Winning. Some people just know how to do it. And while John Day cannot guarantee a win in every case, he does have a well-deserved reputation for success. In fact, John’s ability to deliver a victory to his clients has been widely recognized.
Awards and Recognition: For each year from 2007 through 2019, Best Lawyers in America has recognized John in five separate categories – Bet-the-Company Litigation, Medical Malpractice Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Products Liability Litigation, and Personal Injury Litigation. In 2009, Best Lawyers named him the first-ever "Lawyer of the Year for Personal Injury Litigation - Nashville." In 2010 and then again in 2014, Best Lawyers awarded him the title of “Lawyer of the Year for Medical Malpractice Law – Nashville." In 2012, Best Lawyers recognized him as "Lawyer of the Year for Bet-the-Company Litigation – Nashville." John has been named in Mid-South Super Lawyers Top 100 every year since 2006. John is a Nashville Business Journal Best of the Bar Award Winner for the category of Litigation and Dispute. In 2011, the Nashville Post named John one of Nashville's Top 101 Lawyers. And perhaps most importantly, appreciative clients have acknowledged how John and his staff have secured victories for their families.
John has an Avvo rating of 10.0 out of 10.0. Martindale-Hubbell has awarded John their AV Preeminent rating, which is the highest rating possible. John has been certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification. Because of the rigorous process, less than 4% of practicing lawyers are certified. Not only is John certified, he served as the organization’s President from 2003-2004; Treasurer from 2008-2009; and in 2013, was awarded the group’s Lifetime Achievement Award. John is board-certified in Medical Malpractice by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys, and is also certified as a Specialist in the areas of civil trial, civil pretrial and medical malpractice by the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education.
In 2002, John was elected as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. This invitation-only organization includes many of the best-known, highly respected trial lawyers in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Tennessee has more than 23,000 lawyers and less than 200 are
members of the American College of Trial Lawyers. John served as Tennessee’s State Chair from 2012-2014, and in 2017, was elected to a four-year term as Regent for Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan. In 2014, he was elected as a Fellow in the International Society of Barristers, an organization whose members are committed to the highest of ethical standards and civility in all their personal and professional relationships.
Serving the Legal Community: Not only is John committed to helping his clients win their case, but he also cares deeply about advancing the legal profession and the law. John served as President of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association (now the Tennessee Association for Justice) in 1993-1994, and served as Chair of the Council of State Presidents of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (now the American Association for Justice) from 1994-1995. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Nashville Bar Association and as Chair of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Tort and Insurance Practice Section. John has also been selected by the Tennessee Supreme Court to serve on three important commissions. He served on the inaugural Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution, which drafted the first ADR rule (Rule 31) for the Tennessee Supreme Court. He served for six years on the Tennessee Commission for Continuing Legal Education and Specialization, served as its Chairperson, and was awarded the Commission’s "Leadership in Attorney Specialization" award in 2006. He currently serves on the Advisory Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure. John also served on the Tennessee Judicial Evaluation Commission as an appointee of former Lt. Gov. John S. Wilder. That service ended in the summer of 2009 when the General Assembly allowed the statute creating the Commission to "sunset." A new evaluation commission was created by the General Assembly in 2009, and John was appointed to serve on it, this time by the Speaker of the House, Rep. Kent Williams. John was elected as the first Chair of the newly formed Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission in September 2009.
Professional Writing: John’s first book, Tennessee Law of Comparative Fault, was written in 1998 and co-authored with Donald Capparella and John W. Wood. The book is now in its third edition and is published by Thompson-West. The book is updated annually. John was also a contributing author in
the Litigating Tort Cases treatise, published by AAJ Press and also available through Thompson-West.
John’s second book, Day on Torts: A Handbook for Tennessee Tort Lawyers, was published in 2008. A new edition was published in 2009, and the third edition, Day on Torts: Leading Cases in Tennessee Tort Law, was published in 2010 and updated in 2016. John’s third Book, Compendium of Tennessee Tort Reform Statutes and Related Case Law, published yearly, is now in its eighth edition, and reviews all of the “tort reform” legislation signed into law since 2008. John’s fourth book, Tennessee Law of Civil Trial, first published in 2014 and now in its second edition, provides lawyers with a quick and easy explanation of the law of trial, and includes trial preparation tips, forms and checklists. John has also written over 60 articles published across a range of legal publications.
Professional Speaking: John has been honored with invitations to speak to lawyers about tort law and other issues of interest to tort lawyers on over 300 occasions in eighteen states and three foreign countries. John is also co-owner of Tennessee Justice Programs, one of the largest continuing legal education providers in Tennessee. Tennessee Justice Programs offers 15 hours of continuing education to Tennessee-licensed lawyers every fall in three Tennessee cities – Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis. John speaks approximately four hours per city per year on tort law, comparative fault, and other topics.
