The Firm's Attorneys
W. WARNER McNEILLY, JR.
Mr. McNeilly completed his undergraduate work at Vanderbilt University. Thereafter, he obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1953. From 1954-1957, he served in the Navy with the Office of Judge Advocate General. Mr. McNeilly is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel. Mr. McNeilly retired from the practice of law but continues to maintain an office with the firm. His practice included medical malpractice defense and general civil litigation.
C. HAYES COONEY
Mr. Cooney completed his undergraduate education at Vanderbilt University. Thereafter, he graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Law where he served on the Vanderbilt Law Review. From 1974-1980, he served as Chief Deputy Attorney General for the State of Tennessee. He is a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation and a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. Mr. Cooney's practice includes professional negligence, products liability, personal injury and workers' compensation. Mr. Cooney can be reached at hayes@watkinsmcneilly.com
JOHN L. VAN CLEAVE
Mr. Van Cleave graduated from the University of Tennessee with high honor. He attended Vanderbilt University School of Law where he served as an Associate Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and graduated Order of the Coif in 1976. He is a member and past treasurer of the Nashville Bar Association and is a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation. His practice includes general corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, estate planning, real estate, and employment law. Mr. Van Cleave has spoken at numerous seminars on various topics including estate planning, employment law and business organizations. Mr. Van Cleave can be reached at john@watkinsmcneilly.com
STEVEN D. PARMAN
After graduating magna cum laude from Duke University, Mr. Parman attended Vanderbilt University School of Law where he served as Associate Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and obtained his Juris Doctorate degree in 1984. He was awarded the Edmund M. Morgan Prize for outstanding legal writing. His practice includes personal injury, product liability, workers' compensation and general civil litigation. Mr. Parman has lectured at numerous seminars on various topics including workers' compensation law, discovery, litigation and legal writing. Mr. Parman can be reached at steve@watkinsmcneilly.com
DAVID J. PFLAUM
After completing his undergraduate work at University of Alabama at Birmingham, Mr. Pflaum obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1984. During his senior year in law school, he was a student intern for the Honorable Thomas A. Wiseman, Jr., Judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Mr. Pflaum's practice includes personal injury, products liability and general civil litigation. Mr. Pflaum can be reached at david@watkinsmcneilly.com
W. WARNER McNEILLY, III
Mr. McNeilly completed his undergraduate education at Duke University. Thereafter, he worked for two years as a certified public accountant for Ernst & Young in Washington D.C. He later attended Vanderbilt University School of Law where he obtained his Juris Doctorate degree in 1986. Mr. McNeilly’s practice includes corporate law, real estate, estate planning, probate and taxation. He is a member of the Middle Tennessee Estate Planning Council, the Tennessee Bar Association, the Nashville Bar Association and the Estate Planning and Probate Committees of the Nashville Bar Association. Mr. McNeilly can be reached at warner@watkinsmcneilly.com
FRANK J. SCANLON
Mr. Scanlon obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Immaculate Conception Seminary. Thereafter, he graduated from University of Maine School of Law in 1973 where he served as an editor of the Maine Law Review. He later served as a law clerk for the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine. From 1976-1988, he served as an Assistant and Deputy Attorney General for the State of Tennessee. From 1983 to 1988, he was in charge of the Environmental Enforcement Division of the Attorney General’s Office. Mr. Scanlon's practice includes environmental law, state administrative law, including health-related licensure matters, and general civil litigation. He is a member of the Nashville, Tennessee and American Bar Associations and past Chairman of the Environmental Law Committee of the Nashville Bar Association. Mr. Scanlon is also an Emeritus Member of the Harry Phillps American Inn of Court. In 1993, Mr. Scanlon received the Joseph E. Cummings Pro Bono Volunteer award from the Nashville Bar Association. Mr. Scanlon can be reached at frank@watkinsmcneilly.com
OWEN R. LIPSCOMB
Owen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee in 1984. At Sewanee, Owen was a four-year letterman on the university’s football team, which competes at the NCAA Division III level. He also served on the Honor Council four years and was its chairman as a Senior. He was selected into Omicron Delta Kappa, a Wilkins scholar and recipient of the Algernon Sidney Sullivan Award as a senior. He received his juris doctorate from Memphis State University in 1987. Upon graduation from law school, Owen was an assistant district attorney in Nashville, Tennessee from 1987 to 1990. Owen came to Watkins & McNeilly, PLLC as an associate in October 1990 and became a member of our firm January 1996. Owen’s practice includes general civil litigation, insurance defense and workers compensation. He is a member of the Nashville Association, Tennessee Bar Association and Defense Research Institute (DRI). Mr. Lipscomb can be reached at owen@watkinsmcneilly.com
ERIK O. THORNGREN
Mr. Thorngren graduated magna cum laude from Tennessee Technological University in 1988. He graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law, cum laude, in 1998. Mr. Thorngren’s practice includes general civil litigation, business and commercial litigation, personal injury and probate. He is a member of the Nashville Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and the Defense Research Institute. Mr. Thorngren can be reached at erik@watkinsmcneilly.com
SAMUEL P. HELMBRECHT
Mr. Helmbrecht obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee. In 2004 he received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Dayton School of Law where he received academic awards in the areas of Corporations and Electronic Commerce. His practice includes personal injury, insurance defense and general civil litigation. Mr. Helmbrecht can be reached at sam@watkinsmcneilly.com
JONATHAN R. BURNS
Mr. Burns graduated cum laude from Middle Tennessee State University in 2006. At MTSU, Mr. Burns was a four-year letterman on the University's golf team. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Mississippi in 2010. He received his L.L.M. in Taxation from Washington University in St. Louis in 2011. His practice includes corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, estate planning, probate, and taxation. He is licensed to practice law in both Tennessee and Mississippi. Mr. Burns can be reached at jburns@watkinsmcneilly.com