Thomas W. Shumate IV
Top rated Business Litigation attorney in Franklin, 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 - 2026 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2011, 2013 Call today:
615-560-3623
Meridian Law, PLLC
725 Cool Springs BlvdSuite 240
Franklin, TN 37067 Visit website
Tom Shumate has spent more than 28 years helping businesses and individuals navigate complex civil disputes. As founder and managing member of Meridian Law, PLLC, he combines extensive litigation experience with the practical perspective of a business owner. His practice emphasizes business and employment litigation, contract disputes, non-competition agreements, trade secret misappropriation, and business torts.
Tom approaches each matter with a straightforward goal: help clients understand their options and make informed decisions. He provides candid assessments of the strengths, risks, costs, and potential outcomes of a dispute, then develops a strategy suited to the client’s objectives. Whether negotiating a resolution or preparing a case for trial, he emphasizes careful preparation, responsive communication, and sound business judgment.
Practice and Firm Leadership
Tom founded Meridian Law in 2014 around a commitment to personal attention, practical advice, and effective advocacy. His experience building and managing a law firm informs his work for entrepreneurs and business owners. He understands that legal disputes affect more than the parties’ immediate rights—they can disrupt operations, strain relationships, consume management time, and threaten a company’s future.
Tom represents small and midsized businesses, owners, executives, and individuals in business, contract, and employment disputes. His work includes restrictive covenants, confidentiality and employment agreements, severance agreements, unfair competition, trade secrets, and other disputes arising from business and employment relationships. He also advises businesses on day-to-day legal issues and strategies to prevent disputes before they arise.
In employment matters, Tom advises and represents employers across a range of workplace issues. His representation of employees focuses on employment agreements, severance agreements, restrictive covenants, and related contract disputes. His broader litigation experience includes insurance defense, personal injury, and wrongful death matters.
As Meridian’s managing member, Tom is committed to developing attorneys who exercise good judgment, communicate clearly, and take ownership of their work. He emphasizes mentoring, professional development, and the thoughtful use of technology to improve client service.
Teaching, Speaking, and Writing
Tom serves as an adjunct professor at Belmont University’s business school, teaching Leadership, Ethics, and Managing Social Responsibility. His teaching reflects his longstanding interest in the relationship among ethical leadership, professional responsibility, and effective business management.
He frequently lectures and writes on non-competition agreements, legal ethics, law practice management, legal marketing, and technology. For years, he authored one of Tennessee’s early legal blogs devoted to Tennessee non-compete law and related issues. His article, “Game Over or Game On? The Future of Noncompetes,” appeared in Volume 60 of the Tennessee Bar Journal in July/August 2024.
Education
Tom graduated with honors from Vanderbilt University in 1995 and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1998. He has practiced law in Nashville since 1998. In 2023, he completed the Vanderbilt Executive Education Leadership Coaching program.
Awards and Recognition
Tom has been included in the 2024–2026 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation and was also recognized for Business Organizations in the 2026 edition.
He was selected to Mid-South Super Lawyers annually from 2020 through 2025, including recognition among the Top 100 lawyers in Tennessee and the Top 50 lawyers in Nashville in 2024 and 2025. Earlier in his career, he was selected to Mid-South Rising Stars.
Tom holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and a 10.0 rating from Avvo. He was also recognized as a Martindale-Hubbell Client Champion with Platinum Distinction for 2023–2024.
He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Association, a certified Legal Process Improvement Professional, and an Eagle Scout.
Bar and Court Admissions
Tennessee
United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Supreme Court
Tom is also a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 Listed General Civil Mediator.
Professional Affiliations
Tom’s professional memberships include the American Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, Nashville Bar Association, Williamson County Bar Association, Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association, and Defense Research Institute.
He serves as a Master of the Bench in the Belmont Inn of Court for the 2024–2026 term and is a former member of the Harry Phillips Inn of Court. He is a two-time chair and a member of the Executive Committee of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Law Office Technology and Management Section.
Tom previously served on the editorial boards of Law Practice Today and Law Practice, publications of the American Bar Association’s Law Practice Division. He is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association’s 2016 Leadership Law class and has been a member of the Notre Dame Legal Association since 1998.
Community Involvement
Tom’s community involvement has focused on education, mentoring, and opportunities for young people. He served on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tennessee from 2007 to 2020 and co-founded its annual Lawyers for Littles Bowl for Kids’ Sake event, which raised more than $140,000 for the organization. He continues to support the organization through its Bowl for Kids’ Sake Committee and annual fundraising event.
Tom serves on the Parents Council of Centre College. He is a past board chair and member of the Father Ryan High School Alumni Board and a past chair and member of the Christ the King School Board. His previous service includes the Strategic Planning Committee of Saint Matthew School, Cubmaster of Pack 45 at Christ the King Church, and legal counsel for the Nashville Area Junior Chamber of Commerce, which presented him with its Spotlight Award in 2001.
He participated in the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Leadership Connect program and is a member of the inaugural class of Nashville Emerging Leaders and the 2007 class of Young Leaders Council.
Personal Interests
Outside the office, Tom enjoys spending time with his wife, Wendy, and their three children, including attending their games and activities. An enthusiastic reader, he usually has several books underway at once.
He enjoys hiking at Warner Parks, working in his yard, exploring Tennessee’s trails, collecting bourbon, and searching for Nashville’s best burger. He also follows Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Centre, and Ole Miss athletics. His outdoor ambitions include completing the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim hike and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro—while his knees are still cooperating.
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/thomas-shumate
Bar / Professional Activity
- 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
Special Licenses / Certifications
- 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
Pro bono / Community Service
- 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
Educational Background
- Graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt University with a degree in English, B.A, with honors, 1995
- University of Notre Dame Law School, 1998
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- 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
Other Outstanding Achievements
- 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
Honors
- 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
Awards
Avvo Client's Choice Award: This award is granted to attorneys with at least 5 reviews with 4+ stars in a given year on Avvo.com
These comments were made by fellow attorneys during the annual nomination process.
“Excellent attorney. Very professional and knowledgeable.”
“Tom is an exceptional lawyer. He's a responsive and effective communicator and is extraordinarily compassionate in difficult situations. Very experienced and understands how to navigate complex matters, and does so while problem-solving instead of wasting clients' time and money. He has integrity and follows the rules, both written and unwritten. Top-notch attorney no matter the amount in controversy.”
“Outstanding practitioner to whom I regularly refer potential clients for business advice and litigation services. I highly recommend Tom and his firm.”
“Tom is an outstanding business litigation attorney.”
“Excellent lawyer. Tom is a hard working, dedicated attorney with many years of experience.”
Office location for Thomas W. Shumate IV
725 Cool Springs Blvd
Suite 240
Franklin, TN 37067
Phone: 615-560-3623
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2020 - 2026
- Rising Stars: 2011, 2013
