Before joining Bulso PLC, I was a senior litigation counsel who handled high-stakes cases at one of the largest 100 companies in the world for seven years. Before that, I was a partner and trial lawyer at one of the largest law firms in the southeast.
As I watched my family grow, I began to understand more fully my goals and the value of my experiences. While proud of my past work, I wanted change. Maybe it was “the fire in my little girl’s eyes,” to quote Jason Isbell. Maybe it was a consequence of a tragedy within my family. Maybe it was reflecting on my upbringing, including the experiences of my mother — who worked in a mill for slightly above minimum wage as I was growing up — and my father — who left high school early to help support his mother and siblings after his father was catastrophically injured and who struggled to catch up despite working very hard. Maybe it was just me getting a little older. Whatever the reasons, I decided I want to focus on clients, cases, and causes that have significant meaning to me. If I accept your case, it is because I feel a connection to the case or your circumstances and a moral responsibility to use my abilities to help you solve your legal problems.
I represent people and companies who have been harmed because another person or company has done something illegal, dishonest, or wrong. I represent plaintiffs and defendants. The types of cases I work on include shareholder disputes, real estate litigation, contract disputes, class action litigation, and fraud cases.
My experience as a lawyer handling class action and other commercial litigation inside a large company for seven years gives me insights that many lawyers do not have about how companies function. And I’ve learned that no matter how big or complex a case is, the key is to understand the issues so fully that the case becomes simple.
Everyone gets his or her day in court with a judge or jury earnestly searching for the right and fair answer. But when your name is called, you and your lawyer better be ready. Justice does not just happen; it is earned. It requires courage to do the right thing, hard work to be prepared, and skill to present your case in the right way.
Education
- J.D., College of William and Mary, 2001
- B.A., Virginia Military Institute, 1998, Distinguished Graduate with Institute Honors
Bar Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Tennessee
- U.S. District Court Western District of Tennessee
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Tennessee
Representative Experience
- Prosecution of lawsuits against automotive dealers for fraudulent warranty repairs
- Representation of automaker in class action lawsuits arising from recall of Takata airbags (the largest recall campaign in American history)
- Prevailing on motion to dismiss in class action lawsuit involving millions of vehicles in which the plaintiffs alleged that the operation of key fobs created unreasonable risks (Lassen v. Nissan North America, 211 F.Supp.3d 1267 (C.D. Cal. 2016))
- Prevailing on summary judgment, along with denial of class certification, in a class action lawsuit alleging engine defects (Nelson v. Nissan North America, Inc., 2014 WL 12618084 (D.N.J. 2014))
- Prevailing on motion to dismiss in alleged automotive defect class action (DeMaria v. Nissan North America, Inc., 2016 WL 374145 (N.D. Ill. 2016))
- Successfully representing automaker in international intellectual property dispute relating to technology utilized by race car in 24 Hours of Le Mans
- Successfully representing title insurance company against developer who committed fraud; obtained non-dischargeable judgment at trial versus developer that was affirmed on appeal, In re Looney, 453 B.R. 252 (B.A.P. 6th Cir. 2011)
- Prosecuting lawsuit and obtaining significant recovery on behalf of health care consulting company on claims arising from unsuccessful merger
Professional and Personal Activities
- Best in the Bar in 2017 – 2018, Nashville Business Journal
- Elected as a director on the board of the Nashville Bar Association (2017-20); Treasurer, Nashville Bar Association (2016)
- Elected as a trustee of Nashville Bar Foundation (elected 2020)
- Speaker: American Bar Association, Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Product Liability Litigation (Phoenix, Arizona, April 10, 2015; San Diego, California, April 5, 2019); Defense Research Institute, Strictly Automotive: On the Road Again (Nashville, Tennessee, November 13, 2015); American Bar Association, Class Action Litigation in America – A National Symposium (New Orleans, Louisiana, March 10, 2016)
- Summited Mt. Rainier via two different routes; summited the Grand Teton