For anybody considering filing a class-action lawsuit, the process is intimidating. Even picking an attorney is enough to make your head spin, and it’s no wonder why. With thousands of options to pick from (Tennessee is home to nearly 20,000 attorneys alone), knowing which individuals or firms will be the best to handle your case is overwhelming.
But checking out the details of some of the best class-action firms in the state can help assuage concerns consumers might have over finding an advocate who will work to ensure they get the compensation they deserve. The good news is that class-action plaintiffs typically don’t pay fees upfront but rather when or if they collect a settlement or verdict, which means it can’t hurt to consult with one of the attorneys on this list.
1. Branstetter Stranch & Jennings PLLC
223 Rosa L Parks Ave #200, Nashville, TN 37203
Practice Areas: Class Action, Consumer Protection, Civil Rights, Antitrust, Personal Injury
Firm Size: Medium
BS&J was founded in 1952, and since its has inception focused on ensuring everyone has access to justice. From its roots in the Civil Rights Movement to its work today representing individuals against major corporations, BS&J attorneys focus on building a better society.
This midsized firm is based in Nashville but also has offices in Louisville and Cincinnati. Attorneys with the firm have been involved in major class-action lawsuits and other complex litigation on the national stage and in Tennessee. For example, the firm was on the committee that helped establish a $10 billion settlement against the Volkswagen Motor Co. over its deceptive vehicle emissions practices. BS&J attorneys also have a long history representing consumers in anti-spam fax and call lawsuits, including one that resulted in a $3.5 million class-action settlement.
2. Fox & Farley
310 N Main St, Clinton, TN 37716
Practice Areas: Class Action, Personal Injury, Product Liability, Big Pharma
Firm Size: Small
Fox, Willis, Burnette was founded in 2003, and they work together with Michael S. Farley in a firm known as Fox and Farley, which has offices across the state of Tennessee. In addition to the main office in Clinton, Fox & Farley’s reach includes branches in Gatlinburg, Knoxville, LaFollette, Maryville, Nashville, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville.
In addition to personal injury cases, attorneys with Fox & Farley have handled or are pursuing class-action lawsuits related to products like 3M earplugs, Roundup weedkiller, and talc-based powders and medications like Elmiron and Zantac, among many other active investigations. The firm’s attorneys are also preparing to launch product-liability cases regarding multiple surgical devices, including replacement knee systems and transvaginal mesh.
3. Keith Williams Law Group
511 Union St UNIT 1820, Nashville, TN 37219
Practice Areas: Class Action, Personal Injury, Medical Devices, Roundup, Big Pharma
Firm Size: Small
Nashville-based Keith Williams Law Group is powered by a pair of attorneys, and in addition to the main office in Nashville, the firm also has a branch in Lebanon. Founder Keith Williams opened the firm more than two decades ago, and the law group has won tens of millions in verdicts and settlements since that time.
Attorneys and investigators with the law firm are actively pursuing mass-tort and class-action cases related to asbestos and mesothelioma, medical devices including IVC filters and transvaginal mesh, talcum powder, Roundup weedkiller, e-cigarettes, and the medication Zantac.
4. Greg Coleman Law
800 S Gay St #1100, Knoxville, TN 37929
Practice Areas: Class Action, Personal Injury, Big Pharma, Consumer Products,
Firm Size: Medium
Greg Coleman Law is a midsized firm based in Knoxville, and collectively the firm’s attorneys have more than 200 years of legal experience. In addition to personal injury claims, the firm’s primary focus is on class-action suits and other complex litigation. From class-action lawsuits alone, attorneys with the firm have helped secure upwards of $200 million in settlements.
Active cases and investigations that could lead to awards, settlements, or judgments include medications like Actors, Benicar, Byetta, and Yaz, consumer products like Lumber Liquidators flooring and Pyrex food containers, and surgical devices like transvaginal mesh and replacement hips. Coleman attorneys were also instrumental in a $35.5 million settlement with Electrolux Home Products and a $5.3 million settlement with Nissan over defective dashboards on some of its vehicles.
5. Gatti, Keltner, Bienvenu & Montesi PLC
219 Adams Ave, Memphis, TN 38103
Practice Areas: Class Action, Personal Injury, Workers’ Compensation, Mass Torts
Firm Size: Small
Gatti, Keltner, Bienvenu & Montesi first opened its doors in 1970, and since then, the firm has primarily been focused on seeking justice through lawsuits related to injuries, wrongful death, and violations of employment law, both in individual cases and more complex litigation. The expert attorneys at this small firm have a combined 150 years of legal experience.
In addition to personal injury cases, attorneys with the firm have handled mass-tort and class-action cases related to environmental contamination, illegal work practices, dangerous consumer products, medications, medical devices, and more. Ongoing investigations include looking at cases involving the drugs Xarelto and Zofran, IVC filters, transvaginal mesh, and genetically modified corn seeds.
6. Watson Burns, PLLC
253 Adams Ave, Memphis, TN 38103
Practice Areas: Class Action, Defective Products, Wrongful Death, Consumer Fraud
Firm Size: Small
Watson Burns was founded in 2005, and to date this small firm has helped achieve more than $150 million in awards and settlements on behalf of clients. Notable class-action cases Watson Burns attorneys have handled include actions against financial institutions, transportation companies, and construction firms.
This Memphis-based firm recently secured a $19 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit on behalf of retirement account holders who alleged that they were charged undisclosed fees by First Mercantile Trust, which managed their 401(k) accounts, and they represented former students of a trucking academy operated by Swift Transportation Co. after they claimed the company defrauded them; that case led to a $17 million settlement that was paid by writing off loans the students took out with Swift to pay for the classes.
7. Gilreath & Associates
550 Main St SW # 600, Knoxville, TN 37902
Practice Areas: Class Action, Personal Injury, Railroad Accidents
Firm Size: Small
Gilreath & Associates was founded in 1973, and today the firm operates mainly out of its Knoxville headquarters but also maintains offices in Memphis and Nashville. While its primary focus is on personal injury claims, attorneys at the firm have also helped clients receive millions of dollars in settlements in cases related to medical malpractice, defective auto parts, environmental contamination, and railroad injuries.
Some of the firm’s biggest successes have come in cases against automakers, including a $6.5 million verdict against the Ford Motor Co., a $44 million verdict over a defective seatbelt system that caused a child to become paralyzed, and a $13 million verdict awarded to two people paralyzed in a rear-end traffic collision.
8. Law Office of David S. Hagy, PLC
1507 16th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37212
Practice Areas: Class Action, Personal Injury, Employment Disputes, Traffic Accidents
Firm Size: Sole Practitioner
David S. Hagy’s Nashville-based law firm is powered by his 25 years’ experience in the legal field, and he’s helped clients secure more than $25 million in judgments and settlements in his career. In addition to being involved in class-action lawsuits, Hagy’s main practice areas include personal injury cases, such as traffic accidents, as well as lawsuits related to defective products and employment disputes.
Class-action successes Hagy has secured include a $10 million settlement against a health insurance carrier over rate increases and a settlement with a boat engine manufacturer on behalf of the owners of charter fishing vessels.
9. The Higgins Firm
525 4th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37210
Practice Areas: Class Action, Nursing Home Abuse, Traffic Accidents, Big Pharma, Defective Products
Firm Size: Small
The Higgins Firm is a small, Nashville-based law firm that focuses primarily on nursing home abuse, personal injury, medical malpractice, and defective devices, both in individual cases and through more complex litigation. Attorneys with the firm have helped secure awards and settlements that total more than $100 million across many types of cases, both individual and group. In addition to its Nashville headquarters, the firm also has an office in Chattanooga.
Attorneys with the Higgins Firm are pursuing and investigating many new class-action cases. This includes pursuing cases related to medications like Abilify, Benicar, Invokana, Xarelto, and Zofran, as well as medical devices like the Da Vinci robotic surgery device and the Mirena birth-control IUD.
10. Law Offices of John Day, P.C.
5141 Virginia Way #270, Brentwood, TN 37027
Practice Areas: Class Action, Personal Injury, Dangerous Products, Child Sexual Abuse, Nursing Home Abuse
Firm Size: Small
The Law Offices of John Day is a small firm based in the Nashville suburb of Brentwood, and its attorneys bring a combined 80-plus years of legal expertise to every case. While personal injury cases are the firm’s bread-and-butter, its attorneys have also been involved in complex litigation, particularly surrounding defective or dangerous products.
Attorneys with the firm are investigating and pursuing individual and potential class-action claims related to consumer products like talcum powder, household appliances, and children’s toys, medications, medical devices, and cars, parts, and accessories. The firm has successfully secured awards and settlements that total the tens of millions in personal-injury and medical malpractice cases, among other areas.
