John R. Tarpley, a shareholder in our Nashville office, has been involved in complex litigation in the areas of transportation, tort, product liability, and a wide range of insurance-related matters in both state and federal courts.
Mr. Tarpley has established himself as one of the pre-eminent lawyers who represent commercial transportation companies and their employees in Tennessee and nationwide. He has successfully defended trucking companies in both state and federal courts and at mediations and settlement proceedings throughout the country. As the chair of the firm’s transportation practice group, he established an aggressive rapid response protocol that results in the quick gathering of all relevant information related to an accident to enable his clients to make critical and prompt decisions about each accident. Recently, he has been called upon to act in the role of national settlement counsel for several trucking companies to assist them in reaching prompt and efficient resolutions of their outstanding claims. Further, he is sought after on a national level as a speaker on transportation topics and has spoken to thousands of lawyers and trucking executives on a wide variety of issues.
Likewise, Mr. Tarpley has devoted a significant portion of his practice to the mediation and arbitration of civil matters. He is certified by the Tennessee Supreme Court as a Rule 31 mediator and has mediated almost 1,100 civil cases throughout the state by both in-person and electronic means. He has been selected by his peers as a member of the distinguished Tennessee Academy of Mediators. In addition, he is a frequent speaker on mediation topics.
View John Tarpley’s Mediation Calendar
PROFESSIONAL HONORS AND ACTIVITIES
•Chair, Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission
•Board of Directors, Nashville Bar Association
•Named Best Lawyers 2023 Mediation “Lawyer of the Year” in Nashville
•Named Best Lawyers 2022 Administrative/Regulatory Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Nashville
•Board of Directors, ALFA International
•Best Lawyers , 2019 Transportation “Lawyer of the Year” in Nashville
•Named to the List of “Mid-South Super Lawyers”
•Named to The Best Lawyers in America , Administrative/Regulatory Law; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Mediation; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants and Transportation Law
•Member, Tennessee Academy of Mediators
•Former President, Tennessee Bar Association
•fellow, Trustee and President, Nashville Bar Foundation
•Chair, American Law Firm Association’s (ALFA) Transportation Practice Group
•Chair, ALFA International’s Diversity Committee
•ALFA International Board of Directors
•Chair, ABA Journal Board of Editors
•Chair, ABA Fellows of the Young Lawyers Division
•Member, Tennessee Bar Association Executive Committee
•Former Chair, ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS)
•Former member, ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section Council
•First editor of TortSource (Publication of TIPS)
•Former member of ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary (He was the lead reviewer for the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh.)
•Former member, ALI-ABA Board
•Member, ABA House of Delegates representing the Tennessee Bar Association; ABA Young Lawyer Division and the Nashville Bar Association
•State Delegate - ABA House of Delegates
•Former Editor, Young Lawyers’ Division Barrister magazine
•Member and Officer, Board of Directors, Nashville Bar Association
•Former Member, Tennessee Judicial Selection Commission
•Former Officer of ABA Young Lawyers Division
•Former President, Tennessee Young Lawyers Division
•Founding President of Nashville Bar Association Young Lawyers Division
•Former Board Member and Chair of the Music City chapter of the March of Dimes
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
As president of the Tennessee Bar Association, Mr. Tarpley established the “Lawyers Care” program and successfully recruited lawyers to do more pro bono work in the state. In addition, he implemented the “Leadership Law” program and continues to be involved in its programming. He was the chair of the committee that created the successful TIPS Leadership Academy. Mr. Tarpley recently concluded a successful term as the president of the board of directors of the Music City Chapter of the March of Dimes. Mr. Tarpley has also served on the Board of Directors of First Steps. He is a graduate of the 2016 Leadership Nashville and served as a member of the leadership team for the 2017 class.
He and his wife are active in their church and the parents of adult twins.
of the Nashville Bar Foundation and serves as a trustee of the foundation. He is also a member of the Tennessee Bar and American Bar Foundations. In addition, he is a member of the American Law Firm Association's (ALFA) Transportation Practice Group and will serve as the group's program chair in 2013. Likewise, he is a member of the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA).
He received his B.S. in Agricultural Economics in 1976 and his J.D. degree in 1980, both from the University of Tennessee. As an undergraduate, he was honored to be named as a university Torchbearer. Mr. Tarpley represents clients in all state and federal courts in Tennessee from the Nashville office.
Professional Honors and Activities
• Mid South Super Lawyers
• Best Lawyers
• Tennessee Academy of Mediators
