Doug has been practicing employment law since 2004. He primarily represents victims of employment discrimination, unlawful retaliation, and workplace harassment. Doug also has represented small businesses against whom employment discrimination charges have been asserted. He has successfully tried employment cases to juries in both federal and state courts. In some cases, Doug’s client obtained sizeable punitive damages awards from the jury. Doug’s employment cases have involved retaliatory discharge and whistleblower protection claims, as well as litigating employment claims involving disability discrimination, age discrimination, race discrimination, sexual harassment, and military discrimination.
Doug is a native of Mississippi, but has lived in Chattanooga since 2003. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from King College in Bristol, Tennessee in 1999 and his law degree from the University of Tennessee in 2003. In law school, Doug was a member of the Tennessee Law Review, which published his article, “The Fifty Dollar Fines Clause Re-Emerges After Thirty-Five Years of Slumber,” 70 Tenn. L. Rev. 887 (2003). After law school, Doug served as judicial clerk for the Chancery Court of Hamilton County. He has been in private practice since 2004.
Doug is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell, which is the highest rating for lawyers. He is admitted to practice in all courts in Tennessee, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He has also litigated before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Federal Sector Hearings Unit and the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board. Doug’s professional memberships include the National Employment Lawyers Association, past board member of the Tennessee chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association, the Federal Bar Association, Executive Council for the Labor and Employment section of the Tennessee Bar Association, and the Chattanooga Bar Association.
Doug spends most of his free time with his wife, Julie, and his six children (four boys and two girls). He is also active in his church, Mountain Fellowship, and with Boy Scouts.
