Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed Thompson Burton attorney Jennifer Lankford to the Tennessee Board of Appeals, which hears complaints brought by preferred state employees appealing a demotion, suspension or termination. Lankford, who focuses on employment law, was the only attorney appointed to the Board of Appeals this year. “I am honored by Governor Haslam’s appointment and the opportunity to serve the state of Tennessee,” said Lankford. “The Board of Appeals plays an important role deciding disputes between state agencies and their employees. My expertise in employment law serves me well as a Board member.” The Board of Appeals is the third and final step in the administrative appeal procedure provided for preferred service employees. Preferred employees first appeal decisions to the appointing agency, then to the Tennessee Commissioner of Human Resources, before presenting their case to the Board. “Walt and I are proud of Jennifer’s appointment,” said co-founder Kevin Thompson. […]

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By Thomas Ritter of Thompson Burton, PLLC The news that credit reporting agency Equifax suffered a data breach of sizable proportions (a projected 143 million people affected) set the information security community abuzz. The irony was not lost on anyone: One of the three main credit reporting agencies largely in charge of identity theft notification and prevention, Equifax’s loss of sensitive information now acts as a gateway into the future proliferation of widespread identity fraud. Although details continue to slowly emerge, here’s what we currently know, what’s important for you to know, and my suggestions on preventative measures and next steps. WHAT HAPPENED? Criminals gained access into Equifax’s internal system through a vulnerability in the company’s website software beginning in mid-May, and remained inside the system until late July. The perpetrators gained access to a variety of sensitive personally identifiable information, which includes (but may not be the entire scope […]

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Seven attorneys selected by national peer-review for honor Thompson Burton PLLC announces that seven of its attorneys have been named to the 24th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, including: David P. Cañas Bankruptcy John J. Hollins Jr. Family Law Cathy Speers Johnson Family Law J.K. Simms Employment Law – Management Ronald “Ronn” G. Steen Jr. Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Litigation – Bankruptcy Phillip G. Young Jr. Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law A.J. Reed, who joined the firm last week Real Estate Law “We continue to see these types of peer recognition rankings for our firm and our attorneys,” said Kevin Thompson, co-founder of Thompson Burton. “When we started Thompson Burton, Walt Burton and I knew that creating a performance-driven model would help bring in the best of the best to our firm.” For the 24th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, 7.4 million votes were analyzed, which […]

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When did you know you wanted to be an attorney? While it was somewhat in the family because my grandfather was a tax attorney, I did not really know that I wanted to be an attorney until about a year after graduating from high school. I absolutely hated high school and took a year off when I graduated because I did not know what I wanted to do, but I knew I did not want to go in to 13th grade. The time off was great and really helped me. I worked, read a lot and met a lot of people, some of whom loved their careers and others who were still trying to figure what they wanted to do. It was during this year “off” that I knew I wanted to be an attorney. When I went to college the next year, I treated it like a job and […]

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