We are happy to announce that the following attorneys from Woolf McClane have been recognized in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America®.

The following attorneys were named the Best Lawyers® 2024 “Lawyer of the Year” in Knoxville in the listed practice areas. 

• Kyle Carpenter: Product Liability Litigation– Defendants
• Chadwick Hatmaker: Employment Law – Individuals & Employment Law – Management
• Ford Little: Litigation– Construction
• Gregory Logue: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Richard Matlock: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
• Dennis McClane: Corporate Law & Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Robert Noell: Construction Law

“Lawyer of the Year” honors are awarded annually to only one lawyer per practice area in each region with extremely high overall feedback from their peers, making it an exceptional distinction.

The following lawyers were included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the listed practice areas:

• David Cantrell: Commercial Litigation& Construction Law
• Kaitlyn Hutcherson: Corporate Law
• Gavin Shepherd: Commercial Litigation& Insurance Law & Personal Injury Litigation–Defendants
• Kaitlin Tweel: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law & Commercial Litigation& Construction Law

Cantrell and Hutcherson are first-time honorees.

The following lawyers were recognized in 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

• Nicholas Arning, Jr. was recognized for his work in Health Care Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, and Real Estate Law. This is his first year on The Best Lawyers in America list in Health Care Law.
• Hugh B. Bright, Jr. was recognized for his work in Mass Tort Litigation/ Class Actions – Defendants, a distinction he’s held since 2011.
• Luis C. Bustamante was recognized for his work in Personal Injury Litigation– Defendants for the 10^th year
• Kyle Carpenter was recognized for his work in the Commercial Litigation and Product Liability Litigation– Defendants practice areas, the latter of which earned him the Best Lawyers 2024 “Lawyer of the Year” award in Knoxville. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America in Commercial Litigation since 2008 and Product Liability – Defendants since 2011.
• Keith Coates, Jr. was recognized for his work in Commercial Litigation, Employment Law – Management, and Litigation– Labor and Employment. This is his first year recognized for his work in Commercial Litigation.
• Patti T. Cotten joined the team in November 2022. She was recognized in the Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Law, and Health Care Law practice areas. She has earned a spot on the Best Lawyers list in Corporate Law and Health Care Law for the last three years.
• Chadwick Hatmaker was recognized for his work in Commercial Litigation, Employment Law – Individuals, Employment Law – Management, and Litigation– Labor and Employment. He was named Best Lawyers 2024 Employment Law – Individual and Employment Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year” in Knoxville.
• Dean T. Howell was recognized for his work in Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Insurance Law, Personal Injury Litigation– Defendants, Product Liability Litigation– Defendants. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America in Insurance Law and Product Liability Litigation– Defendants since 2018.
• Jason P. Lambert was recognized for his work in Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) for the fourth consecutive year. He joined Woolf McClane in November 2022.
• Ford Little was recognized for his work in Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, and Litigation– Construction. This is his 15^th year being honored in Construction Law practice area and the 14^th year in Litigation- Construction.
• Gregory C. Logue was recognized for his work in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization law. This is his third time being named Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” in this practice area in Knoxville.
• Richard S. Matlock was recognized for his work in Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnership), Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates. He has been honored by Best Lawyers since 2019.
• Dennis R. McClane was recognized in the Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, and Real Estate Law practice areas. He was named Best Lawyers 2024 “Lawyer of the Year” in Knoxville in Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. His name first appeared on the Best Lawyers list in 2007.
• Daniel J. Moore was recognized for his work in Corporate Law, a distinction he has held for three consecutive years, and Real Estate Law.
• Robert P. Noell was recognized in the Construction Law practice area where he was named Best Lawyers 2024 “Lawyer of the Year” in Knoxville.
• Joe Parkey was recognized for his work in Corporate Law and Real Estate Law. This is his first year being honored by Best Lawyers.
• Kevin N. Perkey was recognized for his work in Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates. This is his third year on the Best Lawyers list.
• O.E. Sonny Schow IV was recognized for his work in Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates. He has been named to the Best Lawyers list in each of these practice areas since 2021.
• Darsi N. Sirknen was recognized for her work in Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), and Trusts and Estates. This is her first time receiving honors from Best Lawyers.
• Aaron Spencer was recognized for his work in Commercial Litigation for the first fime.
• Robert L. Vance was recognized for his work in Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, and Personal Injury Litigation– Plaintiffs. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America in the latter two practice areas since 2020.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers recognitions are compiled based on an exhaustive Purely Peer Review evaluation. More than 123,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and they received more than 20 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world.

The full list can be found at bestlawyers.com.