J. William Coley
Member
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Bill's Areas of Practice
- Utility Law
- Contracts
- Eminent Domain
- General Liability Defense
- Government Contracts
- Insurance Defense
- Personal Injury– Defense
- General Litigation
J. William Coley (Bill) received his law degree with honors from the University of Tennessee in 1985. His practice is devoted primarily to utility representation across a broad range of legal issues, general litigation, and insurance representation. He is President of the Knoxville Bar Association. He is a past president of the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyer Division, a member of the American Bar Association, American Bar Foundation, Tennessee Bar Association, Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association and the Defense Research Institute. He enjoys family and outdoor activities.
Litigation Percentage
- 75 percent of practice devoted to litigation
Bar Admissions
- Tennessee, 1985
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Tennessee, 1985
- U.S. District Court Western District of Tennessee, 1985
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Tennessee, 1985
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
Education
- University of Tennessee College of Law, Knoxville, Tennessee J.D. – 1985 - Honors: With Honors
- University of Tennessee B.S.
Representative Clients
- Knoxville Utilities Board
- Farmers Insurance Exchange
Honors and Awards
- Knoxville, Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Tennessee Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Best Lawyers in America 2012 – Administrative/Regulatory Law
- Best Lawyers in America 2013 – Administrative/Regulatory Law
- Best Lawyers in America 2014 – Administrative/Regulatory Law, Litigation-Environmental
- Cityview 2014 Top Knoxville Attorney – Environmental Law, Administrative Law
- Best Lawyers in America 2015 – Administrative/Regulatory Law, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Litigation-Environmental
- Cityview 2015 Top Knoxville Attorney – Administrative Law, Environmental Law
- Best Lawyers in America 2016 – Administrative/Regulatory Law, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Litigation-Environmental. Listed as Best Lawyer since 2012.
- Cityview 2016 Top Knoxville Attorney – Administrative Law, Environmental Law
- Best Lawyers in America 2017 – Administrative/Regulatory Law, Eminent Domain & Condemnation Law, Litigation-Environmental
- Cityview 2017 Top Knoxville Attorney – Administrative Law
- Cityview 2018 Top Knoxville Attorney – Environmental
- Best Lawyers in America 2018 - Administrative/Regulatory Law; Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law; Litigation-Environmental; Litigation-Municipal
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Knoxville Bar Association (President 2012)
- Tennessee Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- American Bar Foundation
- Defense Research Institute
- Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association
Past Employment Positions
- Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC, Managing Partner, 2004 – 2011
Pro Bono Activities
- Chair, Campaign for Equal Justice, Legal Aid of E. Tennessee, 2006 – 2007
Fraternities/Sororities
- Phi Alpha Delta
- Alpha Gamma Rho
