Knoxville, TN

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.

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.

Timothy A. Priest

Timothy A. Priest retired from Pryor, Priest, & Harber in January 2023. Mr. Priest is a native of Huntingdon, Tennessee, and a graduate of The University of Tennessee (B.S., Cum Laude, 1972) and The University College of Law (J.D., Valedictorian, 1975). Mr. Priest was admitted to the Bar in 1976 and admitted before the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Tennessee. He is a member of the Order of the Coif and the Knoxville and Tennessee Bar Associations and the Tennessee and American Trial Lawyers Associations. Mr. Priest’s peer attorneys and judges have bestowed upon him the AV rating, which is the highest rating through Martindale-Hubbel and is awarded to only a select few attorneys. He has been selected as one of Knoxville’s top attorneys in the area of personal injury litigation by City View. Mr. Priest’s practiced had an emphasis on the courtroom and litigation, primarily representing persons injured in vehicular crashes, by defective products, and including wrongful death cases. Mr. Priest had served as a Rule 31 mediator listed by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Mr. Priest’s practice is based in Knox County, Tennessee, but he regularly handled cases throughout East Tennessee and occasionally in Middle and West Tennessee, as well as surrounding states.

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).

W. Kyle Carpenter

Kyle Carpenter, a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, is Of Counsel at the firm, focusing on Civil Trial Practice, particularly product liability and toxic tort cases, commercial litigation, and class action defense. He is an arbitrator on the American Arbitration Association’s Roster of Neutrals.

James A.H. Bell

James A.H. Bell is the founding attorney at Law Offices of James A.H. Bell, PC, specializing in criminal defense, personal injury, and administrative law. With over 50 years of experience since being sworn in as a lawyer in 1974, he has litigated over 1,500 cases across various jurisdictions. He is recognized in 'Best Lawyers' lists, a Fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, and a past-President of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

John K. Harber

Mr. Harber is a graduate of The McCallie School (1970), The University of Tennessee (B.A. cum laude, 1974), and The University of Tennessee College of Law (J.D., 1977). Mr. Harber was admitted to practice law in the State of Tennessee in 1978; the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (1979); the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (1985), the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky (1986), and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit (1980). Mr. Harber has served as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Law, University of Tennessee College of Law, where he taught trial practice (1992-1996). Mr. Harber is a certified state and federal mediator as well as a board certified civil trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the Tennessee Commission of Continuing Legal Education. Mr. Harber’s practice focuses on civil litigation including personal injury, medical malpractice, worker’s compensation, civil rights, family law, and civil mediation. Mr. Harber has obtained numerous verdicts and settlements in excess of $1,000,000.00 on behalf of clients involved in catastrophic injury litigation as well as wrongful death cases. Mr. Harber also regularly represents individuals in divorce litigation involving marital estates of significant value as well as all other forms of domestic litigation.