Chattanooga, TN

Jerry H. Summers

Jerry H. Summers is a lifelong resident of Chattanooga and Hamilton County, Tennessee. Following his graduation from law school, he initially worked for two years as a prosecutor in the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office. Entering private practice in 1969, he became the founding member of what is now Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers. An experienced trial lawyer, he is one of the small number of attorneys in the State of Tennessee who has been selected for membership in the major honoraries based on legal ability and ethical criteria. He is a fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, American College of Trial Lawyers, International Society of Barristers, and the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is one of five attorneys in Tennessee invited to join the American Board of Criminal Lawyers.

Marcos Garza

Mr. Garza is a native of East Tennessee. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University. He obtained his Masters of Science from the University of Tennessee and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Marcos M. Garza of the Garza Law Firm, PLLC is best known for his defense of those accused of DUI, criminal charges and for his representation of individuals who have suffered serious personal injury. He has been recognized as a 'Mid-South Super Lawyer Rising-Star,' a 'Super Lawyer,' a 'National Top 100 Trial Lawyer™,' a 'National Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyer™,' and holds an AV 'Preeminent' Rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He is trained in Gas Chromatography, EC/IR II breath testing, Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, ARIDE, and DRE courses. He is a graduate of the National Criminal Defense College and Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College. After serving as a Judge Advocate and Captain in the United States Marine Corps, Mr. Garza returned to practice law in East Tennessee.

Sam D. Elliott

Sam D. Elliott is a member of the firm and practices primarily in the field of litigation and local government representation. He has tried jury cases involving commercial disputes, product liability, personal injury, employment discrimination, and eminent domain. Sam also represents the municipal governments of Soddy Daisy, Collegedale, Lakesite, Walden, Ridgeside, and Monteagle and is experienced in such diverse matters as government land use regulation and civil rights litigation. He also advises clients on issues of employment law, environmental law, commercial disputes, professional liability, has served as an arbitrator, and is a Rule 31 Listed General Civil Mediator. Sam is listed in the publication Best Lawyers in America for Bet the Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Labor and Employment, Litigation-Land Use and Zoning, Litigation-Municipal and Municipal Law. He has been selected as a Mid-South Super Lawyer every year since 2006 and is AV® Preeminent™ rated in Martindale-Hubbell. Sam is a past president of both the Tennessee Bar Association and the Chattanooga Bar Association. Sam began his career clerking in 1981-82 for then U. S. Magistrate Roger Dickson and has been with the firm ever since. In 1994, in an appointed criminal case where he argued before the Tennessee Supreme Court, he and his co-counsel obtained post-conviction relief for a prisoner on death row. Sam has also appeared as co-counsel for the Chattanooga Bar Association in suits to enjoin the unauthorized practice of law and volunteers in the pro bono program for Legal Aid of East Tennessee. Sam and his wife, Karen, have two daughters and attend Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church.

James Wettermark

During his 40-year career, James has been, first and foremost, a trial lawyer. He has tried over 200 jury trials to a verdict, including trials in state and federal courts in 12 different states. He obtained the largest verdict in the history of the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) ($34,000,000). He also obtained what was, at the time, the largest medical malpractice settlement in Tennessee history ($6.2 million). Among his victories are multi-million dollar jury verdicts on behalf of clients from Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Kentucky. His cases and verdicts have been featured in the Atlanta Constitution/Journal, the Birmingham News, the Cincinnati Post, the Louisville Courier-Journal, the Macon Telegraph, the Florence Times, and the Birmingham Business Journal. His work on behalf of railroad workers injured by toxic chemicals was covered by National Public Radio as well as the subject of a four-part series by the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Harry F. Burnette

Harry Burnette is a founding partner in the law firm of Burnette, Dobson & Pinchak. Mr. Burnette has worked in civil litigation since 1973. He has represented employees and companies in employment matters including discrimination, contracts, and severance review. Mr. Burnette has had many seven figure verdicts in automobile and truck accident cases as well as employment discrimination cases. Harry Burnette truly enjoys representing a party in asserting his or her employment rights. He has a gift in presenting a case before a jury and is a strong advocate on behalf of his client.

Wade Cannon

Wade Cannon is a member of the firm practicing primarily in the field of litigation. A significant portion of Wade’s practice involves the representation of banks with particular emphasis on collection matters and lender liability defense in both state and federal courts in Tennessee and Georgia. Wade has drafted notes, loan agreement, security agreements, deeds of trust, and other security documents. Since the firm handles both collection and foreclosure actions in Tennessee and Georgia, Wade has implemented collection procedures through suit and foreclosure. In addition, he has extensive experience practicing in bankruptcy court. He has handled bankruptcy stay litigation, defended preference actions, and participated in a wide range of creditor related rights issues in bankruptcy litigation. He has been named as a Mid-South Super Lawyer in the field of Banking. Construction litigation and arbitration also make up a significant portion of Wade’s practice. As a result, Wade deals with construction issues from the specificity of compliance with mechanic’s and materialman’s lien laws to general breach of contract matters as well as drafting construction contracts. In his construction practice, Wade has represented owners, general contractors, and sub-contractors. Wade is a member of The Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel and The Tennessee Bar Association Construction Law Section, where he has served on the Executive Council since 2017 and was the chair for 2022. Wade has also represented insurance companies in personal injury suits and has participated as counsel in legal malpractice defense cases. Finally, Wade’s practice includes commercial and residential real estate law, including everything from litigation to preparing deeds and leases. Wade is listed in Best Lawyers in America 2013 - 2023 and is rated AV® Preeminent™ in Martindale Hubbell.

Chris Keith

Chris is entering his twenty-fourth year of practicing law. Chris’s accomplishments speak for themselves. He has represented clients in over thirty states throughout the Country and has successfully tried to a jury verdict cases in seven different states. His first seven-figure jury verdict came only three years out of law school. Chris’s list of seven and eight-figure jury verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients exceeds over fifty and the number continues to climb yearly. His practice has been diverse and wide-ranging, including the representation of injured railroad workers, product liability cases, medical malpractice cases, nursing home cases, trucking cases, premises cases, automobile wreck cases, and the list goes on. While representing clients throughout the Country, Chris has managed the growth of the law firm since 2011, from two lawyers and two paralegals to over thirty attorneys and a staff exceeding eighty-five. Under his leadership, the firm expanded from one office in Birmingham, to multiple offices now located throughout Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida. Chris continues to actively handle cases on behalf of clients and manages the daily operations of the firm (though he adds, with the guidance and assistance of great talent surrounding him).