Year Joined Organization: 1995

Lawyer Overview

Jimmy Rodgers' legal career has focused on protecting the rights of individuals against big corporations. His main work in this regard is in three areas:

• pursuing justice for victims of dangerous corporate products (mainly asbestos victims);
• representing unions; and
• advocating for employee's rights.

Rodgers establishes a personal relationship with asbestos victims, and develops an aggressive strategy to maximize compensation for each one of them. His approach has led him to develop a relatively unique practice in Tennessee in the area of asbestos-related workers' compensation cases (previously most attorneys who handled asbestos-related cases only pursued products liability cases, which Rodgers puruses as well). Following the path set forth by Jerry Summers, Rodgers has never advocated for mass-screenings of individuals, and instead has relied upon the reputation of him and his firm to develop a solid client base. As a result of this intake system, lawyers opposing Rodgers are assured that his clients have legitimate, medically-sound diagnoses, which in turn allows Rodgers to demand a premium level of compensation for his clients.

Rodgers also takes great pride in representing a large number of labor unions and labor-related organizations. His labor practice includes several union-related trust (ERISA) funds with coverage beyond the boundaries of the State of Tennessee. He has pursued cases/grievances on behalf of unions in federal and state courts, in arbitrations, in contract negotiations, and in matters before the National Labor Relations Board.

Rodgers has advised and represented many individuals in work-related cases in both state and federal court. The types of case he has handled include harassment, discrimination, and the Family Medical Leave Act. He has also represented individuals with such claims before the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and its sister state agency known as the Tennessee Human Rights Commission.

Mr. Rodgers civic activities include: U.T. National Alumni Association, Board of Governors member (2001-2004); U.T. National Alumni Association, Hamilton County Chapter Board of Directors member (1995-2004); U.T. National Alumni Association, Hamilton County Chapter President (2000-2001); Chattanooga Area Brain Injury Association, Board of Directors member (1996-2006); Chattanooga Area Brain Injury Association, President (7/03-6/05); and Christ United Methodist Church (current member).

Areas of Practice

• Asbestos & Mesothelioma
• Labor Law - Union
• Employment Law -- Employee
• Discrimination & Harassment
• Toxic Torts
• Products Liability Law
• Election Campaign & Political Law
• Litigation & Appeals

Representative Clients

• Chattanooga Area Labor Council
• Chattanooga Building & Construction Trades Council
• Chattanooga Area Fire Fighters Association Local 820
• Chattanooga Electrical Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee
• Chattanooga Musicians Union Local 80
• I.B.E.W. Local 175
• Insulators and Asbestos Workers Local 46
• Iron Workers Dist. Council of the TN Valley & Vicinity Trust Funds
• Iron Workers Local 704
• Iron Workers Local 704 Joint Apprenticeship Committee
• Operating Engineers Local 917
• Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 43
• Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 43 J.A.T.C.
• Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1212
• Graphic Communications Conference Local 197-M
• I.G.U.A. Local 148

Representative Cases

• Woody v. A.W. Chesterton Company, 2008 WL 696160 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2008)
• Chatt. Fire Fighters Assoc. Local 820 v. City of Chattanooga, 2007 WL 4548222 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2007)
• Correll v. E.I. DuPont de Nemours, 207 S.W.3d 751 (Tenn. 2006)
• Chatt. Area Regional Transportation Authority v. A.T.U. Local 1212, 206 S.W.3d 448 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2006)
• Smythe v. E.I. DuPont de Nemours, 1999 WL 1318519 (Tenn. Workers Comp. Panel 1999)
• Murvin v. Cofer, 968 S.W.2d 304 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1997)

West Practice Categories

Arbitration, Consumer Protection, Civil Rights, Age Discrimination, National Origin Discrimination, Race Discrimination, Religious Discrimination, Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Class Actions -- Plaintiff, Constitutional Law, Discrimination, Election Campaign & Political Law, Election & Campaign Law, Employment Law -- Employee, Employee Rights -- Employee, Employment Contracts -- Employee, Employment Discrimination -- Employee, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) -- Employee, Sexual Harassment -- Employee, Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act -- Employee, Wrongful Termination -- Employee, Labor Law, Collective Bargaining, Labor Arbitration, Labor Disputes, Labor Relations Boards & Proceedings, Unfair Labor Practices, Unions, Wage & Hour Laws, Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, Litigation & Appeals, Class Actions, Complex Litigation, Federal Appellate Practice, Federal Trial Practice, Multidistrict Litigation, State Appellate Practice, State Trial Practice, Personal Injury -- Plaintiff, Premises Liability -- Plaintiff, Railroad Accidents -- Plaintiff, Wrongful Death -- Plaintiff, Products Liability Law, Asbestos, Medical Products & Devices, Motor Vehicle Defects, Pharmaceutical Products, Railroad Worker Injury/FELA, Toxic Torts, Whistleblower/Qui Tam

Bar Admissions

• Tennessee, 1994
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Tennessee, 1995
• U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 1995

Professional Associations and Memberships

• AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, 2006 - Present
• Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
• American Association for Justice, 1996 - Present
• American Bar Association, 1997 - Present
• Federal Bar Association
• Tennessee Bar Association
• Chattanooga Bar Association

Education

• University of Tennessee College of Law, Knoxville, Tennessee, May, 1994
  J.D.
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, May, 1991
  B.A.
  Honors: with high honors
  Major: Economics
  Major: Political Science
• Dale Carnegie Course in Effective Speaking and Human Relations, Chattanooga, TN, August, 1989
• Tyner High School, Chattanooga, TN, May, 1987

Fraternities/Sororities

• Pi Kappa Alpha

Offers Free Initial Consultation

Address

735 Broad Street, Suite 800
The James Building
Chattanooga, TN 37402-2913

Phones

423-265-2385
423-265-2388

Faxes

423-266-5211

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.summersandwyatt.com