• Best Lawyers in America
• Best Lawyers in Tennessee
• Martindale-Hubbell (Highest Rating: AV)
• FindLaw

• Office of the Attorney General, Nashville, Tennessee, May 1974 - October 1977
  • Assistant Attorney General, 1974 - 1976
  • Senior Assistant Attorney General, 1976 - 1977
• Office of the District Attorney, Nashville, Tennessee, October 1977 - January 1984

• Chair, Tennessee Supreme Court Advisory Commission on Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure, 1982 - 1988
• Member, Tennessee Sentencing Commission (Chaired Criminal Code Revision Subcommittee) 1986 - 1995
• Member, Tennessee Supreme Court Advisory Commission on Tennessee Rules of Post Conviction Procedures, 1991 - 1995
• Adjunct Member, Tennessee Supreme Court Advisory Commission on Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure, 1996 - 2000
• Member, Tennessee Supreme Court Advisory Commission on Tennessee Rules of Practice and Procedure, 2001 - 2010
  
• Member, Governor’s Task Force on the Use of Enhancement Factors in Criminal Sentencing, 2004 - Current

• Search and Seizure; "Knock and Talk" Doctrine (brief)
• Criminally Negligent Homicide (Brief)
• Expungement of Arrest Records Tennessee Bar Journal (February, 2008)
• State v. Gomez: Tennessee Sentencing Law Violates Sixth Amendment, Tenn. Bar Journal (December, 2007)
• Appellate Retroactivity Rules: The Pipeline Doctrine
• Consecutive Sentences Violate the Sixth Amendment (Brief)
• Civil Rights Complaint (False Arrest)
• Appellate Advocacy
• Who's there? The parameters of police 'knock and talk' tactics, 43 Tennessee Bar Association Journal 3 (March, 2007)
• Motion to Suppress Search of Dwelling
• Sentencing Memorandum ( Possession of Machine Gun)
• Change of Venue (Motion)
• Child Sex Offenses (Brief)
• Corporate Crime (Speech)
• Criminal Mental Health Issues (Speech)
• Deportation because of Criminal Conviction (Speech)
• Double Jeopardy (Brief)
• Driving under the Influence (Brief)
• Evading Arrest (Brief)
• Insanity Defense (Brief)
• Mental State Jury Instructions (Brief)
• Mistaken Identity (Brief)
• Setting Aside Guilty Plea (Brief)
• The Anticipated Resolution of the Blakely Split of Authority in the States, 18 Federal Sentencing Reporter, October, 2005
• Weapon Offense (Federal Sentencing Memo)
• The Blakely Fix, 41 Tennessee Bar Association Journal 14 (July 2005)
• What is the Impact of Blakely v. Washington on Sentencing in Tennessee? Tenn. Bar Journal , August, 2004
• Thirteen Tips For Improving Client Relations, Tenn. Bar Journal, Nov. 2002
• Stick to Your Guns: Restoration of Firearm Rights, Tenn. Bar Journal, March 2003
• Mrs. Burns’ Lesser Included Offense Pyramid, Tenn. Bar Association, Nov. 1999
• Instructing the Jury in Murder Cases, Tenn. Bar Journal, July, 2002
• Obtaining Medical Records For Mental Health Evaluations, Tenn. Bar Journal, July, 2001
• Advocacy In DUI Cases
• Battered Woman Defense
• Ethics in Criminal Cases
• State v. Flake [Insanity Law] (Defendant’s Brief) (PDF)
• Sentencing Memorandum (Manslaughter Case)
• Tennessee Sentencing Practices 1790-1999
• State v. Kimbrell [Child Sex Abuse Allegations] (Defendant’s Brief)
• Three Volume Set, Tennessee Criminal Practice and Procedure, West Publishing Company, 1984 - present (this work has been cited as authority in over one hundred appellate opinions)
• The Tennessee Sentencing Reform Act of 1982, 18 Tenn. Bar J. 36 (Aug. 1982)
• The Class X Felony Law of 1979, 14 Tenn. Bar J. 25 (Aug. 1979)
• The Proposed Criminal Code, 41 Tenn. L. Rev. 131 (1973)
• Note, The Abolition of Anonymity, 40 Tenn. L. Rev. 301 (1973)

• Tennessee Bar Association Justice Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing, 1983
• Tennessee Bar Association Justice Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing, 2005

• American Bar Association
• Nashville Bar Association
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Board of Directors)
• Tennessee Bar Association
• Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association

The links to the following reported decisions will take you to files that exist in pdf. format which requires the commonly-available Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have this program on your computer CLICK HERE to install it free of charge.

• Bernard v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville/Davidson County, Tennessee , Tenn. App. 2010 (police officer retirement benefits).
• State v. Mims , (Tenn. Crim. App.2010) (pretrial diversion for attorney)
• Atkinson v. State, Tenn. App. 2010 (prisoner suicide)
• Brown v. State, Tenn. Crim. App. 2010 (ineffective assistance of counsel)
• State v. Trusty Tenn. Crim. App. 2010 (proof of venue)
• State v. Talley Tenn. Sp Ct. 2010 (knock and talk search)
• Rountree v. State Tenn. Crim. App. 2009 (lifetime sex offender supervision)
• State v. Headley Tenn.Crim. App. 2009 (pretrial diversion for sheriff)
• State v. Stewart (Tenn.Crim. App. 2008) (probation revocation; recusal of judge)
• State v. Geiculescu (Tenn.Crim. App. 2008) (attorney fee award for frivolous government appeal of Double Jeopardy issue)
• Hendricks vs Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission (Tenn.; Davidson County Chancery Court. 2008) (expunged guilty plea cannot be used to decertify a police officer).
• Bernard v. Metropolitan Government, 2007 WL 935722 (Tenn.App 2007) (appeal of denial of police emoluments )
• State v. Strickland, 2007 WL 1028535 (Tenn.Crim App 2007) (lack of proof of rape)
• State v. Schiefelbein, 2007 WL  465151 (Tenn.Crim.App 2007) (disqualification of judge, sentencing reduction, Blakely Sixth Amendment sentencing)
• State v. Neese, 2006 WL  3831387 (Tenn.Crim.App 2006) (confrontation of witnesses)
• State v. Guartos, 2006 WL 163633 (Tenn.Crim.App 2006) (improper identification)
• State v. Hood, 2006 WL 3455211 (Tenn.Civ.App 2006) (juvenile delinquency, double jeopardy)
• Moore v. Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole, 2005 WL 1025763 (Tenn.Civ.App 2005) (ex post facto parole hearing requirements)
• State v. Filauro , 2004 WL 840084 (Tenn.Crim.App 2004) (withdrawal of guilty plea)
• State v. Ogundiya, 2004 WL 315138 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2004) (lesser included offenses)
• State v. Sheppard, 2003 WL 21997737 (Tenn.Crim. App., Aug 22, 2003) (amendment of indictment)
• State v. Kimbrell, 2003 WL 1877094 (Tenn. Crim. App., Apr 15, 2003) (ineffective assistance of counsel)
• State v. Nevens, 2001 WL 430602 (Tenn.Crim.App., Apr 27, 2001) (mistake of fact defense)
• State v. Kelly, 1998 WL 712268 (Tenn.Crim.App., Oct 13, 1998) (vehicular homicide)
• State v. Ward, 1996 WL 38867 (Tenn.Crim.App., Feb 02, 1996) (ineffective assistance of counsel)
• State v. Flake, 88 S.W 3d 540 (Tenn. 2002) ( insanity rules)
• State v. Page , 81 S.W.3d 781 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2002) ( criminal intent)
• State v. Bowers , 77 S.W. 3d 776 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2001) (newly discovered evidence)
• State v. Ducker , 27 S.W.3d 889 (Tenn.2000) (child abuse litigation)
• State v. Burns , 6 S.W.3rd 453 (Tenn.1999) (lesser included offenses)
• Wilson v. Wilson, 984 S.W.2d 898 (Tenn. 1999) (criminal contempt procedures)
• State v. Lewis , 978 S.W.2d 558 (Tenn Crim. App. 1998) (evading arrest)
• State v. Woodcock, 922 S.W.2d 904 (Tenn. Cr. App. 1995) (proof of other crimes)
• State v. Forbes, 918 S.W. 2d 431 (Tenn. Cr. App. 1995) (jury instructions regarding multiple acts in single count)
• State v. Blouvett, 904 S.W. 2d 111 (Tenn. 1995) (multiple offender classification in sentence calculations) (Amicus)
• State v. Tizard, 897 S.W.2d 732 (Tenn. Cr. App. 1994) (proof of other crimes)
• McIntyre v. Traughber, 884 S.W.2d 134 (Tenn. App. 1994) (mootness doctrine)
• Ezell v. Cockrell, 902 S.W.2d 394, (Tenn. 1995) (public duty doctrine for police officers) (Amicus for Fraternal Order of Police)
• Ghem, Inc. v. Mapco Petroleum, Inc., 850 S.W.2d 447, (Tenn., 1993) (petroleum price litigation) (Amicus)
• State v. Barone, 852 S.W.2d 216 (Tenn., 1993) (physical examination of witnesses; medical hearsay exception)
• Slagle v. Reynolds, 845 S.W.2d 167 (Tenn., 1992) (parole calculation) (Amicus)
• State v. Zimmerman, 823 S.W.2d 220 (Tenn. Cr. App., 1991) (battered woman defense; ineffective assistance standard)
• State v. Bilbrey, 816 S.W.2d 71 (Tenn. Cr. App., 1991) (notice of appeal)
• State v. Bryant, 805 S.W.2d 762 (Tenn. 1991) (appellate review of fines)
• State v. McMullin, 801 S.W.2d 826 (Tenn. Cr. App., 1990) ("midnight trial" case)
• State v. Perry, 740 S.W.2d 723 (Tenn. Cr. App., 1987) (jury misconduct)
• State v. Landers, 723 S.W.2d 950 (Tenn., 1987) (pre-trial diversion)
• State v. Moss, 727 S.W.2d 229 (Tenn., 1986) (sentence modification standard) (Amicus)
• Martin v. State, 584 S.W.2d 830 (Tenn. Cr. App., 1979) (marital privilege)
• Dearborne v. State, 575 S.W.2d 259, 4 A.L.R.4th 138 (Tenn., 1978) (pre-trial diversion)
• Pace v. State, 566 S.W.2d 861 (Tenn., 1978) (pre-trial diversion)
• State v. Gaddis, 530 S.W.2d 64 (Tenn., 1975) (discovery rights)
• State ex rel. Gillard v. Cook, 528 S.W.2d 545 (Tenn., 1975) (right to an attorney in parole hearing)
• Lillard v. State, 528 S.W.2d 207, 81 A.L.R.3d 1217 (Tenn. Cr. App., 1975) (multiple rape convictions)
• State v. Banks, 564 S.W.2d 947 (Tenn., 1978) (admission of photographs)
• Forbes v. State, 559 S.W.2d 318 (Tenn., 1977) (mental examination of witness)
• State v. Stacey, 556 S.W.2d 552 (Tenn. Cr. App., 1977) (competency to stand trial)
• Smith v. State, 547 S.W.2d 925 (Tenn., 1977) (reasonable doubt instruction)
• Graham v. State, 547 S.W.2d 531 (Tenn., 1977) (modification of insanity rules)
• Collins v. State, 550 S.W.2d 643 (Tenn., 1977) (death penalty)
• State v. Wert, 550 S.W.2d 1 (Tenn. Cr. App., 1977) ("open fields" doctrine)
• (Total reported and unreported appellate cases: 140)