Joseph R. Wheeler, Attorney

Joseph R. Wheeler is a partner in the firm,  where he has been practicing since 1987. He is Chairman of the firm's Development Committee, and is a member of the firm's Tort, Insurance, Product Liability and Health Law Practice Groups. His practice for the last eighteen years has been concentrated in the area of civil trials, appeals and associated litigation. Mr. Wheeler's work has included defense of hundreds of personal injury tort, product liability, medical malpractice, governmental liability and federal civil rights claims, as well as general automotive and accident litigation.

In the product liability field, Mr. Wheeler has defended a wide variety of complex catastrophic personal injury and property damage claims on behalf of various national and international product manufacturers, as well as numerous regional and local distributors and retailers. He has served as lead trial counsel and as local counsel in defense of product liability claims in both federal and state venues across the State of Tennessee. His product liability experience includes defense of claims involving various automobiles, trucks, heavy lift equipment, cement mixers, automotive tools, presses, extrusion equipment, disposable butane lighters, seat belt equipment and airbags, fuel tanks, steering systems, plumbing equipment, and electrical components, among others.

Mr. Wheeler also has defended physicians and health care providers in complex professional medical malpractice and wrongful death litigation. He has represented both private physicians and health care entities, as well as providers of correctional health care services.  He has an active appellate practice in both Tennessee and federal appellate courts.  His published opinions include MacDonald v. General Motors Corporation, 784 F.Supp. 486 (M.D. Tenn. 1992);  Pride v. BIC Corporation, 54 F.Supp.2d 757 (E.D. Tenn. 1999) affirmed, 218 F.3d 566 (6th Cir. 2000);  and Coffey v. Dowley Manufacturing, Inc., 187 F.Supp.2d 958 (M.D. Tenn. 2002).

Mr. Wheeler earned his B.A. Degree in English, cum laude, from Vanderbilt University in 1984. He obtained his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1987, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Tennessee Law Review , and received the Dean's Citation for Extraordinary Contributions to the College of Law. He is a member of the Nashville, Tennessee and American Bar Associations, and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. He is also a member of the Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association and the Defense Research Institute.  In November 2003, Mr. Wheeler was inducted as a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation. 

In the community, he coaches youth baseball and serves as Vice President of the Crieve Hall Youth Athletic Association.  Mr. Wheeler also serves as an Alumni Board Member for Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  He also serves as Chairman of the Boy Scouts of America Nominating Committee for the James West District and as Local Pack Cubmaster for Pack 78. 

• Pride v. Bic Corporation 2000

• Pride v. Bic Corporation 1999

• MacDonald v. General Motors Corp. 1992

• Coffey v. Dowley Manufacturing, Inc. 2002