Attorneys

Bryan E. Pieper

Whether it’s an employment law case or a complex business dispute, Bryan Pieper has litigated across the country, from New York to Oregon to Tennessee.  As much as he loves being in the courtroom, Bryan is equally comfortable in the boardroom, counseling clients through internal labor and employment disputes or conducting in-house training or policy review in order to prevent disputes.   

In the commercial litigation arena, Bryan’s experience is broad, covering matters as diverse as trademark infringement, corporate fiduciary duties, breach of contract and fraud.  In the employment law arena, Bryan represents both employers and employees, and he firmly believes it makes him better at both.  Bryan contends that you cannot be the best you can be unless you have walked in the shoes of your opponent.   

Bryan has lived around the world, having spent several years in Germany and Czechoslovakia, as well as having lived in international U.S. cities such as Miami and New Orleans, yet he loves to call Nashville home.  Bryan first came to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt University, and wherever his travels have taken him, he has always returned.   

Bryan received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where he studied Political Science and German, though he completed a portion of his undergraduate studies at Regensburg University in Germany.  Similarly, he received his Doctorate of Jurisprudence degree from Vanderbilt School of law, though he also studied law at Charles University in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now, Czech Republic).  While at Vanderbilt School of Law, Bryan was the President of the Vanderbilt Labor Law Society and repeatedly named to the Dean’s List.  Bryan received the American Jurisprudence “Book” Award for the highest grade in Corporate Law. 

When he is not litigating a case or helping a client navigate a sticky employment or contract matter, Bryan’s practice provides him with the best possible perspective on the law – the view from the bench.  For several years Bryan served as an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), presiding over disputes between Nashville Electric Service and its employees.  Bryan currently serves as an Outside Review Officer, presiding over disputes between the Metro Nashville Public School System and its employees.  By representing plaintiffs, defendants and also presiding over employment law disputes, Bryan has a 360 degree view of what really works and what doesn’t. 

When he isn’t practicing law, Bryan loves public speaking, regularly teaching Continuing Legal Education seminars to other lawyers or speaking on employment topics through the Middle Tennessee chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).  

Bryan, his wife and two children live in East Nashville, where they are active members of their Lockeland Springs neighborhood. 

David E. Heller

David’s practice focuses on estate planning, which includes family wealth preservation and estate tax planning.  David helps clients and their families create plans to protect the family wealth from “outsiders” such as creditors, ex-spouses and divorcing in-laws. Additionally, David’s advises clients on reducing their potential estate tax liability.   Many of David’s plans combine asset protection planning, estate tax savings and planning for the family’s future generation.  David also advises families with business succession issues, pre-marital agreements and charitable planning. 

As an extension of his estate planning practice, David also handles the probate and administration of estates and trusts after an individual’s death and represents beneficiaries when controversies arise between family members.  David can also help with conservatorship and guardian issues if a person becomes incapacitated. 

David has been awarded the top “AV” rating by Martindale- Hubbell.  David is often a featured speaker at numerous seminars and teaches estate planning at various CLE courses. 

David graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1984 with a double major in Information Systems and Math.  He received his doctorate of jurisprudence with cum laude distinction from Widener University School of Law in 1994 and an LL.M. Masters in Tax Law, with honors, from Georgetown University in 1995. 

David serves on several boards and committees for non-profit organizations throughout the middle Tennessee area.

Tracey A. Kinslow

Paul Soper

Greg Oakley

Greg has fifteen years of experience as a litigator and advisor to clients of all types, focusing primarily in the area of commercial litigation and business disputes. He has successfully tried more than 50 cases to verdict, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. Greg has tried cases in state and federal courts across Tennessee, and has successfully argued a number of cases in the Tennessee Court of Appeals and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Although he often represents defendants, in the past four years alone Greg has collected more than $3 million on behalf of his litigation clients. Greg and his co-counsel recently received a $21 million dollar jury verdict in a complex class action involving commercial fraud and civil conspiracy against a large, publicly traded corporation. 

Most of Greg’s business clients are small to medium sized businesses or individual entrepreneurs. Greg is acutely aware of the costs of litigation and its effect on his clients’ bottom-line. As comfortable as he is in the courtroom, Greg has also developed a practice that helps his business clients stay out of litigation by assisting them with their business structure, contracts, and employee relations. This is part of Greg’s practice philosophy, which is striving to use his knowledge and experience to effectively and economically help his clients reach their goals.

Greg is a native of Memphis and a graduate of the University of Tennessee School of Law. He spent several years practicing with large firms, and with his partner, Paul Soper, led a successful small firm for almost ten years before he and Paul joined DHPM in May 2010. In addition to his normal practice, Greg is dedicated to providing legal services to those who cannot afford them, and regularly represents clients on behalf of the Nashville Bar Association’s Pro Bono Program. Greg was named the 1998 Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year by the NBA.

Kathleen Pohlid

Kathy advises clients in the areas of employment, litigation, federal and state governmental compliance, occupational safety and health, Americans with Disabilities Act (accommodation & discrimination) and health law issues including Medicare audits.  Her goal is to enable clients to comply with the myriad of state and federal laws to succeed in their business.  She has over 20 years experience in litigation and employment law, in both federal government and the private sector, and is mindful of the challenges facing businesses and the importance of cost effectiveness.   

Kathy received an AV rating from Martindale (highest for professional competency and ethics).  She has a B.S. degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and her J.D. from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law.  Immediately following law school, she served a federal clerkship to the Honorable T. Michael Putnam, U.S. Magistrate, Northern District of Alabama.  She formerly represented the Secretary of Labor as a trial attorney for twelve years with the Office of the Solicitor, U.S. Department of Labor before going into private practice representing business clients in various industries.  Prior to joining DHPM, she was a partner at King & Ballow where she practiced for eight years. 

Kathy is licensed to practice in Alabama and Tennessee and has been admitted to practice before all of the Federal District Courts in Tennessee and Alabama, as well as the Northern District of Texas and the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Sixth and Eleventh Circuits. She is also a court-approved mediator in both Tennessee and Alabama.   She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, the Nashville Bar Association, Nashville Leadership Health Care Council, the American Society of Safety Engineers, Health Care Compliance Association, Medical Group Management Association, and the Associated General Contractors of America.  

Kathy both writes and speaks professionally on employment law and regulatory compliance matters.  She is a contributing author on ADA and employment issues, currently serves on the Nashville Bar Journal’s Editorial Board, and is a contributing editor on ADA and employment law matters to Hotel Executive online journal. 

In 2010, she retired from the U.S. Marine Corps as a Colonel, having served two combat deployments. Her judge advocate assignments include duty in Djibouti, Africa and Iraq.  

Kathy is also a member of Kiwanis, a global institution dedicated to improving the lives of children.  She also serves as Regent with the Daughters of the American Revolution, Francis Nash Chapter, and as Vice-President for the Nashville Catholic Business Women’s League.  She is a watercolor enthusiast, and along with her husband Roman, enjoys art at the Frist & Cheekwood, live music in the Nashville area, hiking, travel, golf, running, and supporting their parish, the Cathedral of the Incarnation.  

Peter Robison

Peter Robison joined DHPM in 2010, after clerking for the Honorable Thomas W. Brothers in Nashville. Peter received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2005 from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he also studied Spanish and Latin American Literature.  He received his Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2008.  While at Vanderbilt, Peter was an officer of the Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity and the J. Reuben Clark Law Society.  He also participated in Mock Trial, Moot Court, and represented his first clients through the Vanderbilt Law School Domestic Violence Legal Clinic.

Peter’s areas of practice include employment litigation, probate and estate administration, and commercial litigation. He is a member of the Tennessee and Nashville Bar Associations, and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Courts for the Middle District and Western District of Tennessee.

Peter is an Eagle Scout and continues to work with the Boy Scouts of America.  In 2007, he helped start the Vanderbilt Law Explorers, a career exploration program sponsored by the Boy Scouts and the Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity at Vanderbilt, and has taught the class ever since.  He is fluent in Spanish, having lived in Venezuela for two years, and has often represented Spanish-speaking clients.

Peter is an avid reader and enjoys running and hiking.  He lives in Nashville with his wife and children.

Ben Smith

Ben Smith joined DHPM in July of 2011, after serving as Assistant General Counsel for the State of Tennessee, Department of Children’s Services in its Davidson County office. 
 
An experienced litigator, Smith successfully tried hundreds of cases with the Department of Children’s Services, and received recognition from the American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law for his trial advocacy while at Florida State University College of Law, where he earned his J.D. in 2008. 

Mr. Smith received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2004 from the University of Tennessee, where he studied Public Administration and Speech Communication.  While at the University of Tennessee, Mr. Smith was President of Alpha Kappa Psi professional business fraternity, was elected to the Student Government, and also served on other advisory councils in the College of Business.  Prior to attending law school, Mr. Smith worked in corporate strategy at Brunswick Boat Group, after working in the newspaper industry for five years while paying his own way through college.

Mr. Smith practices primarily in the area of civil litigation, including probate, personal injury, family law and commercial litigation.  He lives in Nashville with his wife, Maria.
 

Sean J. Martin

In 2005, with the firm in need of a top-notch personal injury lawyer, DHPM reached out to Sean J. Martin, who had distinguished himself both as a law clerk, working for Marietta Shipley, Judge of the Second Circuit Court for Davison County; and as a litigator, working for Cornelius & Collins, LLP.  He’s been representing injured persons ever since, in cases ranging from premises liability (slip & falls) to trucking accidents and wrongful death matters.  The success he has enjoyed in the area of personal injury is a tribute to the excellent mentors he has learned from along the way. 

Sean is cut from the same cloth as author Ernest Hemingway or journalist Hunter S. Thompson:  he is an aficionado of adventure, big game fishing in particular.  He gets away several times a year to chase snook or tarpon or redfish—or anything that will give him a good fight.  He travels with like-minded individuals, and always returns with thrilling stories.  His exploits have taken him around the world, but if you asked him where he would rather be over any other place, he would tell you Key West, in a little stretch of water he calls Tarpon Alley. 

Sean began his collegiate career at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut; and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.  Sean completed his law school education at the University of Tennessee as well, earning his Juris Doctorate degree in 1999. 

Every year since 2009, Sean has annually been named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers Magazine.  He expects his star will be on the rise for years to come. 

You can learn more about Sean at his personal website, www.seanjmartin.com. 

Tim Barnes

Tim Barnes has been practicing law since 1985 in the areas of divorce, child custody, adoption, criminal and juvenile law. At DHPM, Mr. Barnes focuses his practice on family law mediation, serving as a mediator to help people resolve disputes and avoid the damaging and expensive litigation process.

Early in his legal career, Mr. Barnes developed a philosophy of practice that is very simple: Solve the client’s problem(s). He understands that sometimes this takes aggressive litigation, sometimes artful negotiation, sometimes creative approaches that require thinking outside the box. As a mediator, Mr. Barnes applies the same principle, but now his goal is to bring both sides to a solution that solves the underlying problem(s) and achieves all of the parties’ legitimate goals whenever possible, thinking outside the box when necessary to do so. Mr. Barnes knows that matters such as divorce, child custody and domestic problems can be the most devastating events in a person’s life, causing them to make bad choices, even self-destructive choices, particularly when the court system seems to offer a convenient weapon. Family law mediation provides an opportunity to cut through that kind of self-destructive, clouded judgment, and to move toward solutions that enable people to move on with their lives.

Mr. Barnes was raised on a cotton and soybean farm, where he was taught the value of hard work, personal responsibility and loyalty. He applies those values in everything he does, including his law practice and his mediation services. If Mr. Barnes mediates your case, he will treat you with respect and work hard to find real solutions to difficult problems.

Mr. Barnes earned his B.A. degree from Harding University and his law degree from University of Arkansas Law School. In addition to his affiliation with Drescher Heller Pieper Martin in Nashville, Mr. Barnes also maintains his law office in Clarksville, Tennessee.