David Draper is a Knoxville native and the senior shareholder in the firm’s Knoxville construction law practice group. He is an AV-rated trial lawyer with broad experience in civil litigation, arbitration, and mediation. Prior to obtaining his law degree, he operated a paint contracting business and worked in commercial construction. His law practice is concentrated in construction defect litigation, professional liability defense, commercial disputes and insurance coverage disputes. His construction clients include owners, designers, industrial, commercial, utility, and residential general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers. He has successfully defended a broad range of licensed professionals, including architects and engineers, lawyers, health care providers, surveyors, and realtors. He also has extensive experience in insurance coverage disputes, much of it related to the construction industry.
Mr. Draper has extensive arbitration experience and he serves as both an arbitrator and mediator. He is a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 listed Civil Mediator. He is a founding member and past president (2015) of the Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel, and long-time member of the Steering Committee of the Construction Practice Group of ALFA International - a global legal network of premier law firms in which the firm is a member. In his law practice, he aspires to the example of his now retired father lawyer, Jack Draper, who counseled that a lawyer should always seek to leave no stone unturned, but to resolve, rather than perpetuate conflict wherever possible. Away from work, he enjoys playing guitar, reading works of history, attending almost any live music show, and exploring the outdoor wonders of Southern Appalachia. He is blessed with a loving wife, Sherry, and two wonderfully aspiring young adult offspring, Ashley and Jack.
PROFESSIONAL HONORS AND ACTIVITIES
•Named to The Best Lawyers in America, Construction Law - Litigation - Construction & Insurance and Professional Malpractice Law/Defendants
•Founding member, President (2016), Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel
•fellow, Knoxville Bar Foundation
•Named a Cityview Magazine 2020 Top Attorney
•Recipient, President’s Award for distinguished service to the Knoxville Bar Association, 1999
•Board of Governors of the Knoxville Bar Association, 1998-2000
•Co-chair, Knoxville Bar Associations’ Functions Committee, organized the Cheers for Charity event to benefit Legal Aid of East Tennessee
•Master of the Bench, Hamilton Burnett American Inns of Court
•Member, Knox Area Chamber Partnership Premier Partners program
•Committee member, Chamber’s Intergovernmental Relations Committee
•Past Chair, City of Knoxville Better Building Board
•Advisory board, Knoxville Waterfront Development
•Legal Counsel, Apartment Association of Greater Knoxville
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
•Elder Emeritus, Stewardship Chair, Erin Presbyterian Church
•Knox Area Chamber Partnership
•Past Chair, United Way of Greater Knoxville, Lawyer’s Division
•East Tennessee Historical Society
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AFFILIATIONS
•Founding member and President (2016), Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel
•Past board member and sustaining associate, Associated General Contractors, Knoxville branch
•Associate member, Associated General Contractors, Tri-Cities branch
•Board member (2019-2021), American Institute of Architects of East Tennessee
•Associate member, Tennessee Association of Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Contractors
•Member, Construction Specifications Institute, Knoxville Chapter
