Brian Hardy Trammell

Brian H. Trammell (1958-2016) was one of Trammell, Adkins & Ward, P.C.’s three founding members. He was a 1982 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law where he was published in the Tennessee Law Review and was on its Editorial Board. He was also Editor-in-Chief of the Tennessee Judicial Newsletter. He received his undergraduate degrees in History and English with high honors from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. After serving as a law clerk for the Tennessee Court of Appeals, he began his private practice focusing in the areas of insurance and self-insured defense litigation involving automobile and trucking accidents, workers’ compensation and general liability as well as insurance coverage and claims litigation. Mr. Trammell practiced in all state and federal trial and appellate courts.  He also appeared for oral arguments before the Tennessee Supreme Court, Tennessee Court of  Appeals and the United States 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. He was past President of the Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association and served as the state DRI representative from Tennessee. Mr. Trammell was a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (“ABOTA”), the Defense Research Institute, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Tennessee Bar Association, and the Knoxville Bar Association. 

He was an accomplished trial attorney, tennis enthusiast, talented vocalist and musician and beloved member of Church Street United Methodist Church, where he unselfishly devoted much of his free time as a lay leader.  Born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Brian received his undergraduate degrees (History & English) and his law degree from the University of  Tennessee, Knoxville.  He practiced law with Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley, P.C. until 2008 when he founded the insurance-defense firm of Trammell, Adkins & Ward, P.C. along with Terry Adkins and Kenneth Ward.  There, with the respect of his peers, he continued to practice with a rare combination of courtesy, talent and humility. Brian’s absence will be keenly felt in the Knoxville legal community. Although he found joy and success as a lawyer and a lay leader, he made his greatest impact in the lives of those he loved. He provided the lawyers who practiced with him an opportunity to be more than they could have ever been alone. He was our mentor, partner and friend. He brought out the best in the lawyers who practiced with him. He is missed every day, but his legacy remains as one of the cornerstones of Trammell, Adkins & Ward, P.C.