Cole Dowsley is a Partner at Thompson Burton PLLC.
Cole is passionate about partnering with businesses to resolve their most contentious and complex disputes. No matter the industry or nature of the dispute, his goal is to create and execute litigation strategies that serve the clients’ business interests.
Cole is a commercial litigator who has extensive experience resolving disputes in a wide range of industries, from financial institutions to construction companies. He works hard to understand the clients’ business goals in order to deliver excellent results, whether through trial, mediation, litigation or negotiation. He also works with our business clients to identify and manage risks and develop strategies to avoid lawsuits.
His work includes virtually every type of business-related dispute from complex commercial litigation to construction litigation, professional liability defense to contract disputes, and entertainment litigation to employment litigation. He has successfully represented businesses and individuals in a variety of industries throughout the state of Tennessee and throughout the Southeast. His practice includes handling trials and appeals in state and federal court, in addition to alternative dispute resolution forums, such as mediation and arbitration.
Cole’s recent representative matters include:
- representing homeowners’ association of high rise condominium development in a lawsuit involving claims of breach of contract and misrepresentation;
- obtaining dismissal of professional liability claim on behalf of law firm in bankruptcy court adversary proceeding;
- obtaining summary judgment on behalf of law firm client facing legal malpractice claims as a result of FINRA arbitration;
- obtaining dismissal of claims under Fair Debt Collection Practices Act on behalf of a debt collection company;
- securing judgment against individual on personal guarantee of commercial loan promissory note;
- obtaining defense verdict for healthcare provider in employment discrimination claim in U.S. District Court;
- representing CPA/business manager in complex lawsuit by former entertainment client for malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty;
- obtaining successful trial result for residential developer in land use/nuisance dispute;
- obtaining significant arbitration award for property owner in complex construction dispute against general contractor and subcontractor;
- handling appellate matters before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Tennessee Supreme Court and Tennessee Court of Appeals;
- resolving dozens of cases through mediation and judicial settlement forums;
- representing clients before state administrative boards;
- providing legal services to low income clients through the Nashville Pro Bono Program.
Cole received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he served on the Editorial Board of the Tennessee Law Review. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee, graduating magna cum laude, with a B.S. in Business Administration, majoring in accounting.
Cole is a proud resident of Franklin, Tennessee where he lives with his wife, Nicole, their 90 pound dog, Bunny, and their 13 year old cat, George. Away from the office, Cole enjoys riding his bicycle on the back roads of Middle Tennessee and snow skiing in Utah.
Bar Admissions:
- Tennessee
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Tennessee
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Tennessee
- U.S. District Court Western District of Tennessee
Representative Cases:
- Lewis v. Humboldt Acquisition Corp., 681 F.3d 312 (6th Cir. 2012)
- Lewis v. Humboldt Acquisition Corp., 634 F.3d 879 (6th Cir. 2011)
- Barna v. Preston Law Group, 2012 WL 1965615 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2012)
- Black v. Sussman, 2011 WL 2410237 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2011)
- Akers v. Heartland Dental Care, Inc., 2011 WL 1322781 (M.D. Tenn. 2011)
- Turner v. Steriltek, Inc., 2010 WL 744519 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2010)
- Minias v. Historic Hotels of Nashville, LLC, 2008 WL 2437734 (M.D. Tenn. 2008)
Professional & Community Associations:
American Bar Association; Tennessee Bar Association; Nashville Bar Association; Williamson County Bar Association; Defense Research Institute – Young Lawyers and Professional Liability Committees; Williamson County Chamber of Commerce
