W. Kyle Carpenter

Member

Kyle Carpenter, a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, is a member of the firm whose primary practice area is concentrated in Civil Trial Practice. He has handled a variety of different types of litigation and while most of his practice has involved the defense of product liability and toxic tort cases, he also has extensive experience in areas such as commercial litigation and defense of class actions. He has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in both product liability litigation and commercial litigation. Mr. Carpenter is an arbitrator on the American Arbitration Association’s Roster of Neutrals.

Mr. Carpenter, a native of Bowling Green, Kentucky, graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1973 with a B.A. in history. After spending two years as a Business Manager in Minor League Baseball, he obtained his J.D. from The University of Tennessee College of Law in 1976, with honors. While in school, he served as Student Materials Editor for The Tennessee Law Review.

Mr. Carpenter is a member of the Knoxville Bar Association and Tennessee Bar Association. He previously served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Knoxville Bar Association and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Knoxville Legal Aid Society. He currently serves as State Chair for the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Mr. Carpenter has been a speaker at numerous seminars on topics as diverse as benzene litigation, the use of mock juries in litigation, and expert evidence. He is a co-editor for Tennessee for the Product Liability Desk Reference. He is also the author of a chapter entitled “Pre-deposition Discovery” in the book Challenging Expert Witness Testimony. In 2003 he served on the faculty at the IADC Trial Academy.

Education

University of Tennessee, J.D., 1976
Vanderbilt University, B.A., 1973

Bar Admissions

Tennessee – 1977

United State Courts of Appeal for the 5th, 6th, 8th, 11th and Federal Circuits

U. S. District Court, Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Tennessee

Accolades

Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers, Tennessee State Chair 2022-24

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in Product Liability- Defendants and Commercial Litigation since 2011

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in Commercial Litigation since 2008

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in Product Liability Litigations – Defendants since 2011

Named the Product Liability Litigation – Defendants “Lawyer of the Year” in Knoxville by The Best Lawyers in America® for 2013, 2017, 2019, and 2024

Served on the faculty at International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy – 2003

Arbitrator on American Arbitration Association’s Roster of Neutrals  Member Board of Governors of Knoxville Bar Association – 1986-
1988

Served on the Board of Directors of Legal Aid of East Tennessee
Co-Editor for Tennessee for Product Liability Desk Reference since
2002