RICHARD T. MATTHEWS
Richard is a plaintiff’s trial lawyer. He is one of only a handful of lawyers in his area to be Board Certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Less than 0.5% of all lawyers in the State of Tennessee are Board Certified Civil Trial Specialists like Richard. Mr. Matthews also holds an “AV Preeminent” rating (highest available) by the Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings.®
Richard has a strong history of success at trial. Richard has obtained multiple million dollar verdicts and settlements, including two 7 figure verdicts in Maury County, Tennessee.
In addition to his trial record, Richard has argued appellate cases before the Tennessee Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals. Below are some of his representative cases:
Hinson v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.,S.W.2d 675 (Tenn. 1983)
Dugger v. Home Health Care of Middle Tennessee, M2016-01284-SC-R3-WC, (Tenn. 2017)
Brewer v. Dillingham Trucking, Inc., M2016-00611-SC-R3-WC (Tenn. 2017)
Douthit v. Griffin Industries, Inc., M2009-01857-SC-R3-WC (Tenn. 2010)
Leverette v. Tenn. Farmers Mut. Ins. Co., M2011-00264-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. App. 2013)
Grooms v. Hyperion Seating Corp., 01S01-9804-CV-00063 (Tenn. 1999)
McNeely v. UCAR Carbon Co., Inc., M2008-02407-SC-M-WC (Tenn. 2009)
Allen v. State of Tennessee, M2003-00905-COA-R3CV (Tenn. App. 2004)
Warf v. Zion Christian Academy, M2001-01583-WC-R3CV (Tenn. 2002)
Voss v. Lowe's Home Centers, Inc., 01A01-9706-CV-00255 (Tenn. App. 1998)
Davidson v. Lowe's Home Centers, Inc., 01S01-9601-CV-00014 (Tenn. 1996)
For nearly 40 years, Richard’s law practice has focused on helping injured clients and workers. He has handled over 1,000 workers compensation cases, many resulting in trial. He has also handled a wide array of other personal injury cases in the following areas:
Education
Mr. Matthews is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and University of Memphis (formerly Memphis State) School of Law. He is a member and former Board of Governors member with the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association. In 2016, Richard was inducted as a Fellow with Tennessee Bar Foundation. He is also a member of the Tennessee Bar Association and the American Association of Justice. Richard is a past president of the Maury County Bar Association.
PERSONAL
Richard enjoys a very active personal life. He is a licensed private pilot and enjoys any time spent in the outdoors. When not working, he and his wife, Donna, enjoy fishing and spending time at their beach home in Florida or their river camp on the Tennessee River.
R. HOLLAND MATTHEWS
Holland is plaintiff’s injury lawyer with experience managing complex litigation with multiple parties. He primarily pursues cases against insurance companies and large corporations on behalf of injured people and their families. Holland has tried multiple jury trials and bench trials for injured clients involving truck wrecks, auto wrecks, medical malpractice, premises liability, and insurance bad faith.
Practice Areas
Holland focuses his practice on the following areas:
Awards
Since beginning his law practice, Holland has been honored with several awards, including:
Super Lawyers, Mid-South Rising Star - 2018
The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40
Top 10 Under 40 NAOPIA for excellence in the field of personal injury;
Premier 100 from the National Academy of Jurisprudence;
Premier 100 Trial Attorneys from American Academy of Trial Attorneys;
Client Satisfaction Award from American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys
Education
Holland is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He received his law degree from the Appalachian School of Law in Virginia, graduating Summa Cum Laude in the top 1% of his class. While in law school, Holland received various academic honors and recognitions and served as an Associate Editor of the Appalachian Journal of Law. More importantly, Holland was recognized for having volunteered over 200 hours of service to the local Appalachian communities, including providing support to Remote Area Medical aid clinics, tutoring, and coal mine restoration projects.
Admissions
Holland is admitted in all state courts in Tennessee, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Holland frequently participates in various professional and philanthropic organizations and activities. He has serves on the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA) Board of Governors. Holland has also served on committees with the Tennessee Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, where he served on the State High School Mock Trial Competition Committee and Continuing Legal Education Committee. Holland is also an active member with the American Association of Justice.
PERSONAL
Holland was born and raised in Columbia. From a young age, Holland knew he wanted to be involved in the law. In addition to his dad, Holland's grandfather also dedicated his career to the law by serving as the Maury County General Sessions judge for nearly forty years. Like Richard, Holland is also a licensed private pilot and an avid outdoorsman. Holland lives in Columbia with his wife Joanna, who is also a lawyer, and their two dogs, Eli and Dexter. When Holland and "JoJo" aren't doing lawyer stuff, they enjoy traveling and spending time at their river camp on the Tennessee River.