Viola Insurance Defense Lawyers

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

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

Tom Shumate is the founder of Meridian Law, PLLC, which represents individuals and businesses across Tennessee in a variety of civil matters including business, contract, and employment litigation; disputes involving non-competition agreements and theft of trade secrets; insurance defense; personal injury and wrongful death actions; and probate cases. Mr. Shumate graduated with honors from Vanderbilt University in 1995 and from Notre Dame Law School in 1998. He has practiced in Nashville, Tennessee since that time. In 2011 and 2013, Mr. Shumate was selected as a “Rising Star” by the Mid-South edition of Super Lawyers Magazine. He...

Paul E. Tennison is passionate about helping clients solve complex legal challenges. Paul enjoys helping people understand the law and pick the most effective course of action to achieve their desired results. Paul was selected as a rising star by Super-Lawyers in 2023 and selected as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Nashville by MyNashville Magazine readers in July, 2020. Paul has a diverse military, leadership, and legal background that affords him unique inside into many issues confronting Hall Booth Smith's clients. Paul has over 18 years of management, human resources, and leadership experience. Paul is a military veteran and...

If you’re looking for distinction among attorneys in Franklin, TN, and surrounding areas, you’ll find it in John D. Schwalb, PLLC. Recognized as a Mid-South Super Lawyer by the Law and Politics Magazine, John D. Schwalb ranks among the top five percent of lawyers. His firm received and maintains an AV®-rating for providing exceptional legal services. After 30 years of experience in all aspects of the law, John D. Schwalb, PLLC, is qualified to supply superior legal knowledge and litigation skills to all in the Franklin, TN, area. We are prepared to assist you with family law cases, bullying...

Jake D. Strawn is an associate attorney in Spicer Rudstrom’s Memphis office. He primarily focuses on insurance defense, premises liability, products liability and workers’ compensation.

Jake earned his J.D. at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis, where he graduated second in his class. While there, he earned five CALI awards—in Administrative Law, Business Organizations, Civil Procedure II, Secured Transactions and Products Liability—and served in several roles, including as Notes Editor for the University of Memphis Law Review, Vol. 46, and as Associate Chief Justice for the Honor Council. During his first year of law school,...

Jim Embrey is a Partner in our office in Nashville, Tennessee, and he focuses his practice on trucking and transportation, general liability, insurance coverage, professional negligence and medical malpractice, as well as professional malpractice and ethics.
Jim has represented numerous Fortune 500 companies and individual professionals as a trial lawyer, and honed his legal craft while working in-house as a Managing Counsel and General Counsel for major insurance corporations. This dual experience gives Jim unprecedented insight and knowledge to anticipate the needs of his clients and provide exceptional and effective service.
Earlier in his career, Jim served as an Airborne Infantryman in...