upbringing carved a path for how he would approach music later in life.

“I gained a really great appreciation for performing,” he says. “It is a wonderful expression of being joyful and artistic.”

Brent’s late parents were both vocalists—his mom a powerful soprano and his dad an operatic baritone. They inspired him to become an artist. “They were music and performance in the arts and theater to me,” he says. But it took Brent a while to find his own voice; he admired so many different artists across genres.

“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized I’m a product of everything that I‘ve ever heard, everything that’s ever moved me.” As he belts out each song, he channels the theater kid of his youth, finds the character of his song, and puts it all into his music, producing an authentic performance style that you can’t help but feel connected to.

Brent can be found across town sharing his jazz sound with Knoxville each week, be that at his monthly jaunts at places like Water into Wine or in special shows with fellow jazz artists like Jason Day. Later this year, he will finish and release his next album of original jazz music.

Legal Shield

Immunity for companies leaves Tennesseans wondering who’s right

Story by George Korda

The challenge facing Tennesseans and the world about Covid-19 vaccines is what to believe, who to believe, and when to believe what we’re told about them—and if there’s anything that can be done legally if after being vaccinated something goes wrong. Given what happened to me, I wondered about this myself.

I believe in the value of vaccinations and was jabbed at the earliest possible moment. Then, trouble. I have a chronic skin condition that when angry feels like a cross between hundreds of ants biting me and being doused by scalding oil. Typically, with my allergist’s direction, it’s well managed. However, after the vaccinations the rash exploded on me in a scary way and lasted for months. Two doctors and a pharmacist warned me to avoid the booster.

It’s always easier to condemn than consider, and there’s been considerable condemnation about vaccines, much of it politically motivated. Anyone who even asked questions about whether vaccines were safe was often categorized as anti-science mental deficients, in contrast to those seen as government-worshiping herds of true vaccine believers. But those aren’t the viewpoints of most, just the loudest.

In March 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was ordered by a Texas federal court judge to release documents—eventually more than 80,000 pages—related to the FDA’s review of Pfizer’s vaccine processes, stemming from a September 2021 Freedom of Information Act request from a group of scientists, as described by Reuters. The FDA originally responded to the request asking the court for up to 55 years to respond to the complete request. If the FDA wanted to create theories, conspiracy or otherwise, about vaccine safety, it couldn’t have adopted a better strategy. But the court said no. Within days of the ensuing document dump in March, there were claims on social media that the papers proved the vaccines were only 12 percent effective, followed by reams of analysis saying the figure was untrue and the vaccines are effective.

So what are we to believe? An inescapable fact is that if Covid vaccines result in rough side effects, illness, or death, there’s not much you can do against vaaccine manufacturers. A Dec. 23, 2020 CNBC article—entitled “You can’t sue Pfizer or Moderna if you have severe Covid vaccine side effects” —details, “If you experience severe side effects after getting a Covid vaccine, lawyers tell CNBC there is basically no one to blame in a U.S. court of law. The federal government has granted companies like Pfizer and Moderna immunity from liability if something unintentionally goes wrong with their vaccines.”

There are substantial reasons why vaccine manufacturers were provided legal shields, in this case the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act passed in 2005. Without such protection, there might never have been vaccines, as companies—justifiably—would have been concerned about the expense of defending themselves against lawsuits brought by people who believed, rightly or wrongly, that the vaccine caused them lasting harm.

Another complicating factor is the contradictory messages sent by medical and government experts. The authorities, including the oft-quoted Dr. Anthony Fauci, consistently said that a safe vaccine would take at least 18 months to create. But when it actually took half that time, the same experts pledged that the vaccine was safe and effective. Indeed, were they not in existence, our present lives would more than likely be considerably less safe, require more rules, and more people would be dead.

In the end, it matters not what anyone thinks, believes, wonders, or even can prove about vaccines. If you’re looking for a lawyer because you think the vaccines hurt you, PREP yourself for disappointment.

Practical Advice

Aligning your insurance policy to protect yourself against underinsured drivers

Story by Bruce Fox

Most all of us drive a car or a truck, and as part of our responsibility in doing so we are required to have insurance on our vehicles. However, based on my experiences, it is likely that one in five of the cars and trucks you pass every day on the road has no insurance coverage at all. And over the years, I’ve witnessed how financially damaging this can be.

Tennessee is considered an “at-fault” state, which means that the motorist who causes the accident is responsible—both financially and legally—for the resulting injuries and damages. Tennessee’s Financial Responsibility Law ensures that. But of the vehicles that do have insurance coverage, more than 50 percent of them only have the minimum legally required liability coverage: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $15,000 for property damage.

Considering that a simple trip to the emergency room with a broken bone could easily cost more than $50,000, it’s easy to see why these minimums are far too low.

The last time these minimums were increased was on January 1, 2002. The Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association lobbies annually to have these minimums increased to a reasonable amount. Yet despite their best efforts, these dated minimums remain, the reason likely being opposition from the insurance industry lobby.

In speaking to State Senator Richard Briggs, he believes opponents to increasing coverage minimums often rely on the argument that it places an unreasonable financial burden on the working class. But he was quick to point out the reality that the cost of increased insurance coverage is minimal when compared to the true damage that can come when a working class citizen is involved in an accident and the at-fault driver’s insurance falls far short of being able to replace or repair the vehicle, adequately cover medical expenses, and provide for lost income and punitive damages.

So, what do you do to protect yourself against uninsured or underinsured drivers?

The simple answer is that you call your agent and increase your own liability limits to at least $100,000-$300,000, or even better $250,000-$500,000. What this does is ensure you’ll have a better chance of covering your medical bills and getting your car repaired. In addition, consider an umbrella policy of at least $1 million. This type of policy is extra insurance that flows over and provides additional relief if regular insurance coverage is exhausted.

I checked with a local insurance agent, and the cost of increasing your coverage from $25,000-$50,000 to $100,000-$300,000 is roughly about $200 more per year, based on a clean driving record. A $1 million umbrella policy costs around $20 per month. To me, it seems worth the extra money to ensure you and your family are safe on the road.

No doubt the law needs to change. But it will require considerable pressure from the citizens of Tennessee to the legislature to see this law amended. (For a list of your representatives and their mailing addresses, go tocityviewmag.com.) Politicians are unlikely to react without constituent input, and there’s no better input than an actual letter. Let’s all take a minute and make our voices heard.

Out on the AT

Experiencing the Appalachian Trail hiking culture in Virginia

Story by John Quillen

I was fine with skipping the road walk and interstate noise, but Frank Whitehead insisted that we do the extra mile across I-81 in Groseclose, Virginia. That is where we finished our last section on the Appalachian Trail a year-and-a-half ago, and his trail purism would have it no other way. Soon we climbed up verdant pastureland chasing white blazes into a tree line some thousand vertical feet over the next two miles.

It was barely noon when we came across a board nailed to a tree indicating we had completed one quarter of the Appalachian Trail. It had only taken us a decade to get here. It was our first day in the Jefferson National Forest and the billowy clouds promised a perfect spring afternoon. The weather was cool and crisp, so we carried extra clothing. And I was feeling the extra weight at mile 15.2 as we bedded down beside a small creek for the night.

Climbing up to Chestnut Knob on the second day afforded some of the most dramatic views of the section. We baked in full sun in alpine meadows at 4,500 feet, sweating up the treeless plain. A stone shelter denoted the summit which looked over into Burke’s Garden. “God’s Thumbprint” as it is known to locals, is the result of a geographical anomaly where a mountain collapsed in on itself. The resulting valley is the highest in Virginia and some of the most fertile farmland in the state.

Low on drinking water, once we were off the mountain, we had little choice but to make camp early where we found it; the next water was almost seven miles away. Astride a forest service road, we set up tents and splurged on a small fire given the abbreviated day.

Thru hikers cruised by the next morning clicking miles by the dozen. We were only temporarily immersed in their culture. You either must quit your job or retire to bag 2,164 miles concurrently. Heavy storms and hail dogged us the next day or two but we managed to stay behind or ahead of its bulk. Laurel Creek camp was the site of our third night, and I was feeling the miles. Each day averaged 3,000 feet of elevation, but we were only doing 64 miles. We pushed ourselves on our fourth evening with extra water weight from Helvey’s Mill.

Our final camp was dry and trailside on a ridge outside of Bland. As the sun set on this 16-mile day, we relished the thought of a mere 10-mile exit. Roughly 130 miles per year proves we obviously have no deadline. Our only concern is that we may run these hills long enough and accidentally finish the trail.

Cucina Milanese on Jackson Avenue

Osteria Stella offers a true Northern Italian dining experience

Story by N. Brooks Clark

From the bustling Jackson Avenue sidewalk in the Old City, walking into the softly lit, stylishly designed interior of Osteria Stella feels like stepping into another era. It is a contrast to the bright décor of Brother Wolf, its sibling cocktail bar next door. “I wanted to create a dramatic contrast between the two,” says co-owner Jessica Thompson, who also created the speakeasy Peter Kern Library. “I wanted Osteria Stella to be lovely, warm, comfortable, and disarming.”

“It’s romantic and intimate,” agrees Sommelier Brad Poyner, as he demonstrates the technique for folding black napkins into roses. “Some newer Italian restaurants are using a darker and more dramatic approach to set them apart from the traditional white-tablecloth, red-sauce places. We’re not trying to be pretentious—just a different, downtown place for a date or special occasion.” The space is indeed intimate and inviting, with booths for four on one side and banquette tables for two on the other. An eclectic collection of Italian tole chandeliers provides pleasant, diffused light.

Everything in Osteria Stella has a story, starting with its name. Osteria is Italian for a place that serves wine and simple food. Stella is the two-year-old daughter of owners Jessica and Aaron Thompson. Aaron, dapper in a tan suit on the evening of our visit, loves to tell stories, including his courtship of Jessica, which began when he was a bar manager at Sapphire.

“She was a customer,” he laughs. “We did not like each other.” He had earned his history degree from UT in 2007. Bartending at Sapphire, he fell in love with idea of owning a restaurant and, before too long, with Jessica. “Our first trip to Europe I asked Jessica to marry me.” He went down on one knee atop the 1,000-foot cliffs in the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. Chef de Cuisine Greg Sutton worked at Blackberry Farm eight years under chef Joseph Lenn, then later at Knox Mason. He is delighted to continue that chef-driven tradition.

We began our meal with a glass (or two) of Bianca Vigna Prosecco, the first of the wine pairings suggested by Poyner. We never pass up an opportunity to enjoy polpettine, the small meatballs cooked in wine or broth and served as a main course. Unlike Americans, Italians do not put meatballs on pasta—these delicious beef and pork meatballs are served as a savory starter and are, not surprisingly, a best-seller. The Arancino (rice balls) made with risotto rice, peas, mozzarella, and pickled onion are a perfect complement to the Polpette. We rounded out our starters with a small plate of pillowy soft Mozzarella di Bufala con Zucca, with winter squash, local greens, and charred lemon honey.

Our Primi course began with a lovely Sauvignon Blanc, the 2018 Venezia Giulia IGT, complementing the Bucatini all’ Amatriciana, a deliciously flavorful dish made with guanciale, tomatoes, and Pecorino Romano.

The Lasagna is prepared in the Milanese style, using both Bechamel and Bolognese sauces. If you have never had lasagna prepared this way, you will never look at ricotta and pre-made red sauce the same way ever again. Don’t miss the light and fluffy Gnocchi Burro e Salvia in a butter, sage, and parmesan sauce. We asked Chef Greg his secret—how were they so delicate? “No eggs,” he winked.

Lovers of Italian cuisine will be delighted to see ossobuco on the menu. Ossobuco means “bone with a hole,” and this cross-cut veal shank is braised to fall-off-the-bone tenderness with vegetables, white wine, and broth. It is served in the traditional way, with gremolata, a green sauce of chopped parsley, lemon, and garlic.

There is nothing quite like a good Montepulciano, and the 2019 Reale Abruzzo with its powerful tannins and robust aroma stood up against the ossobuco perfectly. Its deep color with pepper and spice notes gives this wine its “rustic” description.

Branzino, a mild white fish, is popular in Italian cuisine and usually roasted whole and served with lemon. This preparation is paired with cannellini beans, carrots, and pine nuts, which perfectly set off the sweet, flaky meat of the fish. Italians have a way with chicken, and the Pollo al Marsala is no exception. This tender chicken is sautéed in butter, mushrooms, Marsala wine, and “sott olio,” a preservation method meaning “under the oil” which preserves delicate vegetables such as artichokes, olives, asparagus, and mushrooms, in extra virgin olive oil.

If you are looking for something light for dessert, the vanilla Panna Cotta with fruit coulis (a thick fruit sauce) is airy and refreshing. For gelato lovers, the Affogato (which means drowned) al Caffe pairs a lovely vanilla gelato with a shot of espresso. It was difficult to choose a favorite between the cannoli—one with ricotta and pistachio and the other a dreamy hot cocoa and almond. (Spoiler alert: the pistachio was amazing.) Stella’s twist on the classic tiramisu, a confection of mascarpone cheese, ladyfingers, espresso, and cocoa, adds a little Marsala—a wonderful touch. “Tira mi su” is an expression in the Veneto dialect that translates to “pick me up,” and this treat, paired with an after-dinner coffee, did just that.

Dining Al Fresco

Get ready for an epic summer of food and fun on Knoxville’s outdoor patios

Story by Marc Anthony

The top three things you can do 10 months out of the year in East Tennessee are golf, ride motorcycles, and dine outside. Knoxville restaurant patios are open and thriving with diners flocking to bust out of their cocoons and dine in the sunshine. From serene lake views to street-side bustle, let’s grab a menu, soak in some rays, and enjoy the fresh air.

If you’re looking for the beach bar feel, visit Cheers at Choto. Conveniently located just past Choto Marina, the cozy three-level deck and amenity-filled indoors makes this a hot spot for the whole family. Every frosty beverage imaginable is prepared to take you away to Margaritaville with live music on frequent weekends and an extensive bar grub menu which includes fish tacos and peel-and-eat shrimp. I almost expected to see a pesky seagull nearby. Pro Tip: Buy a houseboat and live at Choto Marina so you never have to be far from Cheers.

Choto: 2600 Whitten Lane| (865) 392-6311 |cheersatchoto.com

Comfort food may be splashed across the menu at Daddy Mac’s, but it’s the comfy patio that brings ‘em in. High-top tables, a full-service four-corner bar, and plenty of room to mingle keeps people flocking to sample the tasty Burnt Ends Mac and Cheese, the innovative Aunt Di’s Salad Bar in a Jar, or a burger made with the special Daddy’s burger blend. When the sun sets in the west behind Daddy Mac’s, the breeze blows in over “Lake Farragut” and cools down the deck as the night heats up with live music and loads of drink specials.

Farragut: 11335 Campbell Lakes Drive |(865) 288-0088 |eatatdaddymacs.com

When I first walked into Lakeside Tavern years ago, I thought I was terribly underdressed in shorts and a T-shirt. Yet, as soon as I was seated at one of the many lakeside tables, I felt at one with those who had docked at the marina and walked in off their boats for lunch. It’s upscale, but comfortable. Incredible 180-degree views of Fort Loudoun Lake make Lakeside a popular spot. A room with retractable windows yawns open when the birds start to sing, offering gaping views while comfortably under cover. And the food? If you’re from Knoxville, you already know! Pro Tip: Southwest Egg Rolls should be on the main menu, not just an app. Delish!

Concord: 10911 Concord Park Drive|(865) 671-2980 | lakeside-tavern.com

Can you get truly authentic German food in Knoxville? You bet your sweet mustard pretzel you can. At Schulz Brau Brewing Company, you’ll come for the beer, you’ll stay for the food. Pro Tip: The Wurst Pizza is the Best Pizza to transport you straight to the heart of a Munich ratskeller. Limited indoor seating propels you into the spacious and communal outdoor biergarten with fire pits and a stage that, if you’re there on the right night, has international live music for you to enjoy with your Helles or Hefeweizen. From knackers and schnitzel to the authentic and potent German beer brewed on site, you might think you’ve arrived in Bavaria.

North Knoxville: 126 Bernard Avenue|(865) 415-3845 |schulzbraubrewing.com

No two words are more synonymous with Sunspot than Wine Night. Which is also Wine Day, with half-price bottles starting at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays. Do not let me sell Sunspot as just a place for vino, as the menu is locally famous and exquisite. (You may recall my interest in the Black Bean Burger.) Nestled right on the Cumberland Avenue strip, two levels of outdoor dining can bring you back to your college days at UT. Sunspot is where tie-dyes and neckties unite and is undoubtedly a Knoxville institution.

Knoxville: 2200 Cumberland Avenue| (865) 637-4663|sunspotrestaurant.com

If you are a Mexican restaurant with outdoor seating that shares a courtyard with a “beerstro”, you have built it, and they will come. Soccer Taco consistently wins awards for its authentic Mexican food and during the pandemic, they took outdoor dining to the next level, surviving with carry-out food and margaritas and parking lot parties when people weren’t allowed in the building. It’s that spirit that has hoards of hungry and thirsty people congregating in the area between Soccer Taco and The Casual Pint. Sometimes it is hard to separate which establishment customers are frequenting, but the fiesta feeling pervades the entire area. Get your beer or margarita on!

Northshore: 2031 Thunderhead Road|(865) 691-3503 |soccertaco.com

Flying High

The Smoky Mountain Air Show Returns to East Tennessee

Story by Rebecca Whalen

Four F-18 Super Hornets roar down the runway towards take-off. As they lift off the tarmac, wheels up, they move into perfect synchronization lifting skyward. The hallmark of this team are their tight formations mere feet from one another, executing a series of maneuvers that has them twisting and turning across the sky. A crowd below, filled with people of all generations, stares in awe.

If you look and listen skyward in early September, you will no doubt hear the distinct noise that only a military fighter jet can make. The Blue Angels—the high-flying demonstration team of the United States Navy—will be doing final preparations for the 2022 Smoky Mountain Air Show, returning to McGhee Tyson Airport on September 10 and 11.

“Flying with another plane or two or three within 20 feet of you; it’s just amazing,” says Lt. Col. Travers Hurst, one of the event organizers. “These are professionals, and they’ve practiced hundreds of hours to get this show down and make it perfect.”

Gates will open at 8 a.m. on Saturday. At 11 a.m. the first planes will go up to perform, kicking off two full days of flying. The Blue Angels will be joined by the A-10 Air Force Demonstration Team, the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team, the Commemorative Air Force, Greg Koontz Air Shows, Younkin Air Shows, and the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights Parachute Team.

In addition to the flights, a variety of static aircrafts from across the country will be on hand for event-goers to visit, from fighter jets and helicopters to civilian aircrafts and historic biplanes. Food and drink vendors will also be in attendance.

The event is put on by the Metro Knoxville Airport Authority and the 134th Air Refueling Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard, where Hurst serves. The last time the air show happened in the region was in 2016, he says; prior to that, it had been 16 years. “Your opportunities to see this kind of show are limited,” he says, so get your parking passes and get in line.

Details on the air show and how to obtain parking passes or reserved seating can be found atsmokymountainairshow.com. And you can followCityview’s coverage of the show here atcityviewmag.comas it approaches. We will see you there!

The Beginning of the End

The 1982 World’s Fair brought a celebration to East Tennessee—followed quickly by the fall of the Butcher banks

Story by Gary Wade

Forty years ago, Disney opened Epcot, the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial was dedicated in Washington D. C.,E. T. the Extraterrestrialmovie debuted, and Michael Jackson released theThrilleralbum. A major recession hit the United States. Inflation was over six percent, the average cost of a new house was $82,200 that year, the new car average stood at $7,983, the price for a gallon of gas was 91 cents—and Knoxville, Tennessee, hosted the 1982 World’s Fair.

The process for the fair began in 1974 when Stewart Evans, as president of the Downtown Knoxville Association, made a proposal to the city council. Mayor Kyle Testerman appointed banker Jake Butcher to head up an exploratory committee. The Knoxville Foundation, Inc., was created to organize and administer what was officially the Knoxville International Energy Exposition. Attorney Randy Tyree, who had gained recognition as a law enforcement officer and eventually won his party’s nomination for governor, defeated Testerman in the 1975 mayoral election and played a major role in fair preparations. Most of the locals, however, viewed the initiative as “Jake’s Fair.” There was skepticism all around. In a 1980 publication, The Wall Street Journal expressed doubts about the ability of our community to host the event, describing Knoxville as “a scruffy little city.”

On May 1, 1982, President Ronald Reagan spoke at an opening ceremony broadcast by local and regional television stations. Tennessean Dinah Shore, a singer and TV talk show host, served as the emcee for the fair. A crowd of almost 90,000 was in attendance that day. The iconic Sunsphere towered over the 70-acre site located between Henley Street and the university campus. In addition to the U.S. Pavilion, Australia, China, France, England, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and 14 other foreign nations offered exhibits. By the time it closed six months later, the fair had attracted over 11 million visitors.

Jesse Barr, who was involved in the planning stages for the fair, was thrilled with the community efforts: “It was a lot like Camelot. For the first time, Democrats and Republicans all worked together.” At the end, a net profit was reported at $57, the last “profitable” world’s fair in the United States. On the downside, the city had incurred debt of over $40 million, and, on Valentine’s Day in 1983, just three months after the fair closed, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation took over Jake’s United American Bank. Most believed that the bank failure was due to his financing of the fair. A short time later, City and County Bank and Southern Industrial Banking Corporation, led by Jake’s brother, C. H. Butcher, Jr., crumbled. Parenthetically, only two years later, the New Orleans World’s Fair, the last held in this country, ended in financial disaster.

The legal profession was called upon to clean up the mess in Knoxville. Practically every able-bodied attorney in the community became involved in the ensuing civil litigation. On the criminal side, John Gill, the United States Attorney in Knoxville, brought indictments against the Butchers, each of whom hired high-profile counsel to come to East Tennessee. “The investigation of the 27 or so Butcher banks,” John remembers, “commanded all of the resources in our Knoxville office for over three years.”

Jim Neal of Nashville served as lead counsel for Jake Butcher. His background was impressive, both in prosecution and in defense. In 1961, Attorney General Bobby Kennedy selected Neal to prosecute Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa, first for corruption, which ended in a mistrial, and then for jury tampering, for which Hoffa was convicted. Afterward, Hoffa called Neal “the most vicious prosecutor who ever lived” – a high compliment in Neal’s assessment. After serving a term as U.S Attorney in Nashville, Neal was called upon to prosecute the top officials of the Nixon administration in the Watergate scandal. His work resulted in a guilty plea by White House counsel John Dean, and convictions of former U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell, John Ehrlichman and H. R. Haldeman for conspiracy, perjury, and obstruction of justice. While in private practice, Neal successfully defended Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards on a racketeering charge, and then gained an acquittal for Elvis Presley’s physician, George Nichopoulos, who had been indicted for the illegal dispensation of drugs.

Bobby Lee Cook of Summerville, Georgia, a small town situated less than an hour’s drive from the Tennessee line, was employed to represent C. H. Butcher. Cook, who had reportedly defended some 300 murder charges over the years, won acquittals in an estimated 80 percent of his cases. Known for his chin whiskers, folksy courtroom style, and brilliant mind, Cook lived by the credo that “if you can railroad a bad man to prison, you can railroad a good one.” In 1988, he achieved a favorable result for Bobby Hoppe, an All-American running back at Auburn, who had been charged in Chattanooga with a shooting 21 years earlier when he was still in high school. Cook, who during his travels worked in the back seat of a Rolls-Royce driven by his chauffeur, was reputed to have been the inspiration for the television seriesMatlock, which starred Andy Griffith as a Georgia criminal defense lawyer.

A few of the Knoxville combatants involved in the preparations for the 1985 Butcher trials are still with us today. As firsthand witnesses, they have their own stories, perhaps more and more colorfully embellished as time passes, but the results are not in dispute. Jake, an unsuccessful candidate for governor in both 1974 and 1978, plead guilty to bank fraud and received a sentence of 20 years. When asked why he had approved his client’s admission of guilt, Neal, who sent his junior partner to a hearing on the guilty plea, answered candidly, “The [real] facts were so much worse than the indictment.” Jake was paroled from the Atlanta Federal Prison in 1992. He resided in Canton, Georgia, until his death on July 19, 2017. He was 81.

Cook successfully defended C. H. Butcher on 25 counts of fraud related to the failure of the Southern Industrial Banking Corporation. The jury returned not guilty verdicts on every charge. C. H.’s friends had allegedly raised a quarter million dollars to pay the fee for his renowned counsel. C. H. remained jailed, however, for the charges against him related to the City and County Bank. Without financial resources of his own, C. H. was appointed local counsel for his Chattanooga trial before choosing to plead guilty to 16 different charges related to the failure of his bank. Sentenced to 20 years in 1985, he was paroled in 1993. His wife Shirley received a three-year sentence. C. H. died in 2002 after a fall at his Canton residence near Atlanta.

To paraphrase the opening lines of Charles Dickens’sTale of Two Cities, the 1982 World’s Fair provided some of the best of times for the Knoxville community. Its aftermath offered some of its worst of times. For the Butcher brothers, a more direct quote from Dickens’s classic fits the course of events: “It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it [ended in] the winter of despair.”

The real facts were so much worse than the indictment. Jim Neal, Lead Counsel for Jake Butcher

Summer Vacation

Relishing endless family moments on the coast of Florida

Story by Robert Pryor, Sr.

There we were again. The Pryor family riding along south in the family “truckster” on another Florida vacation. By 1980, we had graduated from an Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagon to an ugly brown custom van, but, the trip itself, including its destination and anticipated adventures, was the same for me. My life was full of family vacations to Florida from my earliest childhood to those happy days of July travel with my own young children and understanding wife. You see, just as my father before me, I did my best to give my family a memorable vacation, but, looking back on it all, a lot of mistakes were made.

It all began with my father, affectionately referred to by me as “Daddy.” He started the Florida vacation tradition in the ‘50s when he would pack the family Ford every July for an unaffordable trip to Daytona Beach. Daddy took care of all the travel arrangements because, after all, that was his profession. He spent his entire career in bus transportation, and a large part of his work was preparing schedules for bus service and chartered tours. He loved to print out what time we would leave and exactly what time we would arrive in Madisonville, Cartersville, Atlanta, and, of course, Silver Springs and those glass-bottom boats. We did Silver Springs every year because, as a bus man, Daddy could get complimentary free passes. Some years ago, when I was cleaning out the family home, I discovered a box of vacation photos, and 90 percent were of fish taken through those clear glass bottoms. Some of the photographs included shots of our shoes as we sat in a circle peering through the glass into the clear Silver River below. If you know anyone looking for a lot of photos of fish swimming around 1950s-style shoes, just have them give me a call.

One year Daddy decided he would air condition our old Ford by buying a block of ice and placing it in the front passenger floorboard. We rolled up all the windows and he turned on the heater fan to blow across the ice and cool the ride for even us kids in the backseat. Genius idea, except the ice melted by the time we got to Etowah, and my mother was in ice water up to her ankles. Daddy never had an air-conditioned car or one with power windows because he considered them “just one more thing to break.”

After we checked into our apartment in a house just a block or so from the beach (no such things as condos in those days), Daddy would rush out to buy smoked mullet. No one but Daddy ate mullet, smoked or unsmoked, but he apparently loved it. I never knew him to regularly drink beer, but he loved tavern snacks. In Florida, he would always buy a couple of beers to enjoy as he ate his pickled hard-boiled eggs and those short, hot pickled weenies. He’s the one who taught me to appreciate sardines with cheese and crackers on our Florida vacation. Even today, I still crave sardines with crackers and cheese complimented by Vienna sausages and Beanie Weenies when I hit the Florida line.

Daddy was not a fisherman or an outdoorsman at all, but always wanted to take me fishing when we were in the Sunshine State. I remember a catfish once caught him while we were fishing on a pier on the Halifax River. Did you know a catfish has spines that stick out and stab the skin of your hand if you don’t know what you are doing? I learned that watching my father lying on the pier crying out in pain with blood everywhere. Not the image he was after.

When I was a child, our Florida vacations were real adventures. We always attended a band concert at the bandshell, hand picked Indian River oranges walking in the scalding hot sand of a random orchard, built sand castles, ate tons of shrimp, and visited old St. Augustine and that ancient fort. Daddy would never stop to let us see a man wrestle an alligator or go into the “Reptile House” for fear we would get off schedule. Bathroom stops were rare. There was no Magic Kingdom or Universal Orlando in those days. If there had been, we probably would not have gone because they would not have served smoked mullet.

Our Daytona Beach vacations always included nightly visits to the Boardwalk and the amusement park. One year when I was barely a teenager, I took a friend on vacation with me, and when no one was watching we put peroxide on our crew cuts and suddenly became two blonde and tanned hunks walking around the beach looking for babes. That was the year my buddy and I met two hot but older girls from Knoxville and took them on a date to the Boardwalk. We ate lots of hot dogs, cotton candy, and candied apples then boarded the Ferris wheel. The bad news was the ride stopped a lot and the buckets rocked and swayed at the top of the ride. More bad news was that my buddy got motion sickness and threw up in his bucket. The worse news was my knockout date and I were directly under my buddy’s bucket. In fact, there was no good news at all about that night, and when we disembarked the girls hit the ground running and disappeared into the neon lights of Joyland.

Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, my wife, Norma, and I regularly vacationed with our three children in Florida, first primarily on the East Coast and later on the Gulf Coast. Many of those fun vacations were with 15 or more other Knoxville families and their children, but, just like my dad, I always prepared a strict itinerary. For several years, we loaded our Vista Cruiser and pulled a U-Haul trailer crammed with high chairs, baby cribs, tricycles, balls, and toys of all sorts. One year, to save on space, Baby John rode in the baby crib in the back of the station wagon like a pet monkey, and in Florida he crawled on the beach leaving a trail in the sand like a snail. It’s a wonder we weren’t arrested for child abuse. I discontinued the stops in Silver Springs in favor of Disney World, but always bought a big bag of oranges, a few beers, and lots of sardines and crackers.

Seems like most years we had at least one emergency room visit for a jellyfish sting, a kidney stone, or some kind of gastrointestinal concern. One Easter Sunday, the Easter bunny left Easter baskets for our three children just as we hit the road to return from visiting relatives in Riviera Beach. Within 20 minutes of starting north on the parkway, I had to stop on the side of the road because the boys had smeared my daughter Amy’s face and hair with melted marshmallow chocolate from candy Easter bunnies. I think that’s the maddest I ever saw my wife Norma. I still carry a vivid image of her spinning on the side of the Sunshine Parkway tossing those three Easter baskets into the swamp like a discus champion. The children recall that incident every time someone talks about how sweet their mother is.

These days, my Florida vacations involve children, grandchildren, and our grandchildren’s friends and fiancés. It sure can get chaotic and mistakes still occur. As for me, I’m still my father’s son, dedicated to tight travel schedules and an occasional can of sardines enjoyed with a cold beer.

The Amazin’ Vols

With swagger, guts, and fun-loving bravado to spare, the UT baseball team brings home an SEC Championship

Story by N. Brooks Clark

Tennessee Volunteers pitcher Chase Burns faced a tough situation in the third inning against Auburn on April 29. Bases loaded. None out. Up by two runs. Coming up, several of the most feared hitters in college baseball, including.448-hitting Sonny DiChiara. Digging deep into the toughness tank, Burns, a 6’4” freshman from Gallatin, struck them out in order.

“That was insane,” said coach Tony Vitello afterward. “That was the ballgame. To do it against those hitters, that was guts. It was a moment of growing up.” There was much more to come.

An hour before the 7 p.m. game time on a perfect spring evening, a carnival atmosphere had surrounded Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Friday Block Party was in full swing on Pat Head Summitt Street, with Drink Smooth, Kona Ice, and Checkerboard Cheese food trucks, Dick’s House of Sport Speed Pitch, face painting, a VolShop tent, and music from DJ (and football VFL) Sterling “Sterl the Pearl” Henton. The lines at the box office were long, and tickets were hard to come by. The Vols had averaged 4,085 for 18 home games, shattering a record of 2,137 from 1997. Tonight’s crowd would total up to 4,584. That’s what happens when a team is the No. 1 team in the nation, 43-6 overall, 20-4 in the SEC, and always fun to watch.

Behind the stadium the SAE’s and Phi Kappa Psi’s were partying hard on their patios. Beer sales were swift as fans gathered in the bleachers to watch the teams warm up and take BP. Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn there with his wife, Melissa. He said he didn’t have season tickets, but he knew someone who did, grinning at his good fortune. “I do like getting to games early if I can, to see the guys warm up.” Knoxville lawyer Bill Coley, there with fellow attorney Reggie Keaton, said his wife Betty had gone online and gotten tickets before she headed off to the beach. “Our daughter and son-in-law work for Auburn,” said Coley, “so this is a tough night for us.” At 6:30 p.m., Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet sangIt’s Five O’clock Somewhereover the loudspeakers.

Many fans wore T-shirts with the name Honcho and either 35 or 27 on the back, the result of a Vitello sarcastic ad lib that went viral and became a Knoxville craze. It all started in the first inning against Vanderbilt on April 1. Jordan Beck—a junior right fielder from Hazel Green, Alabama, and probable first-round pick in the upcoming MLB draft—hit a homer, or so everyone thought. The tater was de-tatered after the umps deemed Beck’s bat ineligible for play. It turned out Beck’s bat was checked prior to the game and marked with a sticker to rule it eligible. But the sticker fell off during batting practice, so, when the umps inspected his bat after the homer, they said it was illegal.

Joking about the ridiculous idea that Beck was up to no good, Vitello—who spins memorable phrases in the tradition of loquacious managers like Casey Stengel and Yogi Berra—joked, “I don’t even know that Jordan Beck should be at the University of Tennessee. He forged his transcript and is actually a 35-year-old man named Mike Honcho. He just shows up to practice every day and he is a good kid so we put him in the lineup.” The reference, of course, was toTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and a bedside confession by Ricky’s best friend, Cal Naughton Jr., that he had once done a spread “and I mean spread” inPlaygirlmagazine under the name Mike Honcho. The sign on Toddy’s Backdoor Tavern read, “Mike Honcho drinks 4 free!”

James Allen of Bacon & Company quickly designed T-shirts with the name Honcho across the back shoulder, some with the number 35, reflecting the fictional age, and some with 27, Beck’s actual number. The VolShop and Alumni Hall started taking preorders. “As soon as that quote came out, I ordered t-shirts for Alissa and me,” says John Jenkins, an electrical engineer with Mesa Associates. They got the ones with the number 27. “I wish it had been the 35,” says Jenkins.

Humor, a fun-loving spirit, and a palpable bravado have been essential ingredients in the Vols’ success. “Last year they started to embrace that swagger,” saysUT Daily Beaconwriter Andrew Peters. “This year, they’ve really gone all in. Last year, they wouldn’t have said they were the villains. Now they know they’re the villains.”

At 6:50 p.m., the loudspeaker plays an amped-up version ofRocky Top. News Sentinelbeat writer Mike Wilson sweeps by the overflow tent to give a game-on fist-bump to Peters and the WUTK guys. Pinch me: a seasoned sportswriter offering enthusiastic encouragement to young reporters? Am I a cub reporter again, sitting next to kind and generous icons like Dan Jenkins and Frank Deford? “It definitely is big to me to encourage the student media,” Wilson explains. “I’ve been there and know that intimidating feeling of being around ‘those’ reporters. It doesn’t have to be that way.”

Wilson covers the Amazin’ Vols with considerable energy and creativity, does in-depth player profiles, and analyzes the twists and turns of navigating the season atop the rankings. In the after-game interviews, Wilson waits like Boswell at Samuel Johnson’s table for the next Vitello-ism that will make his stories go viral. What Grantland Rice was to Rockne’s Four Horsemen, Wilson is to this team of destiny. And if Wilson is a throwback to hallowed wags of bygone eras, these Vols are throwbacks to the shaggy, mustachioed, bombastic early-70s Oakland A’s of Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Mudcat Grant, Rollie Fingers, Vida Blue, and Sal Bando. (No coincidence that lefty pitcher Kirby Connell’s handlebar moustache earned him the nickname “Vollie Fingers.” He also led the team with a 1.66 season ERA.)

The cockiness and champions’ élan exploded in the seventh inning. With the Vols trailing 4-2, catcher Evan Russell, a fifth (additional COVID)-year guy from Lexington, Tennessee, doubled off the left field line. Pinch hitter Seth Stephenson, a junior from Buda, Texas, and shortstop Cortland Lawson, a junior from Potomac Falls, Virginia, singled, cutting the lead to 4-3. Then leadoff hitter Christian Moore—a.342-hitting freshman from Brooklyn, New York, who loves country music—singled to load the bases.

Moore had been the hero of a come-from-behind victory at Florida on April 24. Down 4-2 with two out in the ninth, Moore singled with the bases loaded to tie the score. In the 11th, he came up with a runner on base and sent the ball over the left field wall. “It felt amazing,” says Moore. “Close game, bottom of the 11th is something you dream of as a kid, to hit a go-ahead home run. I put a pretty good swing on a fastball and it went over, and I got to celebrate with my teammates.” That win over the Gators was sealed by 5’9” left fielder Christian Scott, who used his 52-inch vertical leap to rise above the fence and pull an apparent Gator homer back into the park and seal the win.

With the bases loaded, still in the seventh inning on April 29, Jorel Ortega, a sophomore from Naranjito, Puerto Rico, by way of Spanish River High School in Florida, found himself waiting with a 1-2 count while Auburn pitcher Blake Burkhalter realized he had pulled something in his arm and had to decide whether to continue. It took a while, with many practice pitches. Burkhalter continued. When play resumed, Ortega lined Burkhalter’s next pitch over the left field wall for a grand slam to put UT up 7-4. The packed crowd went wild. “It’s loud in the dugout, as far as the audio goes,” says Vitello. “It creates a great vibe, like a tidal wave or an avalanche. They have helped us. We have very active fans. You can just feel it. The crowd gets behind you, and it’s like an avalanche.”

“Jorel is kind of what you want a baseball player to be,” Vitello says. “He has a passion for baseball. He is a fun-loving kid. He’s got the ability to be relaxed and kidding around, but when it’s time, he’s locked in. It allows him to relax and execute in a pretty extreme fashion.”

“I just wanted to put the ball in play because a strikeout would be huge in that situation,” Ortega says afterward, in his charming Puerto Rican accent and, for old schoolers, those cool rectangles of grease spread on his cheeks to cut the glare. “Better to put the ball in play and bring a run in. That is what I did, and it went over the fence.”

The Home Run “Fuh” and Making Things Fun

In the dugout, Ortega donned the fur “home run coat,” or “fuh” as it’s often called—think Marisa Tomei inMy Cousin Vinny, or maybe Liberace after an all-nighter partying with Wayne Newton. White with black highlights. “It could be a woman’s or a man’s coat that you would wear to a 70s gangster party,” Vitello explains. “It kinda looks pimped out. The fans love it.”

“Letting his players show their personality is a big reason why the team is playing so well,” wrote blogger Zach Ragan. This is part of how Vitello got all these MLB-bound players to come to UT. “The kids want to play for Tony because of how he coaches,” Wilson says. “Players’ coach all the way.”

“It’s pretty awesome for Jorel to be where he is,” says catcher Russell in the postgame interviews, where, as a fifth-year guy, he seems to be the adult in the room. “A year ago, he was not traveling. He was not in the lineup. But he has worked hard. This team is a lot of guys who have grinded and bought into approaches.”

After Honcho (Beck) flied out to center, centerfielder Drew Gilbert, a junior from Stillwater, Minnesota, singled. Gilbert is an example of a player who came to UT because of Vitello’s special sauce. “He was committed to Oregon State and then flipped after Tony got an extension in 2019, if memory serves right,” says Wilson. Third baseman Trey Lipscomb, a senior from Frederick, Maryland, singled. One out, two men on.

Transformation into a Powerhouse

In a profile of Lipscomb, Wilson described the transformation from unsure freshman in 2019 to offensive powerhouse, with 16 homers and 61 RBIs as of late April. He used to rush to the batter’s box, eager-beaver style. “It is almost like I was asking to get out or something,” he told Wilson. “Now, when I go to the box, it is my show. No one is going to stop me.” Lipscomb said he needed to learn patience. He started doing yoga during the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown. He readIt Takes What It Takesby Trevor Moab and books by Seahawk-turned-Bronco Russell Wilson. “He slows down by painting and learned to be in the present moment,” wrote Mike Wilson.

Up with Gilbert and Lipscomb on, Russell blasted a homer into the UT bullpen to make it 10-4 and duly donned the coat. The Vol faithful continued its deafening roar. “Lindsey Nelson Stadium is a hard place to win,” says Russell, “Something happens. The crowd erupts. It’s fun for the fans to watch.”

Leading off the eighth, Blake Burke, a lefty freshman from Brentwood, California, pinch hit. With a 3-0 count, he blasted a pitch 435 feet past the light tower in right center. “Being able to see Blake Burke hit a 3-0 pitch to the moon is something that this program has turned to that I’ve never seen before,” says Russell afterward. “I’ve never seen a freshman swing at 3-0 pitches, let alone hit one like he did.” Burke duly donned the coat, as did Ortega, after his second homer of the evening that made it 12-4.

Beck doubled, Gilbert hit a blistering liner off the pitcher’s heel, scoring Beck. Lipscomb homered to right field, his 17th of the year, to make it 15-4, donning the coat in the dugout. Pinch-hitter Logan Steenstra walked and Russell homered to left, 17-4. “It was amazing,” says Ortega. “It was a barrelfest.” The Vols’ six homers brought their total to 100 in 42 games. Says Russell, “Being able to hit 100 homers at this time of the season shows there is a lot of talent in this lineup.”

There were fireworks after the game, which ended around 11:30 p.m.

On Sunday afternoon, May 1, Beck hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to give the Vols a 5-3 victory. “He might be the most explosive hitter in college baseball,” says Vitello afterward. “Anything crazy can happen at any moment because he is so explosive.”

Ben Joyce, a 6’5” freshman from Farragut, came in with the score 3-3 and two runners on in the sixth inning. He pitched four innings of clutch relief, throwing a 105.5-mph fastball. The fastest pitch ever measured in Major League Baseball was 105.8 mph, by Aroldis Chapman of the Reds in 2010. “I ain’t the smartest fella,” says Vitello, “but I ain’t taking that guy out of the game nor are any of the other coaches.”

Looking toward the Major League draft, Beck, Gilbert, and righty pitcher Blade Tidwell, a sophomore from Loretto, Tennessee, are projected as first-rounders. Overall, as many as 20 of the Vols are projected as draft picks in the next three years.

After winning the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, the Volunteers, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, were upset two games to one by Notre Dame in the Super Regionals and did not advance to the College World Series. “They say time heals all wounds,” said Vitello afterward. “I don’t know who ‘they’ are, because sometimes it takes a long time.” Still, the Vols were a dominant force throughout a remarkable season, the first team ever to lead the nation in both home runs (158) and ERA (2.51) and ending with a program-record 57-9 record. “One of the best teams to never win a national championship,” said ESPN analyst Kyle Peterson near the end of the 7-3 loss to Notre Dame.

Finding Their Way Home

An all-Knoxville team creates a couple’s sanctuary on Cherokee Boulevard

Story by Mary Leidig

Thousands of people make their way year-round to the zen-like curve of Cherokee Boulevard to run, walk, bike, picnic, boat or play catch. Stately, old trees line the riverfront boulevard—the main thoroughfare through the Sequoyah Hills Neighborhood in Knoxville.

When developers created Sequoyah Hills on a river peninsula in the 1920s, they carved out this drive nestled in rolling hills. The area is an East Tennessee gem. On any given weekend, touring drivers enjoy lush Sequoyah Hills Park and can catch a glimpse of dogs in mid-air catching frisbees or someone napping on a blanket. And that view of the Tennessee River is unfiltered.

Micah Clark and Russell Betcher agree. And from their new home on the boulevard they see a vista of the beautiful Tennessee River—from their glass-paneled front door to the back of their window-lined home. There’s a lot of light in this house.

It’s taken a bit to get here, though. One year in their new 3,750-square-foot home and Russell recalls, “We built it with the intent that we would never have to leave. We love this neighborhood and love seeing people out walking and biking.”

Their journey began March 2020 by demolishing his 1950s house that sat on the same property; something that took an astonishingly short amount of time—only about an hour. Replacing it with a new two-story house full of light and windows would take a bit longer.

Momentum was high, and the couple, excited and ready for their new house construction to begin, formed a team: Jonathan Miller, who owns Jonathan Miller Architecture and Design; custom home builder Charles “Chuck” Atkins; and Tiffani Ogier, owner at Kardia Interiors. All three of these Knoxville-based professionals would collaborate seamlessly to create something the couple would love.

Then came the global Covid-19 pandemic, lockdowns, and supply chain delays; their vision had to change.

“We could see we were going to be in our home a lot, so we decided to change up some things, including expanding our patio design to include a sink and refrigerator. And Chuck did a fabulous job with that,” Micah says. “This is just a wonderful place to land, and we’re now able to entertain some again.”

Russell grew up in Mississippi, Micah in Rockwood, Tennessee. Having now lived in East Tennessee for 25 years, Russell is an orthopedic surgeon with Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic. Micah has worked at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge since 1998—and as a nurse anesthetist there since 2006.

Micah and Russell knew very little about what they wanted in a new home. “We knew we wanted at least three bedrooms. And our architect Jonathan gave us four,” Micah says. That was just about all Jonathan Miller had to go on when he began designing the home.

“We did not know what we were doing, but we had the dream team,” says Micah, smiling.

After a lot of listening to Micah and Russell, the architect came up with the open concept home they love with multiple sliding glass doors and walls of Windsor windows that fill the rooms with natural light. He knew just how to make the space flow. “Jonathan knocked it out of the park,” she says. Get Into My Clients’ Heads, Find Their Style, Make it a Reality

What does this home look and feel like? What is Micah and Russell’s style? They both evolved.

“I feel there needs to be a connection,” says interior designer Tiffani Ogier, whose company is based in Knoxville but works mostly with clients in Atlanta and Los Angeles. “Design is incredibly personal and subjective. My job is to get into my clients’ heads, find their style and make it a tangible reality. Russ, Micah, and I were the perfect fit.”

Building a home is always daunting, and the couple was a bit overwhelmed with all the choices, Tiffani notes. Together, the builder, architect and designer changed everything. This project was particularly fun “because the entire team was amazing to work with, and this was essential,” she says. “Both Jonathan and Chuck listened to my ideas, I listened to theirs, and it allowed us to create something truly stunning. Chuck is also incredibly creative. I’ve worked on multi-million-dollar constructions with celebrity builders, and I can say without hesitation he is up there with the best of them.”

The design process was longer than the build, Chuck says, but it offered more time to build relationships with each other and the homeowners. “We knew each other really well,” he says. “One of the biggest ways we knew we got things right in the end was that there was almost nothing we really changed. Normally, when you finish you do several things differently, but we were really content. This is a house we’re really pleased with.”

Jonathan’s open concept design with a plethora of windows was the perfect framework for the designer and builder. Since the back of this home would be facing Cherokee Boulevard with the riverfront across the street, he designed the back to look like the front of a home. He also designed the pool at the side of the house, which they love. A “Juliet balcony” between the two upstairs guest bedrooms, lanterns, elevated patio, and an unassuming fence for the back of the home feels natural and welcoming.

“It’s a pretty creative design, and Chuck’s craftsmanship is extraordinary,” says Russell. “They also designed our driveway to be accessible off a side street with the garage hidden—so much more functional.”

After more talking and more listening, Jonathan and Chuck came up with the perfect plan to utilize the spectacular view. The couple was on board, as the architect and builder thoughtfully combined an expansive entertaining space with their natural surroundings.

Chuck remarks: “Collectively, we used our talents to create something together, as one.”Nature is Their Art

Inside, Micah and Russell have a sight line straight through the house to the water. With most of the walls in the home lined with glass and multiple sliding glass doors, this house, with its 10-foot ceilings, feels expansive and is filled with light. “We don’t even need lights until it’s dark,” Micah says. “The whole house is this way.”

The limited wall space invited a creative challenge that Tiffani loved, and as it turns out, nature is their art.

Working with the homeowners, she kept the color palette neutral, accenting with “colors you see in nature,” including blues for summer, greens and muted oranges for fall, then reds and greens, of course, for winter.

On the main wall in the living room are pieces of preserved white-stained wood. “I wanted it to make a statement, but not compete with what was happening outside.”

The result is subtle and traditional. “Timeless classics and landscapes on those few areas of wall space. And after getting to know us, the designer’s choices were perfect,” Micah says.A Perfect Project

With so much latitude given to their team, Micah and Russell began to feel a true personal style. “It was all about creating that main level the way they live,” Chuck says, “so that it didn’t feel big or small, but cohesive when it came together and they felt connected while there.”

This was made further possible due to the designer’s enhancements: monochromatic color palettes, clean lines, warm neutrals, natural materials and lots of light, while accenting with pops of color and texture to add interest.

“Keeping everything neutral means we can change out pillows and pick up any piece of furniture in our house and place it in another room. It feels natural,” Micah says. And she absolutely does just that, often changing one set of pillows for another—making a new array of colors in their living spaces. “As Tiffani likes to say, our home is like a Coco Chanel suit that never goes out of style.”

The timing of the build and some special touches brought some “hiccups” to the process, but the team embraced them.

The first-floor wine room proved to be the perfect project for Tiffani and Chuck. The intimate nook features the couple’s wine collection, and the clubby chairs and special space for gathering is an ode to a cozy bar. Guests enjoy the display of wines while enjoying a glass.

“Some people have an office; we have a wine space,” Micah says. “You come in our house, and we give you wine and cocktails.”

Tiffani and Chuck worked together to have floor-to-ceiling antique smoked glass placed on the wall—something Tiffani wanted to make the space feel more open. “That beautiful wall is what you see in the wine room as you enter their home,” she says.

Swivel buttercup chairs create that perfect wagon wheel configuration for entertaining. “Chuck had his woodworker custom-make the wine rack to fit the back wall perfectly,” Tiffani says.

One challenge continued: building and decorating a home during the pandemic. Supply chains all but halted throughout the nation and around the world. Tiffani praised the many Knoxville businesses that pulled together to supply so many furnishings and accessories. Mango’s Decor & Co., Fig & Company, Clayton’s Wholesale Furniture, O.P. Jenkins Furniture and Bliss Home, all stepped up to help the homeowners, and Tiffani choose exactly what the couple wanted for the living spaces. How We Move. How We Live.

The simplicity of Micah and Russell’s design vision frames the home in landscaping choices as well. A low-maintenance plan that Chuck developed with Four Seasons Grounds Management includes plantings and accents of hydrangeas and Dogwood trees that enhance the travertine tile patio.

Back inside, they chose natural white oak flooring for the home and a natural stone quartzite for their kitchen countertops and two of their bathrooms. For the large island in the kitchen, the team chose another natural stone—marble—matching the additional two bathrooms and the wine bar. Even the pantry nearby the kitchen is marble.

For their front entryway, Chuck surprised the couple with a stunning, large glass door with glass side panels from Crafted Supply Company. They needed this door to complete the home, the builder said. “We didn’t see it until it arrived,” Micah says. And, yes, it was a must-have.

Other unique highlights extend to the first-floor master bedroom where two large wood beams from a Pennsylvania barn are suspended from the vaulted ceiling. Not in the original design, the vaulted ceiling makes for a big, open feel. The couple loves the rustic look and architectural interest the beams add to the space. “More than one small thing like this are reminders of the process,” Chuck says. “Things morphed as a result of having a great relationship with the homeowners.”

It’s now been a year living in this calming and timeless home, and the couple wouldn’t change a thing. “There’s really nothing we would do differently,” says Russell. Their design sense evolved with the home, to get it built first and then feel their way through “how we move and how we live.”

In 2020, Micah and Russell faced challenges to even get their house built. Now settled in their light-filled home, they enjoy watching cyclists, dog-walkers, runners and people canoeing, with a grand riverscape as a background. The summer of 2022 could not look better.

“We’re just lucky, and we’re blessed,” says Russell. “And we’re super, super pleased.” They both got exactly what they wanted. “We don’t ever want to leave.”

Catching the Cure

East Tennessee efforts provide hope and support for those with cystic fibrosis

Story by Anna Kemmer

School mornings for Tucker Jack begin at 5:30 a.m. At 14 years old, he starts off the day with a sinus rinse and a breathing treatment that lasts about 30 minutes. He takes two medications that are metabolized during that time frame. The treatment uses a compressor that vibrates his lungs to make it easier for him to breathe. After his treatments are done, he eats a hearty breakfast along with about 10 pills that help him digest his food and hold on to the nutrients from the meal. By 7 a.m. he’s ready for the day, and hops in the car with twin sister Caroline and older sister Abby in the driver seat.

Tucker was born with cystic fibrosis, a disease that impacts parts of the body such as the digestive tract and the respiratory system. His parents, Rod and Jennifer—both UT grads—found out about his diagnosis before he was born through genetic testing. The genetic disorder can cause blocked airways and trapped germs, and it can prevent proteins from getting where they need to go in the body, among other things.

Yet despite being diagnosed with such a disease, Tucker seems to live the type of active life many teens lead. Three days a week, he plays soccer for his school and then club soccer right after. And when he’s home, he can be found playing basketball. In the last year, he picked up golf and plays on the course behind their home anytime he can. In the summertime, he’s out on the water with his family fishing, water skiing, and wakeboarding.

He doesn’t let his diagnosis stop him or hold him back in any way, Rod says, adding that he is constantly inspired by his son’s tenacity and bravery. “He’s very gracious and appreciative of what people do for him.” The treatments are not easy to keep up with, but Rod describes Tucker as taking everything in stride.

A New Hope

Tucker’s diagnosis with cystic fibrosis quickly led the Jack family to the East Tennessee Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, an organization whose mission is to find the cure for the disease, while at the same time supporting those affected by it.

One of the ways it has done this is through the accreditation of care centers for patients across the country. This was one of the first initiatives of the foundation back in the ‘50s during a time when there was a lack of awareness not just among the public, but within the medical community. There was confusion among physicians on how to diagnose cystic fibrosis, the best way to treat it, and how to care for it. “The Foundation came in and built the standards of care, and then would go and accredit care centers across the country to help take care of those with cystic fibrosis,” says Leigh Ellington, Executive Director of the East Tennessee chapter.

Leigh’s been working with the foundation for the last 11 years, and during that time, she has witnessed many new discoveries in medication and seen their—and the foundation’s—impact on those with the disease.

“The work of the foundation has been really exciting, and the progress made over the last decade is just unprecedented by any organization I can think of or imagine,” she says, “truly adding decades of life for those with cystic fibrosis.”

Representatives from the foundation lobby for better support and care for those impacted, but the work of the foundation is rooted in research. This work led to one of the biggest achievements in cystic fibrosis research back in 2019. A new medication called Trikafta was approved by the FDA for use for those with cystic fibrosis. The medication was the first triple combination therapy created for the most common forms of the disease.

And for Tucker, it was a game changer.

He began to see improvements in his health soon after he began taking the medication. It’s rare for those with cystic fibrosis to be able to take away medications rather than add to the long list that they already take, Rod says, but it happened in the Jack home.

For the first time, Rod was able to cross off not one, but two medications from that long list tacked to the back of the cabinet door in the kitchen. “It’s just huge for a CF family,” Rod says. “It’s quite a bit to keep up with and manage everything and to have to take all these meds, so when you can take those away, that is humongous.”

Rod’s Idea

As Tucker’s journey with cystic fibrosis unfolded, so too did Rod’s involvement with the foundation. The family had been feeling the support from the organization since they connected with it through a friend before Tucker’s birth, but roughly 12 years ago Rod stepped into a higher role and joined the board, serving for a long while as the chairman. Eventually, it was time for Rod to step down from the role and put his efforts into an idea that had been budding for quite some time: Catch the Cure.

An avid fly-fisherman, Rod started out by traveling around and fishing in other tournaments that supported cystic fibrosis research. He ultimately decided that he wanted to start his own.

“I kind of had a good base here, and a good mentor to get me started, Jim Deanda. He’s got a couple of kids with CF, and he runs a clay shooting fundraiser that he’s been doing for over 20 years. And so he encouraged me to get started, probably a little sooner than I would have,” Rod says.

With the guidance of Jim and a desire to make an impact locally, Rod hosted the first Catch the Cure tournament in 2018. Now held annually in June, the event is a packed day of fly-fishing on the Clinch River and ends with a dinner where connections are made and conversations on cystic fibrosis research are shared.

All proceeds raised from the event benefit cystic fibrosis research. They are given to the organization through Advance the Cure, the small foundation Rod created just a few years ago for the sole purpose of running the tournament and donating the funds raised to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, designated for areas of research that impact Tucker.

Rod has raised more than $100,000 in donations for the foundation since the event’s inaugural year.

Foundational Support

The foundation hosts its own fundraisers each year as well, such as Great Strides, an annual spring walk—held this year at The Cove at Concord Park—where all funds raised support the research being done on the disease. The organization also hosts community get-togethers for families with cystic fibrosis throughout the year, knowing how isolating it can be to deal with.

Due to the nature of the disease, individuals with cystic fibrosis should not be together in one space, especially indoors. The foundation helps fight this isolation by hosting outdoor events where those affected can be in the same place, but at a distance.

“When we can get together for events, and caretakers can get together, or CF fighters can be at the same park at the same time at least from 10 feet apart, and see each other, it just helps them feel supported and not alone in a journey that is truly so unique and hard for others to understand who don’t walk it,” Leigh says.

The foundation also funds and accredits about 130 cystic fibrosis care centers across the country, two of which are right here in East Tennessee: the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Care Center at UT Medical and the Pediatric Care Center at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, where Tucker goes. “That kind of makes Knoxville a go-to for a lot of the surrounding area,” Rod says. “We’re lucky just to live here and be able to take advantage of that.”

Through its work and accreditation, Children’s supports roughly 170 children like Tucker from East Tennessee and the surrounding region with services such as diagnostic sweat and genetic testing, as well as disease management and family education. “They’ve done a great job over at Children’s taking care of Tucker,” Rod says, “and it just gets better every year.”

Finding Support

Rod and Jennifer are a team handling Tucker’s treatment; it’s a way of life for the person suffering and the family supporting them. “The treatments, the meds, the doctor’s appointments, you know, everything that’s involved, that’s our life, and our family supports it,” Rod says.

The network of friends, events that the foundation plans, as well as Rod’s fundraiser help them feel supported and create a much-needed sense of community here locally.

The race to find a cure is still ongoing even with the advancements in medicine like Trikafta and the improvements in treatment. There are 1,800—and counting—mutations that can cause this disease, but the strides made, thanks to the research and lobbying of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and impacted families like the Jacks, are significant steps in helping those with cystic fibrosis get better.

Leigh echoes that the goal is always a cure. “Ultimately, we want CF eradicated. We don’t want this to be a concern. Over the next generation, the generation after that, we’d just like to see it gone.”

To learn more about cystic fibrosis and the work being done locally through the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, visitwww.cff.org/chapters/tennessee-chapter.

2022 Top Attorneys

Who are the Top Attorneys in Knoxville and how to choose the right one for you

Story by Cityview

I will never forget a local attorney telling me he thought the courtroom was a scary place, a place where he is unwilling to go. I couldn’t help but think about how weak his position would be in a negotiation. The insurance company’s lawyer would know that any threat of litigation on behalf of the plaintiff was baseless. An attorney who enjoys and is successful in the courtroom is far more difficult to predict. And you can rest assured that a settlement offer that was rejected and then doubled in a jury trial is well known in the legal and insurance communities. So the knowledge that the plaintiff’s counsel will gladly go to court will most likely be a factor in what the defense offers.

A story recounted by a local defense attorney illustrates the importance of choosing your lawyer carefully. This lawyer had reviewed an auto wreck case on behalf of his insurance company client and was prepared to offer policy limits in excess of $500,000 as settlement. The plaintiff’s attorney called and asked, “Can we get a check today if we agree on a number?” The defense counsel asked what they were thinking. “Seventy-five, if we get a check today,” he replied. The defense counsel asked if that meant $75,000. “No, $7,500.” The plaintiff’s attorney didn’t properly understand the value of the case and most likely was unwilling to go to trial. The defense attorney told me he felt disheartened knowing the people were truly injured and deserved proper compensation. Still, he had a duty to represent the best interests of his client, the insurance company, so he agreed.

Suffice it to say, these cases illustrate the need to carefully select an attorney to represent your case effectively and efficiently. You want a counselor that’s both knowledgeable and willing to go to trial to defend you. No matter what kind of legal matter you have, it is imperative that you take the time to get to know who you are hiring, and having worked with many attorneys through my work withCityview, I have gathered a few tips along the way to get your started.

First and foremost, I always recommend using a local attorney. Lucky for us, we have some legal superstars in our community, from leaders of international firms to sole practitioners that are the best in class in a given area. Out-of-town law firms that pour money into television and billboard ads might be the real deal in their hometown but in good old East Tennessee, they most likely employ young inexperienced attorneys who are not willing to take your case to trial. The trend in these out-of-area firms seems to be to play a numbers game, seeking to settle most—if not all—cases out of court.

Local firms are most familiar with our local court system—and with the area in general. They also have a standing reputation in the local court system. Don’t get me wrong, I am not questioning whether an attorney from elsewhere has the right to practice in our area; I’m not even questioning whether an out of state attorney can be recognizedPro hac vice. I simply believe that someone more familiar with the local legal landscape will often yield a better result.

You don’t want a real estate attorney to represent you in a car wreck case any more than you want a podiatrist to perform your brain surgery. A significant amount of the attorney’s practice should be in the area of your case, and they should have a proven track record of success and settlement amounts.

Ask for specific data about their last few years of cases, mainly how many times they have gone to court. The defense counsel knows who will and who won’t be a courtroom threat and more often settle accordingly.

Ask specific questions about your attorney’s practice. What is their hourly billing rate? Will they take the case on a contingent basis? What is their estimate of the value of your case? How will they find out the facts about the person who injured you? What is their financial condition? Do they have insurance?

Just about any attorney can settle for something with an insurance company, but it takes a naturally legal mind to figure out where the money is if it is not apparent. It’s not all about money, but sweet settlement makes the hours in court seem a little more worthwhile.

Lawyers serve a great function in our society, one that reaches far outside of what most will ever experience. However, seeking their counsel early when you are free from intense legal matters is always better than waiting till a lawsuit looms on the horizon.

For over a decade,Cityviewhas polled members of the local legal community, asking that they vote for their peers from the position of true acumen, not just for those they work alongside. This list represents the results of that voting process and our years of experience in reporting the results. In each category, the voting is always very close so we list the names alphabetically.

Each year, at least one attorney in each category is awarded the Golden Gavel symbol, acknowledging in that year that they are being recognized byCityviewas being tops in this area of practice.

It is our privilege to recognize those that in our opinion and the opinion of their own fellow attorneys raise the bar to an entirely new level.

Administrative Law

John T. Batson Jr. Watson, Roach, Batson, & Lauderback

J. William Coley Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Wade V. Davies Ritchie, Dillard, Davies & Johnson P.C.

Samuel C. Doak Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Taylor D. Forrester Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Warren L. Gooch Kramer Rayson

Stephen Ross Johnson Ritchie, Dillard, Davies & Johnson P.C.

Jason H. Long London & Amburn

Mary Elizabeth Maddox Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Benjamin C. Mullins Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Dwight E. Tarwater Paine, Tarwater, & Bickers LLP

Adoption

Allison Easterday Alexander Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Heather G. Anderson Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Benjamin T. Barnett The Barnett Firm

Meghan Bodie Valiant, Harrison, Schwartz & Bodie

Shelley S. Breeding Breeding Olinzock Carter Crippen, PC

S. Dawn Coppock Dawn Coppock

Joseph F. Della-Rodolfa Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Hillary Dewhirst Law Office of Hillary Dewhirst

Carolyn Levy Gilliam McDonald, Levy & Taylor

Kati Sanford Goodner Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Lisa J. Hall Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

K.O. Herston Herston Law Group, PLC

Reggie E. Keaton Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Theodore R. Kern Eshbaugh, Strange-Boston, Metcalf & Kern

Jason H. Long London & Amburn

Katheryn Murray Ogle McDonald, Levy & Taylor

N. David Roberts Jr. Law Office of N. David Roberts

Vanessa Samano Samano Law

Sarah Y. Sheppeard Lewis Thomason, P.C.

J. Cort Sikes Wykoff and Sikes

Antitrust

Lance K. Baker The Baker Law Firm

Stephanie D. Coleman Owings, Wilson & Coleman

Tracy G. Edmundson Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis, PC

John A. Lucas Brock Shipe Klenk

John E. Owings Owings, Wilson & Coleman

Shelly L. Wilson Owings, Wilson & Coleman

Appellate Practice

Tasha C. Blakney Eldridge and Blakney

Robert L. Bowman Kramer Rayson

John C. Burgin Jr. Kramer Rayson

Wade V. Davies Ritchie, Dillard, Davies & Johnson P.C.

Janet S. Hayes Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Dean T. Howell Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Stephen Ross Johnson Ritchie, Dillard, Davis & Johnson P.C.

J. Ford Little Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Avery Lovingfoss Brock Shipe Klenk

Brandon L. Morrow Kramer Rayson

Ann C. Short The Bosch Law Firm

Aviation/Admiralty

Kyle Andrew Baisley Long, Ragsdale & Waters

W. Michael Baisley Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Joshua M. Ball Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Dave Beck LtCol, USMC(RET) The Garza Law Firm

William J. Carver Kramer Rayson

Samuel C. Doak Lewis Thomason, P.C.

David C. Hollow Hollow & Hollow

Farrell A. Levy McDonald, Levy & Taylor

Weldon E. Patterson Butler, Vines & Babb

Kevin N. Perkey Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Lee A. Popkin Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Norman G. Templeton Esq. Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis, PC

Banking Law

Oliver D. Adams Long, Ragsdale & Waters

John G. Brock Brock Shipe Klenk

Thomas H. Dickenson Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Michael W. Ewell Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Dean B. Farmer Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Matthew A. Grossman Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Rebecca Hanniford Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Robert L. Kahn Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

W. Morris Kizer Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

David Wilson Long Long, Ragsdale & Waters

G. Mark Mamantov Bass, Berry & Sims

Greg D. Meadows Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Mary D. Miller Miller Law, Mary D. Miller, PLLC

Robert W. Quillin II Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Dennis B. Ragsdale Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Robert L. Vance Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

J. Michael Winchester Winchester, Sellers, Foster & Steele

Bankruptcy—Creditor

Oliver D. Adams Long, Ragsdale & Waters

W. Tyler Chastain Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Thomas H. Dickenson Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Michael W. Ewell Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Dean B. Farmer Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Maurice K. Guinn Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Robert L. Kahn Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

John M. Kizer Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

W. Morris Kizer Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Gregory C. Logue Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

M. Aaron Spencer Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

M. Aaron Spencer Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Kaitlin F. Tweel Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Bankruptcy—Debtor

Brenda G. Brooks Moore & Brooks

Zachary S. Burroughs Clark & Washington

W. Tyler Chastain Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

R. Deno Cole McGehee, Cole, Guindi & Walling P.C.

Thomas H. Dickenson Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Michael W. Ewell Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Dean B. Farmer Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Gordon D. Foster Winchester, Sellers, Foster & Steele

Maurice K. Guinn Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

William E. Maddox Jr. William E. Maddox Jr. Attorney at Law

Richard M. Mayer Law Officers of Mayer & Newton

Mary D. Miller Miller Law, Mary D. Miller, PLLC

John P. Newton Law Offices of Mayer & Newton

J. Cort Sikes Wykoff and Sikes

Brent S. Snyder Banks & Jones

Thomas Lynn Tarpy Tarpy, Cox, Fleishman & Levielle PLLC

Courtney D. Walker Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Walter N. Winchester Winchester, Sellers, Foster & Steele

Business Litigation

Heather G. Anderson Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

George R. Arrants Jr. Kramer Rayson

W. Michael Baisley Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Luis C. Bustamante Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

W. Kyle Carpenter Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

W. Tyler Chastain Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Lawrence F. Giordano Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Matthew A. Grossman Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Thomas M. Hale Kramer Rayson

J. Chawdick Hatmaker Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Michael J. King Paine, Tarwater, & Bickers LLP

W. Morris Kizer Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Gregory C. Logue Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Avery Lovingfoss Brock Shipe Klenk

Robert P. Noell Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Robert W. Quillin II Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

C. Gavin Shepherd Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Eddy R. Smith Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Jack M. Tallent Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

John E. Winters Kramer Rayson

Business/Commercial Law

J. Nicholas Arning Jr. Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

W. Michael Baisley Long, Ragsdale, & Waters

W. Tyler Chastain Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Michael W. Ewell Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

W. Morris Kizer Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Gregory C. Logue Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Richard S. Matlock Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Dennis R. McClane Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Timothy M. McLemore Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Kevin N. Perkey Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

James S. Tipton Jr. Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Civil Litigation

Heather G. Anderson Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Beecher A. Bartlett Jr. Kramer Rayson

Robert L. Bowman Kramer Rayson

Hugh B. Bright Jr. Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Luis C. Bustamante Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

W. Kyle Carpenter Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

William J. Carver Kramer Rayson

Luke Durham Brock Shipe Klenk

Cuyler Haskins Brock Shipe Klenk

J. Ford Little Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Avery Lovingfoss Brock Shipe Klenk

Chris W. McCarty Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Brandon L. Morrow Kramer Rayson

Class Action—Defense

Heidi A. Barcus London & Amburn

Thomas A. Bickers Paine, Tarwater & Bickers LLP

Robert L. Bowman Kramer Rayson

W. Kyle Carpenter Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

John W. Elder Paine, Tarwater & Bickers LLP

Lawrence F. Giordano Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Janet S. Hayes Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Al Holifield Holifield & Associates

J. Ford Little Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

John E. Owings Owings, Wilson & Coleman

James F. Parker Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Lars E. Schuller Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Dwight E. Tarwater Paine, Tarwater, & Bickers LLP

Class Action—Plaintiff

Lance K. Baker The Baker Law Firm

W. Gordon Ball Gordon Ball, PLLC

Robert L. Bowman Kramer Rayson

Christopher T. Cain Lacy, Price & Wagner, PC

Gregory F. Coleman Milberg, Coleman

Bruce D. Fox Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

John A. Lucas Brock Shipe Klenk

Robert E. Pryor Sr. Pryor, priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Thomas S. Scott Jr. Tom Scott Atty

Keith D. Stewart Keith D. Stewart Attorney at Law

Collections/Foreclosures

Oliver D. Adams Long, Ragsdale & Waters

E. Richards Brabham III Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Thomas H. Dickenson Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

James N. Gore Jr. Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Dean T. Howell Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Tyler C. Huskey Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

John M. Kizer Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

William E. Maddox Jr. William E. Maddox Jr. Attorney at Law

Robert W. Quillin II Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

M. Aaron Spencer Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Rober L. Vance Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Garrett P. Swartwood Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Constitutional Law/Civil Rights

Lance K. Baker The Baker Law Firm

Heidi A. Barcus London & Amburn

Tasha C. Blakney Eldridge and Blakney

Robert L. Bowman Kramer Rayson

Luke Durham Brock Shipe Klenk

John E. Eldridge Eldridge and Blakney

J. Chadwick Hatmaker Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Stephen Ross Johnson Ritchie, Dillard, Davies & Johnson P.C.

Michael S. Kelley Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Chris W. McCarty Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Herbert S. Moncier Law Office of Herbert S. Moncier

Nathaniel D. Moore Kramer Rayson

Brandon L. Morrow Kramer Rayson

Wayne A. Ritchie Ritchie, Dillard, Davies & Johnson P.C.

Mary Ann Stackhouse Lewis Thomason, P.C.

James E. Wagner Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

John T. Winemiller Merchant & Gould P.C.

Construction Law

Heather G. Anderson Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Reece Brassler Kenenrly, Montgomery & Finley

David J. Cantrell Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Samuel C. Doak Lewis Thomason, P.C.

David A. Draper Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Luke Durham Brock Shipe Klenk

Danny P. Dyer Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Robert H. Green Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Reggie E. Keaton Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

W. Morris Kizer Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

J. Ford Little Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Robert P. Noell Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

James F. Parker Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Garrett P. Swartwood Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Jack M. Tallent Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

W. Paul Whitt Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Consumer Protection—Defense

Adrienne L. Anderson Anderson Busby PLLC

John W. Elder Paine, Tarwater, & Bickers LLP

Rodney A. Fields Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Reggie E. Keaton Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Robert Knolton Fisher Russell Law Firm

John M. Lawhorn Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

William E. Maddox Jr. William E. Maddox Jr. Attorney at Law

Cheryl G. Rice Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis, PC

T. Kenan Smith Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Robert L. Vance Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Consumer Protection—Plaintiff

Adrienne L. Anderson Anderson Busby PLLC

Lance K. Baker The Baker Law Firm

Dave Beck LtCol, USMC(RET) Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Christopher T. Cain Lacy, Price & Wagner, PC

Gregory F. Coleman Milberg, Coleman

Marcos M. Garza Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Sidney W. Gilreath Gilreath & Associates

William E. Maddox Jr. William E. Maddox Jr. Attorney at Law

Cheryl G. Rice Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis, PC

Wayne A. Ritchie Ritchie, Dillard, Davies & Johnson P.C.

T. Kenan Smith Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Robert L. Vance Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Contract Law

Oliver D. Adams Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Terry G. Adams Jr. The Adams Law Firm

J. Nicholas Arning Jr. Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Robyn Jarvis Askew Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Christopher T. Cain Lacy, Price & Wagner, PC

Lawrence F. Giordano Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Robert L. Kahn Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

W. Morris Kizer Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Richard S. Matlock Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Dennis R. McClane Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Kevin N. Perkey Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

James S. Tipton Jr. Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Shelly L. Wilson Owings, Wilson & Coleman

Corporate Law

J. Nicholas Arning Jr. Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

W. Michael Baisley Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Michael W. Ewell Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Matthew A. Grossman Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Thomas M. Hale Kramer Rayson

Soojin Kim Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis, PC

Teresa Klenk Brock Shipe Klenk

Wayne R. Kramer Kramer Rayson

Richard S. Matlock Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Dennis R. McClane Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Kevin N. Perkey Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

O.E. Schow IV Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Ashley N. Trotto Kennerly, Montgomery, & Finley

Criminal Defense

Tasha C. Blakney Eldridge and Blakney

Donald A. Bosch The Bosch Law Firm

Wade V. Davies Ritchie, Dillard, Davies & Johnson P.C.

David M. Eldridge Eldridge and Blakney

Marcos M. Garza Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Gregory P. Isaacs The Isaacs Law Firm

Stephen Ross Johnson Ritchie, Dillard, Davies & Johnson P.C.

T. Scott Jones Banks & Jones

Nicholas W. Lee Lee Criminal Defense

Daniel Morrell Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Steven Oberman Oberman & Rice

Ann C. Short The Bosch Law Firm

Criminal Prosecution

Charme P. Allen Knox County District Attorney General

Kevin J. Allen Knox County District Attorney General

Mitch Eisenberg Knox County District Attorney General

TaKisha M. Fitzgerald Knox County District Attorney General

Heather Good Knox County District Attorney General

Kenneth F. Irvine Jr. Knox County District Attorney General

Samyah G. Jubran Knox County District Attorney General

Willie R. Lane Knox County District Attorney General

Deborah H. Malone Knox County District Attorney General’s Office

Sean F. McDermott Knox County District Attorney General’s Office

Nate Ogle Knox County District Attorney General’s Office

Hector Sanchez Knox County District Attorney General’s Office

Joanie Stallard Stewart Knox County District Attorney General’s Office

Kevin L. Teeters Knox County District Attorney General’s Office

Cybersecurity Law

Ian P. Hennessey London & Amburn

Daniel T. Swanson London & Amburn

Erin B. Williams London & Amburn

John T. Winemiller Merchant & Gould P.C.

James C. Wright Butler, Vines & Babb

DUI Defense

Lance K. Baker The Baker Law Firm

Timothy L. Baldridge Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Tasha C. Blakney Eldridge and Blakney

Donald A. Bosch The Bosch Law Firm

M. Christopher Coffey Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Sara E. Compher-Rice Oberman & Rice

Joseph F. Della-Rodolfa Garza Law Firm, PLLC

David M. Eldridge Eldridge and Blakney

Dominic A. Garduno Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Marcos M. Garza Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Mandy M. Hancock Mandy Hancock Law

Gregory P. Isaacs The Isaacs Law Firm

T. Scott Jones Banks & Jones

Robert R. Kurtz Stanley, Kurtz and Collins, PLLC

Daniel Morrell Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Steven Oberman Oberman & Rice

Dan Woodard Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Elder Law

Philip J. Bryce Philip J. Bryce

Felicia F.Coalson Owings, Wilson & Coleman

Amelia G. Crotwell Elder Law of East Tennessee

Michael R. Crowder Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Donald J. Farinato Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Kelly G. Frere Guyton & Frere

Matthew B. Frere Guyton & Frere

Carolyn levy Gilliam McDonald, Levy & Taylor

Gerald L. Gulley Jr. Gulley Oldham

Lisa J. Hall Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Bruce T. Hill Bruce T. Hill

Glen A. Kyle Franklin & Kyle Elder Law, LLC

Marshall H. Peterson Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Alex M. Taylor Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Employee Benefits/ERISA—Defense

Kathy D. Aslinger Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

John C. Burgin Jr. Kramer Rayson

Janet S. Hayes Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Al Holifield Holifield & Associates

Reggie E. Keaton Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

John M. Lawhorn Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Devin P. lyon Arnett, Draper & Hagood

William E. Mason Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

John E. Owings Owings, Wilson & Coleman

Ashley N. Trotto Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Employee Benefits/ERISA—Plaintiff

Gregory F. Coleman Milberg, Coleman

John P. Dreiser Law Offices of Tony Farmer and John Dreiser

John B. Dupree John B. Dupree, Attorney at Law

Reggie E. Keaton Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

John M. Lawhorn Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

James K. Scott Jim Scott Law

Entertainment & Sports

Terry G. Adams Jr. The Adams Law Firm

Donald A. Bosch The Bosch Law Firm

Peter L. Brewer Thrive IP

William J. Carver Kramer Rayson

Steven E. Kramer Kramer Rayson

Lee A. Popkin Long, Ragsdale & Waters

John T. Winemiller Merchant & Gould, P.C.

Environmental Law

Catherine W. Anglin Paine, Tarwater, & Bickers LLP

Tasha C. Blakney Eldridge and Blakney

W. Kyle Carpenter Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

J. William Coley Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

David A. Draper Lewis Thomason, P.C.

David M. Eldridge Eldridge and Blakney

Dean T. Howell Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Ashley Meredith Strittmatter Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC

Dwight E. Tarwater Paine, Tarwater, & Bickers LLP

Alexander O. Waters Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Estate Planning/Trusts

Terry G. Adams Jr. The Adams Law Firm

Andrew C. Anderson Lewis Thomason, P.C.

W. Tyler Chastain Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Dale C. Allen Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Philip J. Bryce Philip J. Bryce

Felicia F. Coalson Owings, Wilson & Coleman

Michael R. Crowder Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Kevin A. Dean Frantz, Montgomery & Finley

Donald J. Farinato Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Charles M. Finn Kramer Rayson

Mack A. Gentry Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Carolyn Levy Gilliam McDonald, Levy & Taylor

H. Stephen Gillman Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Dan W. Holbrook Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis, PC

Jackson G. Kramer Kramer Rayson

Wayne R. Kramer Kramer Rayson

Richard S. Matlock Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Anne M. McKinney Anne M. McKinney, P.C.

Marshall H. Peterson Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Thomas R. Ramsey Ramsey and Hill, PC

Joel D. Roettger Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

O.E. Schow IV Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Eddy R. Smith Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Alex M. Taylor Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

James S. Tipton Jr. Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Family Law/Divorce/Child Support

Allison Easterday Alexander Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Benjamin T. Barnett The Barnett Firm

Haleigh E. Chastain Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Joseph F. Della-Rodolfa Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Lisa J. Hall Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Mandy M. Hancock Mandy Hancock Law

John K. Harber Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Melody S. Luhn Norton & Luhn

Laura E. Metcalf Laura Metcalf Attorney at Law

William A. Mynatt Jr. Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Katheryn Murray Ogle McDonald, Levy & Taylor

Adam M. Priest Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Vanessa Samano Samano Law

Sarah Y. Sheppeard Lewis Thomason, P.C.

C. Scott Taylor Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Elizabeth M. Towe Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

David L. Valone Valone Law

Wayne D. Wykoff Wykoff and Sikes

Federal Court Practice

Heidi A. Barcus London & Amburn

Beecher A. Bartlett Jr. Kramer Rayson

Betsy J. Beck Kramer Rayson

Tasha C. Blakney Eldridge and Blakney

Robert L. Bowman Kramer Rayson

W. Kyle Carpenter Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Loretta G. Cravens Cravens Legal

Wade V. Davies Ritchie, Dillard, Davies & Johnson P.C.

David M. Eldridge Eldridge and Blakney

Bryce E. Fitzgerald Kramer Rayson

Marcos M. Garza Garza LawFirm, PLLC

Dean T. Howell Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Donald D. Howell Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Gregory P. Isaacs The Isaacs Law Firm

Reggie E. Keaton Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Michael J. King Paine, Tarwater & Bickers LLP

John M. Lawhorn Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Avery Lovingfoss Brock Shipe Klenk

William E. Maddox Jr. William E. Maddox Jr. Attorney at Law

Brandon L. Morrow Kramer Rayson

Jennifer B. Morton Jennifer Morton Law, PLLC

Benjamin C. Mullins Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Health Care Law

W. Dale Amburn London & Amburn

J. Nicholas Arning Jr. Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Heidi A. Barcus London & Amburn

Joshua J. Bond Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Mark A. Castleberry Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Stephanie D. Coleman Owings, Wilson & Coleman

Shannon Coleman Egle Kramer Rayson

Patti T. Cotten London & Amburn

David M. Eldridge Eldridge and Blakney

Bryce E. Fitzgerald Kramer Rayson

Marcos M. Garza Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Ian P. Hennessey London & Amburn

Rachel Park Hurt Arnett, Draper & Hagood

Hillary B. Jones London & Amburn

B. Chase Kibley Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Wayne A. Kline Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Jason P. Lambert Londom & Amburn

James H. London London & Amburn

Jason H. Long London & Amburn

Dennis R. McClane Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Rick L. Powers Arnett, Draper & Hagood

Robert E. Pryor Sr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Ashley N. Trotto Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Edward “Ted” G. White II Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Immigration and Naturalization

Melissa B. Carrasco Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis, PC

Michael C. Beehan Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Jeremy S. Jennings Jennings Immigration Law Office

Timothy Patrick Coode Esq. Tim Coode Law

Anita Patel Law Offices of Anita Patel

Camille H. Sanders Kramer Rayson

Charles M. Torres Torres Law Firm PLLC

Kate E. Tucker Kramer Rayson

Income Tax/IRS Resolutions

Dale C. Allen Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Andrew C. Anderson Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Philip J. Bryce Philip J. Bryce

J. Eric Butler Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Shannon Coleman Egle Kramer Rayson

Devin S. DeVore McKellar & Easter, Attorneys at Law

David M. Eldridge Eldridge and Blakney

Donald J. Farinato Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Mack A. Gentry Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Kati Sanford Goodner Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Teresa Klenk Brock Shipe Klenk

Lyndsey Lee Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Richard S. Matlock Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Kevin N. Perkey Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Marshall H. Peterson Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Jonathan D. Reed Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis, PC

O.E. Schow IV Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Leslie L. Shields Kramer Rayson

Eddy R. Smith Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Alex M. Taylor Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Insurance Law

Joshua M. Ball Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Beecher A. Bartlett Jr. Kramer Rayson

Luis C. Bustamante Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Jon M. Cope Stokes, Williams, Sharp, Cope & Mann

Robert A. Crawford Kramer Rayson

James N. Gore Jr. Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Dean T. Howell Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Donald D. Howell Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

John T. (Tom) Johnson Kramer Rayson

Jason E. Legg Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Benjamin C. Mullins Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Beverly D. Nelms Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

C. Gavin Shepherd Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Robert L. Vance Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Intellectual Property/ Trademarks

Michael J. Bradford Luedeka Neely Group, P.C.

R. Bradford Brittian Merchant & Gould P.C.

Mark P. Crockett Luedeka Neely Group, P.C.

Tracy G. Edmundson Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis, PC

Paul A. Forsyth Pitts & Lake, P.C.

Robert O. Fox Luedeka Neely Group, P.C.

Matthew M. Googe Robinson IP Law, PLLC

Thomas L. Jones Pitts & Lake, P.C.

Andrew C. Lake Pitts & Lake, P.C.

David E. LaRose Luedeka Neely Group, P.C.

Christopher J. Leonard Merchant & Gould P.C.

Ian McFarland Merchant & Gould P.C.

Andrew S. Neely Luedeka Neely Group, P.C.

Wade R. Orr Luedeka Neely Group, P.C.

Bob Pitts Pitts & Lake, P.C.

Roby Robinson Robinson IP Law, PLLC

Raymond E. Stephens Pitts & Lake, P.C.

John T. Winemiller Merchant & Gould P.C.

Juvenile Defense

Chloe A. Akers The Bosch Law Firm

Allison Easterday Alexander Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Benjamin T. Barnett The Barnett Firm

Tasha C. Blakney Eldridge and Blakney

Donald A. Bosch The Bosch Law Firm

Loretta G. Cravens Cravens Legal

Joseph F. Della-Rodolfa Garza Law Firm, PLLC

David M. Eldridge Eldridge and Blakney

Ruth T. Ellis Ellis Law Firm PLLC

Marcos M. Garza Garza Law Firm PLLC

Mandy M. Hancock Mandy Hancock Law

Gregory P. Isaacs The Isaacs Law Firm

T. Scott Jones Banks & Jones

Laura E. Metcalf Laura Metcalf Attorney at Law

Daniel Morrell Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Vanessa Samano Samano Law

J. Cort Sikes Wykoff and Sikes

Douglas J. Toppenberg Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Labor & Employment Law—Employee

Heather G. Anderson Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Beecher A. Bartlett Jr. Kramer Rayson

Tasha C. Blakney Eldridge and Blakney

Robert L. Bowman Kramer Rayson

David A. Burkhalter II Burkhalter Law

W. Tyler Chastain Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Garry W. Ferraris Law Office of Garry Ferraris

J. Chawdwick Hatmaker Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

John M. Lawhorn Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Mary Elizabeth Maddox Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Brandon L. Morrow Kramer Rayson

Robbie E. Pryor Jr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Labor & Employment Law—Employer

Heather G. Anderson Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Kathy D. Aslinger Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Betsy J. Beck Kramer Rayson

Robert L. Bowman Kramer Rayson

J. Keith Coates Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

James N. Gore Jr. Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

J. Chadwick Hatmaker Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

John M. Lawhorn Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Mary Elizabeth Maddox Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

William E. Mason Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Chris W. McCarty Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Brandon L. Morrow Kramer Rayson

Edward G. Phillips Kramer Rayson

Ashley N. Trotto Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Mediation/Arbitration

Allison Easterday Alexander Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Benjamin T. Barnett The Barnett Firm

Luis C. Bustamante Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

W. Kyle Carpenter Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Darl R. Fansler Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

John K. Harber Pryor, Priest, Harber Floyd & Coffey

Paul D. Hogan Jr. Hogan & Hogan

Dana C. Holloway Holloway Law & Mediation Center PLLC

Reggie E. Keaton Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

W. Morris Kizer Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Laura E. Metcalf Laura Metcalf Attorney at Law

William A. Mynatt Jr. Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Sarah Y. Sheppeard Lewis Thomason, P.C.

J. Cort Sikes Wykoff and Sikes

C. Scott Taylor Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

William D. Vines III Butler, Vines & Babb

Howard H. Vogel O’Neil, Parker & Williamson

Gary R. Wade London & Amburn

Medical Malpractice—Defense

Heidi A. Barcus London & Amburn

Joshua J. Bond Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Mark A. Castleberry Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Rachel Park Hurt Arnett, Draper & Hagood

Hillary B. Jones Lodnon & Amburn

B. Chase Kibler Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Wayne A. Kline Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

James H. London London & Amburn

Jason H. Long London & Amburn

Mary Elizabeth Maddox Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

T. Mitchell Panter Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Rick L. Powers Arnett, Draper & Hagood

Robert L. Vance Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Edward “Ted” G. White II Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Bart C. Williams Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Medical Malpractice—Plaintiff

Luis C. Bustamante Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Christopher T. Cain Lacy, Price & Wagner, PC

M. Christopher Coffey Pryor, priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Gregory F. Coleman Milberg, Coleman

Mark E. Floyd Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Ronald C. Koksal Butler, Vines & Babb

Weldon E. Patterson Butler, Vines & Babb

Timothy A. Priest Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Robbie E. Pryor Jr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Robert E. Pryor Sr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Thomas S. Scott Jr. Tom Scott Atty

William D. Vines III Butler, Vines & Babb

Nursing Home Liability—Defense

Heidi A. Barcus London & Amburn

Joshua J. Bond Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Mark A. Castleberry Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Stephanie D. Coleman Owings, Wilson & Coleman

Rachel Park Hurt Arnett, Draper & Hagood

Wayne A. Kline Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

James H. London London & Amburn

Jason H. Long London & Amburn

Devin P. Lyon Arnett, Draper & Hagood

Mary Elizabeth Maddox Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

T. Mitchell Panter Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Rick L. Powers Arnett, Draper & Hagood

Jennifer Pearson Taylor London & Amburn

Nursing Home Liability—Plaintiff

Timothy L. Baldridge Garza Law Firm, PLLC

E. Michael Brezina III Brezina Law, PLLC

M. Christopher Coffey Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Mark E. Floyd Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Bruce D. Fox Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Marcos M. Garza Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Katheryn Murray Ogle McDonald, Levy & Taylor

Weldon E. Patterson Butler, Vines & Babb

Adam M. Priest Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Robbie E. Pryor Jr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Robert E. Pryor Sr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Wayne A. Ritchie Ritchie, Dillard, Davies & Johnson P.C.

James K. Scott Jim Scott Law

William D. Vines III Butler, Vines & Babb

Patent Law

Richard W. Barnes Jr. Luedeka Neely Group, P.C.

Michael J. Bradford Luedeka Neely Group, P.C.

Mark P. Crockett Luedeka Neely Group, P.C.

Tracy G. Edmundson Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis, PC

Paul A. Forsyth Pitts & Lake, P.C.

Robert O. Fox Luedeka Neely Group, P.C.

Thomas L. Jones Pitts & Lake, P.C.

Andrew C. Lake Pitts & Lake, P.C.

David E. LaRose Luedeka Neely Group, P.C.

Ian McFarland Merchant & Gould P.C.

Andrew S. Neely Luedeka Neely Group, P.C.

Wade R. Orr Luedeka Neely Group, P.C.

Bob Pitts Pitts & Lake, P.C.

Raymond E. Stephens Pitts & Lake, P.C.

John T. Winemiller Merchant & Gould P.C.

Personal Injury—Auto Accident—Defense

Joshua M. Ball Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

William J. Carver Kramer Rayson

Jon M. Cope Stokes, Williams, Sharp, Cope & Mann

Robert A. Crawford Kramer Rayson

Donald D. Howell Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

John T. (Tom) Johnson Kramer Rayson

Benjamin W. Jones Lewis Thomason, P.C.

John M. Lawhorn Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Mary Elizabeth Maddox Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Benjamin C. Mullins Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Beverly D. Nelms Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Dallas T. Reynolds III Dunn, MacDonald & Reynolds

Mikel A. Towe Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Glenn R. Walter Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Personal Injury—Auto Accidents—Plaintiff

Lance K. Baker The Baker Law Firm

Timothy L. Baldridge Garza Law Firm

Beecher A. Bartlett Jr. Kramer Rayson

Christopher W. Beavers Banks & Jones

Michael C. Beehan Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Bradley C. Burnette Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Luis C. Bustamante Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

M. Christopher Coffey Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Gregory F. Coleman Milberg, Coleman

Luke Durham Brock Shipe Klenk

Bruce D. Fox Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Marcos M. Garza Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Jeff Glaspie Garza Law Firm, PLLC

T. Scott Jones Banks & Jones

Farrell A. Levy McDonald, Levy & Taylor

Adam M. Priest Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Timothy A. Priest Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Robbie E. Pryor Jr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Robert E. Pryor Sr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Personal Injury—General—Plaintiff

Beecher A. Bartlett Jr. Kramer Rayson

Tasha C. Blakney Eldridge and Blakney

Joshua J. Bond Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Bradley C. Burnette Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Luis C. Bustamante Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

M. Christopher Coffey Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Gregory F. Coleman Milberg, Coleman

Luke Durham Brock Shipe Klenk

Bruce D. Fox Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Marcos M. Garza Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Jeff Glaspie Garza Law Firm, PLLC

T. Scott Jones Banks & Jones

Jason E. Legg Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Farrell A. Levy McDonald, levy & Taylor

Timothy A. Priest Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Robbie E. Pryor Jr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Robert E. Pryor Sr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

John A. Willis Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Personal Injury—Motorcycle Accident—Defense

Joshua M. Ball Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

David A. Chapman Lewis Thomason, P.C.

James C. Cone Trammell, Adkins & Ward

Robert A. Crawford Kramer Rayson

Samuel C. Doak Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Donald D. Howell Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Benjamin W. Jones Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Lynn C. Peterson Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Mikel A. Towe Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Mabern E. Wall Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Glenn R. Walter Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Personal Injury—Motorcycle Accident—Plaintiff

Timothy L. Baldridge Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Christopher W. Beavers Banks & Jones

Bradley C. Burnette Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Christopher T. Cain Lacy, Price & Wagner, PC

Gregory F. Coleman Milberg, Coleman

Bruce D. Fox Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Marcos M. Garza Garza Law Firm, PLLC

H. Stephen Gillman Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

T. Scott Jones Banks & Jones

Philip J. La Nasa Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Jason E. Legg Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Farrell A. Levy McDonald, Levy & Taylor

Adam M. Priest Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

John A. Willis Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Privacy Law

Karin Anderson London & Amburn

Debra L. Fulton Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Diana L. Gustin London & Amburn

Ian P. Hennessey London & Amburn

Rockforde D. King Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis, PC

Daniel T. Swanson London & Amburn

John T. Winemiller Merchant & Gould P.C.

Product Liability—Defense

Hugh B. Bright Jr. Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

R. Kim Burnette Arnett, Draper & Hagood

W. Kyle Carpenter Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Jon M. Cope Stokes, Williams, Sharp, Cope & Mann

Dean T. Howell Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

John T. (Tom) Johnson Kramer Rayson

Reggie E. Keaton Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Michael J. King Paine, Tarwater, & Bickers LLP

John M. Lawhorn Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

J. Ford Little Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

C. Gavin Shepherd Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Dwight E. Tarwater Paine, Tarwater, & Bickers LLP

Mikel A. Towe Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Robert L. Vance Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Product Liability—Plaintiff

Luis C. Bustamante Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Bryan L. Capps Law Office of Stephen A. Burroughs

M. Christopher Coffey Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Gregory F. Coleman Milberg, Coleman

Mark E. Floyd Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Bruce D. Fox Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Marcos M. Garza Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Albert J. Harb Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

T. Scott Jones Banks & Jones

Farrell A. Levy McDonald, Levy & Taylor

Adam M. Priest Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Timothy A. Priest Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Robbie E. Pryor Jr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Robbie E. Pryor Sr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

John A. Willis Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Professional Malpractice—Defense

Heidi A. Barcus London & Amburn

Robert L. Bowman Kramer Rayson

Gregory Brown Lowe, Yeager & Brown

Jon M. Cope Stokes, Williams, Sharp, Cope & Mann

Samuel C. Doak Lewis Thomason, P.C.

David A. Draper Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Wayne A. Kline Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

James H. London London & Amburn

Jason H. Long London & Amburn

Dwight E. Tarwater Paine, Tarwater, & Bickers LLP

Glenn R. Walter Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Edward “Ted” G. White II Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Broderick L. Young Arnett, Draper & Hagood

Professional Malpractice—Plaintiff

Joshua J. Bond Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Christopher T. Cain Lacy, Price & wagner, PC

M. Christopher Coffey Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Mark E. Floyd Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

John K. Harber Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

J. Tucker Montgomery Montgomery Law Firm

Weldon E. Patterson Butler, Vines & Babb

Timothy A. Priest Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Robert E. Pryor Sr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Thomas S. Scott Jr. Tom Scott Atty

Larry C. Vaughan Vaughan & Zuker

Edward “Ted” G. White II Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Real Estate Finance & Development

Robyn Jarvis Askew Lewis Thomason, P.C.

E. Richards Brabham III Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Matthew A. Grossman Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Rebecca Hanniford Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Richard S. Matlock Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Dennis R. McClane Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Greg D. Meadows Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Daniel J. Moore Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Jason T. Murphy Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Jonathan H. Peyton Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Robert W. Quillin II Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Dennis B. Ragsdale Long, Ragsdale & Waters

O.E. Schow IV Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Ashley N. Trotto Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Securities—Defense

Kyle Andrew Baisley Long, Ragsdale & Waters

W. Michael Baisley Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Lawrence P. Leibowitz Leibowitz Law Firm, PLLC

David Wilson Long Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Lee A. Popkin Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Garrett P. Swartwood Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Securities—Plaintiff

Kyle Andrew Baisley Long, Ragsdale & Waters

W. Michael Baisley Long, Ragsdale & Waters

John A. Lucas Brock Shipe Klenk

Marcos M. Garza Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Jack H. McCall Jr. Tennessee Valley Authority

Lee A. Popkin Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Garrett P. Swartwood Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Social Security Disability Law

Edwin A. Anderson Kenneth Miller & Associates

Devin S. DeVore McKellar & Easter, Attorneys at Law

John P. Dreiser Law Offices of Tony Farmer and John Dreiser

Daniel L. Ellis Law Firm of Daniel L. Ellis

Carolyn Levy Gilliam McDonald, Levy & Taylor

Haley M Henry The Garza Law Firm

Jason E. Legg Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Mary Elizabeth Maddox Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Kenneth A. Miller Kenneth Miller & Associates

J. Cort Sikes Wykoff and Sikes

John A. Willis Fox Willis Burnette PLLC

Wayne D. Wykoff Wykoff and Sikes

Taxation

Dale C. Allen Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Philip J. Bryce Philip J. Bryce

Michael R. Crowder Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Zack R. Gardner Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Mack A. Gentry Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

William E. Mason Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Richard S. Matlock Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Kevin N. Perkey Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Marshall H. Peterson Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Lee A. Popkin Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Joel D. Roettger Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

O.E. Schow IV Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Eddy R. Smith Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Alex M. Taylor Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Wills/Probate

Dale C. Allen Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Andrea C. Anderson Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Philip J. Bryce Philip J. Bryce

Michael R. Crowder Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Kevin A. Dean Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

William D. Edwards Long, Ragsdale & Waters

Donald J. Farinato Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Carolyn Levy Gilliam McDonald, Levy & Taylor

H. Stephen Gillman Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Fiona F. Hill Ramsesy and Hill, PC

Jackson G. Kramer Kramer Rayson

Wayne R. Kramer Kramer Rayson

Richard S. Matlock Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Anne M. McKinney Anne M. McKinney, P.C.

Katheryn Murray Ogle McDonald, Levy & Taylor

Kevin N. Perkey Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Marshall H. Peterson Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Thomas R. Ramsey Ramsey and Hill, PC

Joel D. Roettger Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

O.E. Schow IV Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Richard T. Scrugham Jr. Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Darsi N. Sirknen Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Eddy R. Smith Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

Alex M. Taylor Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

James S. Tipton Jr. Gentry, Tipton & McLemore

Worker’s Compensation—Defense

Edward U. Babb Butler, Vines & Babb

Leslie F. Bishop Lewis Thomason, P.C.

C. Christopher Brown Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan

R. Kim Burnette Arnett, Draper & Hagood

Karen G. Crutchfield Bernstein, Stair & McAdams

Debra L. Fulton Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

James N. Gore Jr. Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley

G. Gerard Jabaley Wimberly Lawson Wright Daves & Jones, PLLC

Rockforde D. King Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis, PC

Mary Elizabeth Maddox Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Beverly D. Nelms Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Lynn C. Peterson Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Tyler D. Smith Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Robert L. Vance Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

James E. Wagner Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Broderick L. Young Arnett, Draper & Hagood

Workers’ Compensation—Plaintiff

Timothy L. Baldridge Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Christopher W. Beavers Banks & Jones

Bradley C. Burnette Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

John P. Dreiser Law Offices of Tony Farmer and John Dreiser

John B. Dupree John B. Dupree, Attorney at Law

J. Anthony Farmer Law OFfices of Tony Farmer and John Dreiser

Garry W. Ferraris Law Office of Garry Ferraris

Bruce D. Fox Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Jeff Glaspie Garza Law Firm, PLLC

T. Scott Jones Banks & Jones

Farrell A. Levy McDonald, Levy & Taylor

John A. Willis Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Wrongful Death—Defense

Joshua M. Ball Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Heidi A. Barcus London & Amburn

Beecher A. Bartlett Jr. Kramer Rayson

Hugh B. Bright Jr. Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

W. Kyle Carpenter Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

David A. Chapman Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Jon M. Cope Stokes, Williams, Sharp, Cope & Mann

Dean T. Howell Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

Donald D. Howell Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Rachel Park Hurt Arnett, Draper & Hagood

John T. (Tom) Johnson Kramer Rayson

Benjamin W. Jones Lewis Thomason, P.C.

Wayne A. Kline Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

John M. Lawhorn Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Mary Elizabeth Maddox Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Benjamin C. Mullins Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Beverly D. Nelms Frantz, McConnell & Seymour

Rick L. Powers Arnett, Draper & Hagood

T. Kenan Smith Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Dwight E. Tarwater Paine, Tarwater, & Bickers LLP

Edward “Ted” G. White II Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

Wrongful Death—Plaintiff

Beecher A. Bartlett, Jr. Kramer Rayson

Christopher W. Beavers Banks & Jones

Luis C. Bustamante Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter

M. Christopher Coffey Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Gregory F. Coleman Milberg, Coleman

Luke Durham Brock Shipe Klenk

Mark E. Floyd Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Bruce D. Fox Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC

Marcos M. Garza Garza Law Firm, PLLC

T. Scott Jones Banks & Jones

Farrell A. Levy McDonald, Levy & Taylor

Timothy A. Priest Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Robert E. Pryor Sr. Pryor, Priest, Harber, Floyd & Coffey

Thomas S. Scott Jr. Tom Scott Stty

T. Kenan Smith Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC

William D. Vines III Butler, Vines & Babb

Searching for Serenity

Sometimes all a person needs is a fly rod and the ocean to restore the soul

Story by Zach Weinzetl

All too often, with good intentions, each of us fall into routine and mindless compliance with daily life. We get into a rut, and it seems the only difference between the rut and the grave is the dirt in our faces. We yearn for our souls to be renewed. Each of us finds that renewal in different ways, and this week my soul yearns for adventure, the kind that comes from a big fish and a tight fly line. Fly fishing offers the opportunity to challenge your day-to-day routine and open yourself up to an adventure that is unscripted. And what better place to embrace that than Belize.

I’m Zach Weinzetl, the host for this trip which was put together by myself and Trent Culver, of Epiqwest Culver Wealth Advisors. One of my best friends, Gavin Greeley, is from Knoxville, and he suggested inviting Nathan Sparks, Cityview’s publisher, and Chris Goodwin, former fishing guide turned builder, along. That is how this story ended up in Cityview. Joining us from the west are Tim Harrington, an avid rock climber and home builder from Boulder, Colorado; Ryan Ludwar, a leader in oilfield containment systems; Nathan Medin, a successful financial consultant; and John Hasegawa, a restaurant entrepreneur. Some of these folks didn’t know each other, and that is often how it is on Trent’s trips. He hopes to bring together like minds and forge new friendships.

A 14-minute Tropic Air flight to San Pedro from Belize City yields me a visual field filled with colors not observed when I’m at home. We land in a beautiful chaos of golf carts, bikes, and wandering dogs. The smells are unfamiliar and range from wonderful to providing me a glimpse into how good the sewage systems are in the United States. Relaxing into the island vibes while drinking a Belikin on the back of a golf cart, we soon arrive at a four-story beach house with spiral staircases and woodworking by an artist.

Anticipation and reality are coming together. We’ve arrived in a foreign country seeking out the pinnacle of fly-fishing accolades, the flats grand slam. At least, that’s what helped this group take time away from their busy lives and commit to flying to Belize. I soon realize that I’m traveling with seven other people, some who know each other and others that are meeting for the first time. Everyone settles in at the Truck Stop, a local hot spot where a variety of food vendors— several operating out of half-size shipping containers converted into kitchens—offer everything from wood-fired pizza to fried plantains and ceviche. They have local cocktails ranging from the Rum Punch to the classic Margarita. We toast to tight lines and big fish, and the first moment of vacation sets in.

Our planned 6 a.m. start on our first day comes early as everyone hustles to set up fly rods, find nourishment, and meet our captain on the dock in front of the house by 7 a.m. We separate onto several boats and begin our day, motoring away on locally designed center consoles with elevated poling platforms. The anticipation builds as to what today has to offer. Each of the big three species has a unique type of flat and different style of fishing. There are several flats that hold both bonefish and permit, but permit will be the target if they happen to be there. All three prefer a different fly, and likely you will want a larger weight rod for permit than bonefish and respectively for tarpon than permit. Being ready for the moment here is as important as having your passport to travel through customs.

It’s not yet 8 a.m. and a world class tarpon is traveling solo near my boat at 11 o’clock, the shot a righty dreams of. I quickly and quietly strip out as much line as possible to throw double haul in the direction of the approaching tarpon. “Good cast, strip, strip, strip…” and all hell breaks loose. First shot, first eat. The 60-pound tarpon is ready, but it is hard to go against instincts. It’s as if I need to create more space in a nanosecond to satisfy the many things that I could do to mess it up—all of which could leave me with an outcome where the tarpon is not connected to the other end of my line. In many ways, this feels like a combination of archery hunting and fly fishing with a shot of adrenalin that makes even the most experienced angler have weak knees. Throughout the day, we take shot after shot at big tarpon, have four eats and jump one—tarpon are awesome jumpers. Although success is generally determined by holding the leader connected to a tarpon, both anglers are left shaking with excitement and awed by the challenge.

Later on, we motor up to the dock, returning to the luxurious fishing camp eager to hear the tales of triumph and heartbreak from my fellow fisherman. Each boat reports of what seems like an entirely different fishery. I’m continually struck by the diversity of flats and amazing amount of water to be fished. Chris, Ryan, and both Nathans bring home a nice catch of snapper on their first day that we fillet and fry for dinner. Accompanied by Old Fashions, Black Manhattans, and other cocktails, we eat and drink to our heart’s content. No night is complete without a trip out to the dock to see if we can land a few bonus fish. Each night something is caught; this night finds us with a bonefish and something, likely a shark, that ripped out over a hundred yards of line.

On day two, I pair Nathan with Gavin and a young guide who goes by Gordy. The ride to the flat he chose is about an hour. Gordy is a fairly laid back person, and Gavin being the more experienced of the two fisherman takes first turn. Gavin is an expert fly fisherman, and these fish required casting pretty much into the backing, over 90 feet. So when you get a big one sometimes you have to go after it. Nathan tells me later. “On Gavin’s second fish I will never forget him looking at Gordy as the fish continued a long run, and Gordy saying, ‘Go after it!’ Gavin literally and instantly leapt from the boat into five feet of water—an impressive display which resulted in landing a great fish.” It’s a story they will surely tell for years to come.

In the morning on day three, we have breakfast and discuss the variety of options on this, our one day without guides. The group is unanimous in their decision to stay together and head north towards land less populated by people and flats well populated with bonefish, permit, jacks, trigger fish, and tarpon. The two golf carts are loaded with nine fly rods, eight people, and the hope of finding something special around each bend. We fish a few flats—everyone hooks up fish—and then decide we are in need of a watering hole. We happen upon El Norte and saddle up with the witty owner, Iz. El Norte is a very quaint little place. Kind of a mini resort where you go to just leave the world behind and enjoy the ocean. Iz, a former National Geographic photographer has quite a few entertaining stories of his own to share. I guess he likes us because he quickly points us in the direction of the beer fridge and shows us how to tally our own beverages. Some venture off to fish, some find a hammock, but everyone relaxes, settling into this unique island life.

Before this trip, we were all eight individuals, but after this shared experience of three days adventuring, we are a group. Everyone shares their lives, laughs, cries and feels the joy of exploring unfamiliar environments. For many, this is amongst the favorite days, despite not catching too many fish or having a boat take us to the best flat. It sparks the sense of adventure as we wade out into an ocean flat not knowing what is beneath the surface and cast a line. With an ear-to-ear grin, Ryan exclaims, “I am way out of my comfort zone”. This is how all human growth is inspired: you get out of your comfort zone and say “yes” to the experience that is present for you. Even better when you can do it with a smile.

The next day, we meet our captains on the dock at 7 a.m. sharp. Each boat is ready to push off, the anglers filled with the wonder of what they will target today. My boat, guided by Abby Marin, unarguably the most famous guide in Belize, goes out to the same flat as two days prior and targets tarpon again, shot after shot to no avail. I go through every tarpon fly in my box with more and more rejection by these prehistoric beasts. We are baking in the sun, and the conversation turns to discussing religion and politics. Abby is very opinionated—and on more than just fishing—and while these are usually good subjects to stay away from, it is Sunday and seems fitting to have an ocean sermon. Out time today on the water is nothing short of a spiritual experience, confirming my belief that humanity is gained by more connection to the environment.

Returning to the lodge and finding shade from the intense sun of the flats, the sound of fishing stories starts emerging from the quiet. Catching one permit on a fly is a lifetime accomplishment; Gavin landed four on five opportunities. The rest of us share our successes, but the entire group feeds off of the energy of this monumental accomplishment. I’ll drink to that, is of course the modis operandi. We come together to share a table full of food: chicken curry with coconut rice, garnished with red cabbage in habanero balsamic with cilantro. We fill our bellies while stories fill our ears.

After catching four permit, Gavin is pretty content, but agrees to walk out to the dock to see what is there. As fate would have it, the dock has rolling tarpon in to feed on the bait attracted to the light. Gavin runs back to grab a tarpon rod and hands it off to me. But I hand the rod back and tell him quickly, “I’ll be right back.” I emerge literally seconds later but to late. With a beautiful roll cast; Gavin is hooked up to an arial tarpon. Ripping line out and launching out of the water, this fish is putting on a show. It quickly runs back towards the dock and towards a host of problems for landing it.

Quickly emptying his pockets, Gavin jumps off the dock to fight this fish away from trouble; seems Gavin is just never afraid to jump in after a fish. But it’s too late; the tarpon has wrapped the line around a pillar and is tangled. With nerves of steel, Gavin calmly untangles the line and while reeling underwater, comes back tight with this amazing fish. Knowing that tarpon don’t quit, the last jump is waited out and in a dizzying haze the tarpon is landed. The first tarpon of the trip, at midnight, caught by Gavin, John and myself. This is only made better by the multitude of incredible fishing days Gavin and I have spent on the rivers of Colorado and the time and preparation we’ve both put in to be at this dock for this moment.

The next morning, as the group grabs rods and walks to the dock for the final guided day of the trip, it feels as though we just got here, except for all the memories of the past days. The flats that all looked the same on our first day are identifiable now and the mangrove islands now have names. There’s a familiarity with the wildlife and a knowing of what is moving through the shallow water by their silhouettes. The contrast of colors and brilliance is made more spectacular by the flamingo pink of the roseate spoonbill flying between the layers of the ocean meeting the horizon line. As I cast to a school of permit, I realize that the rod, reel, and fly are merely a conduit to connect me to a deeper experience. Success is inevitable.

Returning to basecamp with smiling faces are all around, the tension of day-to-day life seems far away. After years of pursuit, Chris got a grand slam and is bursting with gratitude from a lifetime accomplishment achieved. He has also made reservations for the group at a favorite restaurant in San Pedro, which seems a fitting way to allow the poignancy of this moment to be savored. Again the group is around a table sharing incredible food and stories.

Coming together over the shared interest in fly fishing brought this group to adventure together. With this shared experience, each person was able to turn the gaze inward and find the deeper value beneath the sport. From the conversations with the guides, the fish caught, and the fish missed, to the experience of a foreign culture, we are all left with an immense appreciation for Belize. As we pile back into the single prop Cessna Caravan, realizing this trip is coming to an end, one thought inevitably raises its voice: “When can I get back”.

Compassion in the Courtroom

Chuck Cerny’s Veterans Treatment Court vision is changing lives and destinies

Story by Phil Newman

It doesn’t take long when talking with Jarod Correll to surmise that he’s a Marine at heart, a tough dude, a fighter, a “black-and-white guy,” as he puts it. By virtue of his rough upbringing and military training, he doesn’t come off as one to let emotions show too often.

During a lengthy, candid conversation about the many ways the Knox County Veterans Treatment Court has transformed his life since he hit rock bottom three years ago—from drug addiction, prison, homelessness, and broken relationships to freedom, health, hope, and restoration—tears come to Correll’s eyes one time. And, as you might guess, it’s when the subject turns to his mama.

“It got to where she wouldn’t even talk to me, she was so scared I was going to end up dead,” says Correll, recalling the lowest points of his journey. His voice cracks. “But now, she runs up to people and says, ‘This is my son! Please meet my son!’”

Somewhere between those two extremes of a mother’s sleepless-night fear and her beaming pride, Jarod Correll quite nearly did wind up on a coroner’s slab—more than once. The life he now leads is a testament to the power of timely intervention, the kind that comes with a strong dose of caring, tough love.

The Veterans Treatment Court program, run by Judge Chuck Cerny, “changed my life,” Correll says. “You have to understand where I was. Until you realize how drastic it was, you really can’t grasp the depth of my gratitude.”

Today, Correll is among hundreds of East Tennessee military veterans who have benefited from one of the area’s recovery court treatment programs, such as those operated in Knox County, in Blount County, and in the Fourth Judicial District whose reach includes Sevier County.

Visiting with some of the judges and staff members who administer the veterans’ treatment courts is nothing short of inspiring. Their perspectives—and the difference the programs are making every day, one vet at a time—serve to buoy the spirits of any who might wonder whether real hope exists for those who have returned from military service bearing deep scars that sometimes lead them into depression, addiction, destructive behavior, and the criminal-justice system.

Raw Deal

Correll’s journey on that continuum began at a young age. He was born in Indiana, with a father who, he says, was a “P.O.S.” who later died in prison. “I grew up with drugs. My whole family was involved in drugs,” he reflects.

He and his single mom moved around a lot before settling in Tennessee, where Correll graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1997 before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps and being shipped to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina for basic training, and then to Okinawa, Japan.

When he later returned to Knoxville as a reservist, Correll reverted to some of his old ways (“I grew up with drugs and was dealing ecstasy at the ripe old age of 17,” he says) and was arrested transporting drugs from Florida back to Tennessee—one month short of completing four years in the Marines. Those charges resulted in a prison sentence, part of a downward spiral that would not unwind until a final arrest and near-death trip to the hospital.

What he calls “some ups and downs” of his life included drug abuse, dealing, felony charges, jail time,

a painkiller addiction, court-ordered group therapy, living in a car, probation, the collapse of his marriage, and the death of a beloved cousin. His “last straw” came in 2019, when he awoke in the ER after overdosing. “They had to bring me back to life five times,” he says. “I had been on the run forever, and I was finally sick of my own shit.”

A public defender referred Correll to the Knox County Veterans Treatment Court. “I had no other options,” he concedes.

As he worked through the recovery process, Correll came to respect and admire presiding Judge Chuck Cerny of the Sixth Judicial Court, which includes Knox County. “Judge Cerny helped me in every way; the guy’s a saint,” Correll says. “Growing up without a father, I had my own perception of what a man should be. Only two or three men in my life I can say I respect to the utmost. Judge Cerny is one of them. He’s generous and kind.”

Beyond Justice

Cerny, who was first elected in 1998, helped to launch the Knox County Veterans Treatment Court in 2013. “I am so proud of Jarod and what he has been able to accomplish,” Cerny says. “He not only completed the program, but he set about educating himself in a profession to make his life better.”

The reasons Cerny wanted to be part of a veterans treatment court boil down to a bedrock principle: “I don’t believe any human being is disposable.”

“The majority of veterans who get involved in the criminal-justice system do so as a direct result of addiction, mental-health issues, brain injuries, or other trauma experienced while in military service. Treating them with dignity and respect not only helps them get out of the system, but it makes our community safer, and it saves taxpayer dollars, because those folks don’t have to be incarcerated.”

Each year, Cerny and the Knox County program serve veterans spanning a wide range of military branches and experiences. “We see males and females, older folks from the Vietnam era,” he says, “and those from more recent conflicts—soldiers with combat exposure in Afghanistan or Iraq.”

The program takes between 18 months and two years for a veteran to complete and has shown measurable success. “We like to point to a recidivism rate of only about 10 percent of our grads who end up in the criminal-justice system again,” Cerny says. “If you graduate, you are paying off restitution, you pay the victims back, pay your court costs, your taxes.”

For Cerny, there is an added layer of motivation. His father fled Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) after World War II and emigrated to the U.S. “He wanted to live in a country where he knew people could be free. He was always so grateful to be a [naturalized] citizen. I share that feeling of gratitude for our nation and for those who have fought to protect it. I know that veterans are not immune from getting in trouble, but that doesn’t mean we should give up on them or forget about them; they are valuable and redeemable.”

Ron Hanaver, director of the Knox County Recovery Court, was there with Cerny at the beginning, connecting with mental-health professionals and area veterans. “We got together and started planning” a court program just for vets, Hanaver says.

The program has partnered with local agencies to identify veterans who might benefit. “We will take anybody if they’ve served even one day in the military, because all we can do is help,” he says. “And that is our motto: all we can do is help.”

They have indeed helped, but they are far from alone in East Tennessee.

Life-changing Services

Blount County’s veterans’ program, which started in 2017 under the umbrella of the county’s recovery court, has two components: a Circuit Court arm presided over by Judge Tammy Harrington and a General Sessions Court arm presided over by Judge Mike Gallegos.

“It’s amazing to see the turnarounds in these individuals,” Gallegos says. “We’ve seen veterans go from multiple arrests, in and out of jail, addictions, to now working full time, going to college, leading happy, productive lives.”

The program typically lasts at least 19 months as participants move through several phases, Gallegos says. “You don’t want to push people along too quickly. Some come in thinking, I can get this done fast. As they start learning and benefiting, they’re in no hurry. They realize this is what’s giving you structure, bringing you around. I don’t see anyone chomping at the bit to get out.”

That doesn’t mean the road is without bumps. “It’s a very difficult program, because, let’s face it, one of the hardest things to do is change, to accept that you’re on the wrong path. That can be very challenging, emotionally and mentally.”

If not for the program, he says, many of the veterans would likely remain in a revolving door of “short stints in jail, back out, problem, back in—and then potentially death. We hear every day about veterans dying of drug addiction or suicide.”

Toward the east, the Fourth Judicial District Drug Recovery Court, presided over by Judge Duane Slone, also provides a place for many veterans to find life-changing help and services. The program launched in 2009.

“Programs like ours teach people how to live differently,” says Director Patty Williams, who oversees the activities of the recovery court and coordinates the efforts of its team. Similar to the others, the program takes roughly 18 months to complete.

“The recovery court allows more time to personally work with individuals in helping them develop support networks and rebuild their lives, learning new skills they never really had before,” Williams says.

Living Differently

In some veterans treatment court programs, like Knox County’s, participants are paired with a fellow veteran who serves as a mentor, a trained, screened volunteer to help the participant along. Despite the assistance provided by these volunteers—along with the judges, program staff, community resources and other willing aids—Knox County grad Jarod Correll emphasizes that completing a court recovery program begins and ends with a resolve within the participant.

“I am 100 percent behind” the programs, says Correll, who now has a career as a crane operator helping to build bridges and other structures, “but it’s all on the individual. A lot of people I’ve seen are just biding time in the system until they can get high again. If you’re not ready to be all in, you won’t make it. Some look at it like a punishment, but it’s an opportunity. If people are willing to work and search out the help, it’s there. And if you look at it as an opportunity, it turns into a blessing.

“My life is a thousand times better now. I’m free and clear and livin’ my best life, and I don’t ever want to go back.”

With that outlook, it’s no wonder Correll’s mama is proud enough to brag on him to everyone she meets, speaking those words that every boy and man longs to hear: “This is my son!”