Davis, Richard Joseph

Mr. Priest was born in 1973 in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is a graduate of The University of Tennessee (B.S. Finance, summa cum laude, 1995) and The University of Tennessee College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1999). Mr. Priest was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 1999 and has also been admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Tennessee. He is a member of the Order of the Coif, Knoxville Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, Tennessee Association for Justice, American Association for Justice, and the Hamilton Burnett American Inn of Court. Mr. Priest has been an adjunct professor in the Advocacy Program at The University of Tennessee College of Law since 2005, and he is also a member of the Advisory Board to The University of Tennessee College of Law's Advocacy Clinic.

Mr. Priest has been recognized by his peer Attorneys and Judges with the AV rating, which is the highest rating bestowed by Martindale-Hubbell upon only a select few licensed attorneys. He has also been regularly recognized by his peers as one of Knoxville’s "Top Attorneys" in City View magazine’s polls, and he was named to the Mid South Super Lawyers "Rising Stars" list for 2012.

Mr. Priest's practice has an emphasis on the courtroom and litigation, primarily representing plaintiffs in cases involving personal injury, defective products, wrongful death, and worker's compensation cases. Mr. Priest also practices extensively in the area of family law and domestic relations. Mr. Priest participates frequently in forms of alternative dispute resolution, including both mediation and arbitration. Mr. Priest is also a Rule 31 Listed Mediator, and he regularly serves as a mediator for other attorneys and litigants as well.

Mr. Priest's practice is based in Knox County, but he regularly handles cases throughout East Tennessee and has represented many clients from other parts of the state and from states other than Tennessee. Mr. Priest is a frequent speaker and lecturer to his peers in continuing education programs, having been a speaker for the Knoxville Bar Association, National Business Institute, and other presenters in the fields of personal injury law and family law.

Mr. Priest married the former Jeanette Howe of Brentwood, Tennessee in 2000, and he and Jeanette have two daughters, Katherine and Annie. When not practicing law, Mr. Priest enjoys coaching youth sports, skiing and boating with his famliy, and playing golf. He is also an instrument rated private pilot who enjoys flying his Beechcraft Bonanza, both in support of his law practice and for pleasure.