Dunbar, Karen Rebecca

Theodore W. (Ted) Goodman joined Murfree and Murfree, PLLC, in April 2012.   Ted earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  He graduated Magna Cum Laude from The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, with distinction in history in 2006.  Ted is a graduate of The Webb School, in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. 

Ted has published two articles.  His first, The Need for Prescription Drug Buy-Back Programs, was published in the Tennessee Journal of Law and Policy.  His second, To the End of the Earth: A Study of the Boundary Between Earth and Space, was published in the prestigious Journal of Space Law and has been designated as suggested reading by the European Space Agency’s “European Centre for Space Law” and the Peace Palace Library at the International Court of Justice in the Hague. 

Prior to joining the Firm, Ted practiced as a sole practitioner in Murfreesboro.  He is a general practice attorney with experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in civil law suits and criminal defense.  He has experience in contract drafting, contract disputes, building contractor issues, business representation, landlord tenant issues, real estate boundary disputes,  road issues, contempt, writs of possession, recovery of unique and sentimental property, the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, contract law, estate law, conservatorships,  criminal law, the Tennessee Public Records Act (Tennessee’s version of the Federal Freedom of Information Act), wills, powers of attorney, prenuptial agreements, family law issues, child custody issues, and family property disputes.  Ted’s clients include Singer Sewing Machine Company.

Ted grew up on his family’s cattle farm in the hamlet of Milton outside of Murfreesboro.  He is the son of Delia and Dr. Charles Goodman, a Murfreesboro dermatologist, and is the grandson of the late Harriett and Dr. Theodore C. Bigger, former chairman of the agriculture department at Middle Tennessee State University. 
Ted attended Homer Pittard Campus School and graduated from The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.  Prior to commencing his University studies at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, Ted trained in welding at the Tennessee Technology Center while working nights as a janitor. 

At Sewanee, Ted was active in student government: he served all four years on the University’s Honor Council and was a representative on the student assembly all four years.  During his senior year, Ted served as the Honor Council’s Vice-Chairman.  Ted was also a staff writer for the student newspaper, the Sewanee Purple, where he most enjoyed assignments as a restaurant reviewer.  Ted was recognized as the University’s “Volunteer of the Year” his senior year.  His freshman and junior years, Ted received the Leadership and Service Award which is presented to “one individual in each class in recognition of outstanding service and dedication to the Sewanee community.”  While a student at Sewanee, Ted served as a summer intern for United States Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, where he earned a coveted United States Capitol Building office assignment.   

After Sewanee, Ted graduated from The University of Tennessee, College of Law, in 2009, with a concentration in advocacy and dispute resolution.  In law school, Ted took classes ranging from Land Use Law to Administrative Law to Advanced Criminal Law to Space Law.  At U.T., he was a staff editor for the Tennessee Journal of Law and Policy and received the awards for Excellence in Legal Writing and Excellence in American Legal History.  While a student at U.T., Ted served as an Acting Assistant District Attorney in Knox County, Tennessee, prosecuting felony and misdemeanor cases in general sessions court ranging from timber theft to aggravated assault.

Ted is a member of the Murfreesboro Breakfast Rotary Club, sits on its Board of Directors and is President-Elect of the Rotary Club.  He is also an auxiliary member of the Lascassas Volunteer Fire Department and sits on the Fire Department’s Board of Directors as well as the Board of Directors of Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) of Rutherford County, Inc.  Ted is a 2011 graduate of Leadership Rutherford. 

Ted lives on his family’s working cattle farm in Rutherford County with his wife Kelly and a menagerie of dogs, cats, goats, cows, horses, and chickens.