Thomas W. Shumate IV
Top rated Business Litigation attorney in Brentwood, Tennessee
Meridian Law, PLLC
Practice Areas: Business Litigation, Employment & Labor, Employment Litigation; view more
Licensed in Tennessee since: 1998
Education: University of Notre Dame Law School
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2020 - 2024 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2011, 2013 Call today:
615-560-3623
Meridian Law, PLLC
5141 Virginia WaySuite 320
Brentwood, TN 37027 Visit website
Details
Attorney Thomas W. Shumate IV is the owner and managing member of Meridian Law in Nashville, Tennessee, where he concentrates his practice on business, commercial and employment law. Mr. Shumate has over 20 years of legal experience and represents individuals, businesses and employers throughout middle Tennessee.
In his employment law practice, Mr. Shumate has substantial knowledge and experience with cases involving contracts, noncompete agreements, trade secret theft and legal issues facing employers. He also has experience with civil matters involving insurance defense, probate, personal injury and wrongful death.
Recognized for his professional success, Mr. Shumate is the recipient of an AV Preeminent* peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell. This is the highest available rating, presented to lawyers demonstrating outstanding legal capability and high ethical standards.
Active in his legal community through participation in professional organizations, Mr. Shumate is a member of the Nashville Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Over the years, he has stayed involved in his local community, serving on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee. He has also served as school board chair of Christ the King School.
After graduating cum laude from Vanderbilt University, Mr. Shumate went on to earn his law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School. He holds licenses to practice law before all Tennessee state courts, the U.S. district courts for the eastern, middle and western districts of Tennessee, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Practice areas
Business Litigation, Employment & Labor: Employer, Employment Litigation: Defense, General Litigation, Business/CorporateFocus areas
Business Formation and Planning, Business Organizations, Contracts, Employment Law - Employee, Employment Law - Employer, Limited Liability Companies, Litigation, Non-Compete Agreements, Partnership, Trade Secret, Wage & Hour Laws
- 30% Business Litigation
- 20% Employment & Labor: Employer
- 20% Employment Litigation: Defense
- 20% General Litigation
- 10% Business/Corporate
First Admitted: 1998, Tennessee
Professional Webpage: https://meridian.law/our-team
- United States Supreme Court
- Nashville Bar Association
- Tennessee State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
- U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
- Tennessee
- Chair of Tennessee Bar Association's Law Practice Management Section, 2018
- Editorial Board of Law Practice, publication of the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association, 2018
- Member of Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law Class, 2016
- Legal Process Improvement Professional (LPIP) Globally Certified., 2022
- Vanderbilt Executive Education Leadership Coaching Graduate. This program helps executive and supervisors build the competencies needed to coach effectively, build employee skills, address shortcomings, and develop leaders. Objectives include: 1) methods to enhance leadership capabilities through effective coaching, 2) how to use coaching to develop, attract and retain talented employees, 3) understand how to identify employees' key needs, set goals for their development, establish action plans and provide ongoing assessment, and 3) ways to positively motivate employees in ways that improve individual and team performance. , 2023
- St. Matthew School in Franklin, Strategic Planning Committee
- Board of Directors, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, 2007 - 2014
- Past-Chair of the Father Ryan Alumni Board
- Immediate Past Chair, School Board of Christ the King School
- Cubmaster of Christ the King Cub Scout Pack 45, 2011
- Board and Executive Committee Member, Christ the King School Board, 2012
- Chair of Board of Directors of Father Ryan Alumni Association, 2012
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in American 2024 for work in Commercial Litigation, Recognized in The Best Lawyers in American 2024, https://www.bestlawyers.com/lawyers/thomas-w-shumate-iv/320707, 2024
- The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce congratulates the fourth cohort of the Leadership Connect program. These business professionals were chosen through a competitive application process based on their civic and professional accomplishments and commitment to community engagement. The Leadership Connect program is designed for small business professionals to engage the next generation of community and business leaders. During the six-month program, participants will receive access to topic experts and opportunities to dialogue amongst peers and CEOs well-versed in community leadership., 2023 Leadership Connect Cohort - Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, https://www.nashvillechamber.com/blog/2022/2023-leadership-connect-cohort-announcement, 2023
- Super Lawyer (Midsouth, TN) 4 years running, https://profiles.superlawyers.com/tennessee/brentwood/lawyer/thomas-w-shumate-iv/12676d28-1594-436f-bb66-ce75bf1a94ef.html, 2023
- Client Champion - Platinum, https://www.martindale.com/attorney/thomas-w-shumate-iv-15157091/, 2023
- AV Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell, https://www.martindale.com/attorney/thomas-w-shumate-iv-15157091/, 2023
- Meridian Law, PLLC, is pleased to announce that Tom Shumate, its Founder and Managing Member, has been elected a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation (NBF). Membership is limited to just 2% of the Nashville Bar Association membership. Members are nominated by their peers and selected by the NBF Board. The NBF Fellows Program was established in 1991 to honor attorneys who have contributed significantly to the community and demonstrated devotion to service to their clients and public interest. The Nashville Bar Foundation was incorporated in 1980 with the objective to raise an endowment that will allow the NBF to have an impact on initiatives in the Nashville legal community. Past contributions include such programs as Hurricane Katrina Relief for attorneys who were forced out of their law practices and funding of the NBA Modest Means Program to provide reduced fee legal services to qualified low-income individuals. Each year, the NBF issues grants to several organizations that have mission statements relative to the Nashville Bar Foundation. Additionally, the NBF made a substantial grant for nine years to support the community affairs and diversity programs of the Nashville Bar Association. , Bar Fellow of Nashville Bar Association, https://www.nashvillebar.org/?pg=NBFFellows, 2023
- Membership is limited to just one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Members are nominated by their peers and selected by the ABF Board. The ABF Fellows is a global honorary society that recognizes attorneys, judges, law faculty and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and to the welfare of their communities. ABF Fellows hail from nearly 40 countries and hold a wide variety of influential roles. , Fellow of the American Bar Association, American Bar Association, 2021
- Rising Star, https://profiles.superlawyers.com/tennessee/brentwood/lawyer/thomas-w-shumate-iv/12676d28-1594-436f-bb66-ce75bf1a94ef.html, 2013
- “Rising Star” by the Mid-South edition of Super Lawyers Magazine, https://profiles.superlawyers.com/tennessee/brentwood/lawyer/thomas-w-shumate-iv/12676d28-1594-436f-bb66-ce75bf1a94ef.html, 2011
- 10 rating from Avvo
- Graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt University with a degree in English, B.A, with honors, 1995
- University of Notre Dame Law School, 1998
- Meridian’s managing member, Tom Shumate, recently had the privilege of co-presenting a CLE with Joseph Shelton entitled, “A Day in the Life of Noncompete Litigation…The Office Style,” in which they discussed non-compete disputes in the context of the fictional case of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc. v. Michael Scott and the Michael Scott Paper Company, Inc. The CLE was presented by the NBA’s Employment Law and Civil Rights Committee., Co-Author, Speaker, A Day in the Life of Noncompete Litigation., Nashville Bar Association CLE, All, 2021
- Tom Shumate was honored to speak at the Tennessee Bar Association's "I am SOLO" event. He provided insight to solo and small firm attorneys on how and when to grow your law practice. He drew on his experience growing Meridian Law from one attorney to four attorneys, one paralegal, and one administrator in just over three years and discussed the business methods he used to expand the firm., Speaker, I am SOLO, 2018
- The presentation covered the “nuts and bolts” of the law surrounding non-compete agreements in Tennessee, the Tennessee healthcare non-compete statute, the injunctive relief process, drafting tips from the employer and employee perspective, tortious interference and inducement of breach of contract, and more., Speaker, Non-Competes: Tricks or Treats, Nashville Bar Association, 2018
- Privacy and Confidentiality in the Workplace: Protecting Your Employees' Rights and Your Organization's Information, Speaker, Council on Education in Management, 2006
- Law Office Technology and Management Section of the Tennessee Bar Association, Past Chair, and the Incoming Chair
- Law Practice Today webzine and Law Practice magazine, Law Practice Section of the American Bar Association, Past Member of the Editorial Boards
- Legal Recruiting and Hiring: Starting Out Right, Speaker, Council on Education in Management, 2006
- An Analysis of the Statutory Presumption of Reasonableness and Necessity of Medical Bills - Tenn. Code Ann. § 24-5-113, Author, Tennessee Bar Journal, 2001
- Social Media: Tips, Tools & Discovery, Speaker, Tennessee Association for Justice, 2011
- How to Grow Your Practice While Avoiding Malpractice Claims, Author and Speaker, Tennessee Bar Association, 2011
- Ethics of Wills and Estates 101, Author, Tennessee Bar Association, 2012
- Preventing Legal Malpractice: Know Thy Enemy, Author, Tennessee Bar Association, 2011
- Covenants Not to Compete, Author, Tennessee Bar Association, 2011
- Speaker, Metadata, Multitasking, and Disclaimers, Oh My!, Nashville Bar Association, 2010
- Departing Employee Technology Checklist: Keeping the Fox Out of the Henhouse, Author, apps.americanbar.org/lpm/lpt/articles/mgt04101.shtml, Law Practice Management Section of American Bar Association, 2010
- Law Tech 2010: Management and Technology Solutions for Your Firm, Co-Producer, Tennessee Bar Association, 2010
- Computers, Tequila and Handguns: Controlling Technology So It Doesn’t Control You, Author, apps.americanbar.org/lpm/lpt/articles/tch08091.shtml, Law Practice Management Section of American Bar Association, 2009
- Law Tech 2009: Management and Technology Solutions for Your Firm, Co-Producer, Tennessee Bar Association, 2009
- Law Tech 2008: Ethical Risks Created by Technology, Speaker, Tennessee Bar Association, 2008
- Using Client Communications to Avoid Malpractice Claims, Speaker, Tennessee Bar Association, 2007
- Emerging Areas of Potential Liability Caused by the Legal Profession’s Increasing Use of Technology, Speaker, Tennessee Bar Association, 2007
- Udom Undone: Tennessee Enacts New Law Regarding Physician Non-Compete Agreements, Author, Tennessee Medicine, Medical, 2007
- Practical Litigation Skills in Tennessee: Ethical Quandaries in Litigation, Speaker, Barristers Educational Services, 2006
- Workplace Violence and Terrorism: Protecting Your Organization, Speaker, Council on Education in Management, 2006
- Meridian Law will celebrate its 10th Anniversary in 2024, growing from a single attorney firm to 15 employee firm with 9 attorneys since 2014. , 2023
Office location for Thomas W. Shumate IV
5141 Virginia Way
Suite 320
Brentwood, TN 37027
Phone: 615-560-3623
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2020 - 2024
- Rising Stars: 2011, 2013
