PARTNERS
S. Morris Hadden (Partner) born Murray, Kentucky, October 10, 1939; admitted to bar, 1964, Tennessee, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth and Sixth Circuits. Education: University of Tennessee at Knoxville (B.S., 1961; J.D.,1964). Phi Delta Phi. Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1964-1967. Special Justice, Tennessee Supreme Court, 1996. Member: American College of Trial Lawyers; International Association of Defense Counsel; Tennessee Association of Defense Lawyers; Federation of Insurance Counsel; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Litigation; Professional Malpractice; Products Liability; Insurance Coverage.Email: S. Morris Hadden
William C. Bovender (Partner) born Hickory, North Carolina, August 31, 1950; admitted to bar, 1975, Tennessee, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee and U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; 1991, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (B.A., 1972; J.D., 1975). Phi Eta Sigma; Phi Beta Kappa. Member: Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Employment; Commercial Litigation; Products Liability.Email: William C. Bovender
William C. Argabrite (Partner) born Johnson City, Tennessee, September 22, 1953; admitted to bar, 1978, Tennessee. Education: Wake Forest University (B.S., 1975; J.D., cum laude, 1978). Notes and Comments Editor, Wake Forest Law Review, 1977-1978. Practice Areas: Banking; Creditors Rights; Corporate Transactions; Real Estate; Municipal Finance.Email: William C. Argabrite
Jimmie Carpenter Miller (Partner) born Morristown, Tennessee, November 7, 1957; admitted to bar, 1982, Tennessee, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee and U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: University of Tennessee at Knoxville (B.A., with highest honors, 1979; J.D., with honors, 1981). Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Delta Phi. Instructor, Research and Writing, University of Tennessee College of Law, 1981. Member: American Academy of Health Care; American Board of Trial Advocates. Practice Areas: Health Care Law; Commercial Litigation; Medical Malpractice.Email: Jimmie Carpenter Miller
Mark S. Dessauer (Partner) born Sylacauga, Alabama, November 18, 1957; admitted to bar, 1983, Tennessee. Education: University of Tennessee at Knoxville (B.A., 1980; J.D., 1983). Omicron Delta Kappa. Member, Mortar Board. Practice Areas: Banking; Bankruptcy; Commercial Litigation.Email: Mark S. Dessauer
Gregory K. Haden (Partner) born Charlottesville, Virginia, February 24, 1957; admitted to bar, 1983, Tennessee, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee and U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: University of Virginia (B.A., with high distinction, 1980; J.D., 1983). Phi Beta Kappa; Raven Society. Member, Commission on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of Tennessee, 1992. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation.Email: Gregory K. Haden
Michael L. Forrester (Partner) born Pulaski, Tennessee, June 8, 1959; admitted to bar, 1984, Tennessee. Education: University of Tennessee at Knoxville (B.A., with high honors, 1981; J.D., 1984). Member: Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: ERISA Litigation; Employment; Workers' Compensation; Insurance Coverage and Interpretation; Insurance Defense; Commercial Litigation.Email: Michael L. Forrester
Stephen M. Darden (Partner) (Johnson City Office).
Edward Jennings Webb, Jr. (Partner) (Johnson City Office).
James N. L. Humphreys (Partner) born Abingdon, Virginia, July 26, 1962; admitted to bar, 1987, Virginia, U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit; 1990, Tennessee; 1991, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee. Education: Washington & Lee University (B.A., with honors in Economics, magna cum laude, 1984; J.D., 1987). Moot Court Competition (Quarter Finalist; 2d Place Brief). Practice Areas: Civil Litigation.Email: James N. L. Humphreys
Suzanne Sweet Cook (Partner) (Johnson City Office).
Michael S. Lattier (Partner) born Shreveport, Louisiana, August 4, 1960; admitted to bar, 1986, Montana; 1990, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; 1991, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, U.S. Supreme Court; 1995, Tennessee; 1996, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee and U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth and Seventh Circuits; 1999, Florida; 2001, U.S. Tax Court. Education: Louisiana State University (B.A., 1982; J.D., 1985). Member: The Florida Bar; Tennessee and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Labor and Employment; Commercial Litigation; Civil Litigation.Email: Michael S. Lattier
Scott T. Powers (Partner) born Providence, Rhode Island, October 1, 1966; admitted to bar, 1998, Tennessee. Education: U.S. Naval Academy (B.S., 1989); University of Tennessee Knoxville (M.B.A., 1998; J.D., 1998). Practice Areas: Real Estate; Corporate Formation; Commercial Law.Email: Scott T. Powers
Laura A. Steel (Partner) born Blountville, Tennessee, May 27, 1974; admitted to bar, 1999, Tennessee, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee and U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; U.S. District Court, Middle Tennessee. Education: University of Tennessee at Knoxville (B.A., cum laude, 1996; J.D., 1999). Phi Beta Kappa. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Labor and Employment Law.Email: Laura A. Steel
Christopher D. Owens (Partner) (Johnson City Office).
Leslie Tentler Ridings (Partner) born Evergreen Park, Illinois, September 21, 1963; admitted to bar, 1998, Tennessee. Education: East Tennessee State University (B.B.A., magna cum laude, 1985); University of Tennessee at Knoxville (J.D., 1998). Member, Moot Court Board. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Workers' Compensation.Email: Leslie Tentler Ridings
Chad Whitfield (Partner) (Johnson City Office).
ASSOCIATES
Rachel Ralston (Associate) born 1980; admitted to bar, 2007, Tennessee. Education: East Tennessee State University (B.S., magna cum laude, 2002); University of Tennessee (M.B.A., 2007; J.D., 2007). Practice Areas: Corporate Law.
Nathan Bays (Associate) born 1982; admitted to bar, 2007, Tennessee; 2008, North Carolina. Education: East Tennessee State University (B.B.A., magna cum laude, 2004) Wake Forest University (J.D., 2007). Practice Areas: Banks and Banking(15%); Corporate Commercial Law(15%); Real Estate(20%); Business Law(20%); Health Care(10%); Contracts(20%).Email: Nathan Bays
Meredith Bates Humbert (Associate) born Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, 1979; admitted to bar, 2005, Tennessee. Education: College of Charleston (B.S.); University of Memphis (J.D.). Practice Areas: Health Care(50%); Medical Malpractice(50%).Email: Meredith Bates Humbert
Teresa Mahan Lesnak (Associate) born Johnson City, Tennessee, February 17, 1963; admitted to bar, 1988, Tennessee; 1990, New Jersey; 1991, District of Columbia and Virginia. Education: East Tennessee State University (B.S., magna cum laude, 1985); University of Tennessee at Knoxville (J.D., 1988). Order of the Barristers. Member: International Law Moot Court Teams, 1987, 1988; Moot Court Board. Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award in Public International Law. Member: Kingsport, Tennessee and American Bar Associations; The District of Columbia Bar; Virginia State Bar. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Insurance Defense.Email: Teresa Mahan Lesnak
Matthew H. Wimberley (Associate) born October 8, 1976; admitted to bar, 2002, Tennessee; 2003, Virginia. Education: Lipscomb University (B.S., Accounting, cum laude, 1999); University of Tennessee (J.D., 2002). Senior Research Editor, Tennessee Journal of Business Law. Student Materials Editor, Tennessee Law Review. Member: Virginia State Bar; Tennessee Bar Association. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Banks and Banking; Corporate Law.Email: Matthew H. Wimberley
R. Lee McVey, II (Associate) (Johnson City Office).
COUNSEL
Michael A. Eastridge (Counsel) born Bristol, Tennessee, February 8, 1963; admitted to bar, 1994, Tennessee; 2005, Georgia. Education: Emory University (A.A., 1983; B.A., 1985); University of Tennessee at Knoxville (M.S., 1987; J.D., 1994). Pi Lambda Theta. Outstanding Achievement in Legislation. Teacher Certificate, Tennessee, 1987-1992. Member: Tennessee Bar Association. Practice Areas: Immigration and Naturalization; International Human Rights.Email: Michael A. Eastridge
Thomas R. Wilson (Counsel) born Knoxville, Tennessee, November 24, 1933; admitted to bar, 1959, Tennessee. Education: University of Tennessee (B.S., 1954; J.D., 1959). (Also Practicing Individually). Practice Areas: Real Estate Law.
All Attorneys are members of the local, Tennessee and American Bar Associations.