Mr. Priest is a graduate of The University of Tennessee (B.S. Finance, summa cum laude, 1995) and The University of Tennessee College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1999). Mr. Priest was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 1999 and is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Tennessee. He is a member of the Order of the Coif, Knoxville Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, Tennessee Association for Justice, American Association for Justice, and the Hamilton Burnett American Inn of Court. Mr. Priest has been an adjunct professor in the Advocacy Program at The University of Tennessee College of Law since 2005, and he is also a member of the Advisory Board to The University of Tennessee College of Law’s Advocacy Clinic.

Mr. Priest has been recognized by his peer Attorneys and Judges with the AV rating, which is the highest rating bestowed by Martindale-Hubbell upon only a select few licensed attorneys. He has also been regularly recognized for many years by Knoxville area attorneys and judges as one of Knoxville’s Top Attorneys in City View magazine’s polls. Further, Mr. Priest was named by his peers to the Mid-South Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for 2012, and he has been named a Mid-South Super Lawyer since 2013.

Mr. Priest’s practice has an emphasis on the courtroom and litigation, primarily representing plaintiffs in cases involving personal injury, defective products, and wrongful death cases. Mr. Priest also practices extensively in the area of family law and domestic relations. Mr. Priest participates frequently in forms of alternative dispute resolution, including both mediation and arbitration. Mr. Priest is also a Rule 31 Listed Mediator by the Tennessee Supreme Court, and he regularly serves as a mediator for other attorneys and litigants as well.

Mr. Priest’s practice is based in Knox County, but he regularly handles cases throughout East Tennessee and has represented many clients from other parts of the state and from states other than Tennessee. Mr. Priest is a frequent speaker and lecturer to his peers in continuing education programs, having been a speaker for the Knoxville Bar Association, the National Business Institute, and other presenters in the fields of personal injury law and family law.

Mr. Priest has two daughters, Kate and Annie, and a golden retriever named Lucy. When not practicing law, Mr. Priest enjoys coaching his daughters in youth sports, snow skiing, going to the lake, and playing golf. He is also an instrument rated private pilot who enjoys flying his Beechcraft Bonanza, both in support of his law practice and for pleasure.

Practice Areas

• Courtroom and Litigation
• Personal Injury
• Defective Products
• Wrongful Death
• Divorce and Family Law

Education

• University of Tennessee College of Law, Knoxville, Tennessee
  • J.D. – 1999
  • Honors: magna cum laude
  • Honors: Order of the Coif, 1999
  • Honors: Member, Advisory Board, Advocacy Clinic
• The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
  • B.S. – 1995
  • Honors: summa cum laude
  • Major: Finance

Bar Admissions

• Tennessee, 1999
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Tennessee, 1999
• U.S. District Court Middle District of Tennessee
• U.S. District Court Western District of Tennessee

Honors

• Voted One of “Knoxville’s Top Attorneys” in a Survey of Lawyers and Judges, City View Magazine, 2010-present
• Mid-South Super Lawyers Rising Stars List
• Awarded the AV Designation by Martindale-Hubbell Via Rigorous Peer Review
• Mid-South Super Lawyer
• 2022 Awards with City View Magazine -Family Law/Divorce/Child Support -Nursing Home Liability -Plaintiff -Personal Injury-Auto -Plaintiff -Personal Injury-Motorcycle -Plaintiff -Product Liability -Plaintiff

Classes/Seminars

• Adjunct Professor, Advocacy Program, The University of Tennessee College of Law, 2005 to Present

Representative Cases

• Crippen v Campbell, 2007 WL 2768076, 2007, Tenn. Ct. App
• Elrod v. Elrod, 2004 WL 66683, 2004, Tenn. Ct. App.
• Morristown Firefighters Ass’n v. City of Morristown, 2001 WL 274114, 2001, Tenn.Ct.App.

Professional Associations

• Knoxville Bar Association, Member, 1999
• Tennessee Bar Association, Member
• Tennessee Association for Justice, Member
• America Association of Justice, Member
• Hamilton Burnett American Inn of Court, Member
• Order of the Coif, Member
• Advisory Board, The University of Tennessee College of Law’s Advocacy Clinic, Member

Current Employment Positions

• Partner, 2006