Jim Kay (Member) is a 50-year-old Nashville native who is best known for handling high profile cases in both litigation and mediation. He attended Auburn University, Balliol College, Oxford, England and graduated from Washington & Lee University School of Law in 1985.

Mr. Kay received the highest honors as a student at Auburn University and was selected Omicron Delta Kappa, Mortar Board and Spades Senior Honorary. He has vast experience in the courtroom as he has tried over 75 jury cases and hundreds of non-jury cases, and he has completed over 1700 arbitrations and mediations across the State of Tennessee as one of the State's top mediators. The Nashville Business Journal, in 2004, ranked him as one of the best eight litigators in Nashville. Mr. Kay is a general contractor and consults frequently with contractors and owners across the Southeast on various construction projects.

Mr. Kay is also involved in numerous community activities.

jim.kay@kaygriffin.com

Practice Areas: Business, Construction, Entertainment, Employment, and Personal Injury Litigation; Automotive Franchises and Dealerships; Mediation and Arbitration

John Griffin (Member) was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1966. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1989, and his law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1992.

He has been admitted to practice law in Tennessee since 1993. Additionally, he has been admitted to practice law in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit since 1993. In 2006, Mr. Griffin was Admitted and Qualified as an Attorney and Counsellor of the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Griffin has extensive experience in the area of intellectual property litigation concentrating in the areas of copyright and trademarks. In particular, he recently successfully represented the estate of a well known artist and songwriter in a case of first impression regarding royalty rights before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

John Griffin has extensive trial experience and was ranked as one of Nashville's best eight litigators by the Nashville Business Journal 2004 "Best of the Bar." Mr. Griffin was also the recipient of the Nashville Bar Association's 2005 Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year Award. He was named as one of Catholic Charities Volunteers of the Year in 2006. Most recently, John Griffin was named a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation.

John Griffin is a member of the Nashville, Tennessee, and American Bar Associations, the Copyright Society of the South, and Country Music Association. In addition, he is a Tennessee Rule 31 certified mediator.

john.griffin@kaygriffin.com

Practice Areas: Business Litigation; Intellectual Property Litigation; Personal Injury; Insurance Litigation

John B. Enkema (Member) is a 40 year old Nashville native who has practiced law in Nashville since 1994. Mr. Enkema graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy in 1985, received a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Tennessee, cum laude, in 1989, and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Tennessee law school in 1994. At the University of Tennessee law school, Mr. Enkema was selected to be a member of the law review and was named to the honor societies of the Order of the Coif and Phi Kappa Phi.


Mr. Enkema is a current member of the Tennessee Professional Responsibility Hearing Disciplinary Committee.

After practicing law with a large Nashville law firm, Mr. Enkema joined Kay, Griffin, Enkema & Brothers in 1997. Mr. Enkema's practice is limited to business litigation, with a focus on corporate, partnership, construction, real estate, automobile dealership and employment litigation. Mr. Enkema represents clients such as a national cable company, a national finance company, numerous local construction companies, several local real estate development companies, a national manufacturer of building materials, several automobile dealerships and numerous individuals in partnership/stockholder disputes. He has represented clients in numerous state and federal courts including cases though out Tennessee, and in the federal courts of Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana and New Jersey. Mr. Enkema is also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

john.enkema@kaygriffin.com

Practice Areas: Business litigation, with a focus on corporate, partnership, construction, real estate, automobile dealership and employment litigation

Rick Colbert (Member) is a Nashville, Tennessee, native. He graduated with honors from Vanderbilt University in 1978 and received his law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1981, where he was a published member of the Tennessee Law Review.

The main emphasis of Mr. Colbert's trial practice has been in the areas of labor and employment law, education law, and the litigation of constitutional and civil rights issues. He regularly appears in state and federal courts throughout Tennessee. He also has tried cases in federal courts in Kentucky and Texas and has represented clients in administrative hearings before state regulatory agencies as well as the National Labor Relations Board.

Mr. Colbert has extensive appellate experience, having briefed and argued more than eighty appeals. In addition to at least fifty Tennessee Court of Appeals cases and approximately fifteen Tennessee Supreme Court appearances, Mr. Colbert has handled more than twenty federal appeals. Most of those have been in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He also is admitted and has argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit and has been granted permission to file amici curiae briefs in the Second Circuit and in the United States Supreme Court. He has twice appeared in the United States Supreme Court, once as co-counsel and once arguing as counsel of record. He has been retained on a number of occasions to assist other attorneys in preparation for appellate arguments.

Mr. Colbert is a member of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the American Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, and the Nashville Bar Association; a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation; a member of the Williamson County Bar Association; and a member of the Williamson County - Franklin Chamber of Commerce. He is a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 listed mediator.

rcolbert@kaygriffin.com

Frank Wilbert (Member) was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1977. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Lipscomb University in 1999 and his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2003, graduating cum laude. While at the UT College of Law, Mr. Wilbert served as the Managing Editor for the Tennessee Law Review and was named to the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society.

Mr. Wilbert primarily practices in the area of trial and appellate civil litigation on behalf of individual and corporate clients, with a focus on intellectual property litigation and commercial litigation. In addition, Mr. Wilbert frequently represents clients in the trucking industry, and his practice experience also includes real estate litigation and construction litigation. Since joining the firm, Mr. Wilbert has conducted several trials and gained extensive trial experience in both federal and state courts.

In 2008 and 2009, Frank Wilbert was named a "Rising Star" in the area of Intellectual Property Litigation by Mid-South Super Lawyers magazine.

In 2009 and 2010, Mr. Wilbert was elected to the Board of Directors for the Nashville Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. Mr. Wilbert is a former associate member of the Harry Phillips American Inn of Court. He is also a member of the Nashville, Tennessee, and American Bar Associations. Additionally, he participates in providing pro bono legal services to clients at the Woodbine Community Center.

frank.wilbert@kaygriffin.com

Practice Areas: Business Law; Entertainment Law; Insurance Litigation; Intellectual Property Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Construction Litigation; Personal Injury

Courtney Lynch Wilbert (Member) was born in Galveston, Texas in 1978. She grew up in Franklin, Tennessee where she attended Battle Ground Academy. She graduated magna cum laude in 2000 from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a minor in business. She received her law degree from the University of Tennessee in 2003, graduating cum laude. While at UT, she was a member of the Law Review and the Speaker's Series.

The main emphasis of Courtney's trial practice has been in the areas of labor and employment law, education law, and the litigation of constitutional and civil rights issues.  Courtney is admitted to practice in the Tennessee State Courts, the United States District Courts for the Middle and Western Districts of Tennessee, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.  She regularly appears in state and federal courts throughout the entire state of Tennessee.  Courtney has appellate experience in the Tennessee Court of Appeals, the Tennessee Supreme Court, and the Sixth Circuit.  Additionally, Courtney has served as co-counsel on a matter before the United States Supreme Court and has been granted permission to file amici curiae brief in the United States Supreme Court. 

Courtney is a member of the Nashville, Williamson County, Tennessee, and American Bar Associations.  She attends Brentwood United Methodist Church and supports several Nashville non-profit organizations such as the Nashville Zoo, the Frist, and the Adventure Science Center.

cwilbert@kaygriffin.com

Ben Goldammer (Associate) was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor's Degree in English from Xavier University in 2004 and from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2007. While in law school, Mr. Goldammer participated in mock trial and moot court competitions and was a member of the Vanderbilt Trial Advocacy Society.

Mr. Goldammer was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in October of 2007.

ben.goldammer@kaygriffin.com

Practice Areas: Litigation.

Michael Johnson (Associate) was born in Saint Louis, Missouri. He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance (Voice and Piano) and Bible from Kentucky Christian University in 2006. Mr. Johnson received his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2011. While in law school, Mr. Johnson served as an Articles Editor on Vanderbilt Law Review, participated in the intramural moot court competition, and was a member of the Vanderbilt Intellectual Property Association. Additionally, Mr. Johnson was on the Dean’s List, and was honored with the Editor’s Award (for the most outstanding contribution to Vanderbilt Law Review by an editorial board member) and the Vanderbilt Scholastic Excellence Award (for the highest grade in Corporations and Business Entities).

Prior to law school, Mr. Johnson worked in the entertainment industry in several capacities, including as an assistant at Creative Artists Agency and as a road manager for various bands.

Mr. Johnson also serves as a volunteer mediator for the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center, a non-profit organization that provides free or low-cost mediation services to the Nashville community. He also volunteers for the Nashville Bar Association Pro Bono program.

Mr. Johnson was recently awarded the Ladas Memorial Award by the International Trademark Association for his article “The Waning Consumer Protection Rationale of Trademark Law: Overprotective Courts and the Path to Stifling Post-Sale Consumer Use,” which is published in The Trademark Reporter at 101 TMR 1321 (2011).  You may download his article here.

Mr. Johnson was admitted to the Tennessee bar in October of 2011.  He is admitted to practice before all Tennessee state and appellate courts, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

michael.johnson@kaygriffin.com

Practice Areas: Litigation; Entertainment Law; Intellectual Property Litigation; Business Law; Insurance Litigation; Personal Injury

Tom Shumate is a native Nashvillian and has practiced here since 1998. He graduated with honors from Father Ryan High School in 1991, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University, cum laude, in 1995, and graduated from Notre Dame Law School in 1998. Mr. Shumate is admitted to practice before all Tennessee state courts, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Mr. Shumate represents individuals and businesses in a variety of civil matters including employment and business litigation and disputes involving non-compete agreements and theft of trade secrets. He maintains a blog on Tennessee Non-Compete Law and related business torts which can be accessed via the following link: http://www.tennesseenoncompetelaw.com

Mr. Shumate is actively involved in the Nashville community and various Bar organizations. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee and the Father Ryan Alumni Board. In order to better and more efficiently serve his clients, he serves on the Editorial Board of Law Practice Today, a publication of the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association, and he is the immediate past Chair of the Law Office Technology and Management Section of the Tennessee Bar Association. Mr. Shumate has lectured to attorneys across the state on issues related to legal ethics and technology.  He is also a member of the Nashville, Tennessee, and American Bar Associations and serves as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Notre Dame Club of Nashville.

To view a more detailed listing of Mr. Shumate's resume, click here.

tom.shumate@kaygriffin.com

Practice Areas: Appeals; Business Litigation; Insurance Litigation; Collections; Labor and Employment Law (including employment contracts and non-compete disputes); Landlord/Tenant disputes (commercial and residential); Personal Injury; and Wrongful Death.

A. Stuart Grimson was born in Vancouver, BC, in 1965. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Manitoba in 2003 and his law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law in 2005. Mr. Grimson is a Member of the Tennessee Bar Association.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Grimson played professional hockey for the following National Hockey League (NHL) teams: Calgary, Chicago, Anaheim, Detroit, Carolina, and Los Angeles. Stu retired in 2003 while a member of the Nashville Predators. Over the course of his 17 year career, Mr. Grimson served as an Executive Vice President to the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) and an NHLPA Executive Board Member. From 2006 to 2007, he worked as In-House Counsel for the NHLPA in Toronto, Ontario.

Mr. Grimson is a Member of the Board of Directors for Mobile Medicine Disaster Relief of Nashville, TN. Since 1998, he has been a Member of the Board of Directors and a Player Advisory Board Member for Hockey Ministries International of Montreal, QC.

stu.grimson@kaygriffin.com