Our Team

5 / 5.0
Peer Rating
Independently conducted by Martindale

Jeremy M. Cothern

Partner

Jeremy primarily represents businesses, individuals, government entities, and utilities in civil disputes. He is often called upon by his clients to address pre-suit disputes to resolve issues prior to litigation, and more often called upon to defend against or prosecute claims once suit has been filed up to and through trial and appeal, as necessary. Jeremy has litigated in every typical dispute resolution forum, including, administrative courts, arbitrations, federal and state trial and appellate courts, and mediations. He often handles matters with significant sums of money or other pivotal interests at stake.

   

His primary practice area is the representation of businesses, business owners, and employers/employees in business and commercial litigation across the spectrum of these types of disputes. In his career, he has litigated breach of contract, business torts, collections, construction, copyright infringement, fiduciary duty, fraud, labor and employment, land use, limited liability company member, noncompete and non-solicitation agreements, partnership, real estate, securities, shareholder, trade secret misappropriation, trademark infringement, and unfair competition disputes. He also advocates for real property developers and owners before administrative and government bodies with respect to land use, asserts the rights of businesses who have been the victims of crimes, conducts internal investigations, and defends clients against government investigations (civil and criminal).

   

His secondary practice area is the representation of beneficiaries, fiduciaries, and heirs in estate and trust litigation across the spectrum of these types of disputes. In his career, he has litigated breach of fiduciary duty, contested estate or trust administrations, creditor claims, spousal rights claims, trust and will construction and interpretation, trust and will contests, and trust amendment or termination disputes and matters.

   

Jeremy also represents parties in domestic litigation, divorce and post-divorce matters, where issues of alimony, business or professional practice valuation, categorization of significant marital and separate property, challenging or protecting trusts, disputed income calculations, and/or the equitable division of significant assets is/are at issue. He further represents businesses and individuals accused of white-collar criminal matters, primarily those accused of environmental or financial crimes, and individuals who have sustained grievous personal injuries.

   

In addition to his litigation practice, Jeremy assists business owners in selecting and forming business entities, drafting and negotiating governance documents, drafting and negotiating transaction documents, maintaining an entity’s legal status once formed, and in solving day-to-day problems and in capitalizing on opportunities. His litigation focus often provides insight into avoiding potential problem areas for businesses and provides context when evaluating the business savvy decision when litigation is a possibility.

Practice Areas

Business and Commercial litigation
Construction litigation
Criminal defense
Domestic litigation
Probate
Government and Internal
Investigations
Personal Injury
Trust and Estate Litigation
Will Contests
Guardianships

Education

J.D., cum laude, The University of
Tennessee College of Law, 2008
Editor, Tennessee Law Review
(2006-2008)
Editor, Transactions: Tennessee
Journal of Business Law (2006-2008)
Editor, Tennessee Journal of Law &
Policy (2006-2008)
Judicial Intern, Knox County
Chancery Court (2007)
B.A., cum laude with departmental
honors, The University of the South
(Sewanee) 2005
Honoree, Academic All-SCAC
(2003-2005)
Varsity Basketball (2001-2005)

Professional Associations

Super Lawyers - Super Lawyer, Business Litigation (2023)
Super Lawyers - Rising Star, Business Litigation
(2016-2022)
Graduate, Tennessee Bar Association
Leadership Law (2015)
Graduate, Leadership Chattanooga
(2014-2015)
Member, The Justices Ray L. Brock,
Jr. - Robert E. Cooper American
Inns of Court (2014-Present)
Steering Committee Member and
Volunteer Coordinator, Supreme Court
Retention Campaign (2014)
Fundraising Volunteer for Class of 2005,
University of the South (Sewanee)
(2006-Present)