J. William Coley
Member
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Bill's Areas of Practice
- Utility Law
- Contracts
- Eminent Domain
- General Liability Defense
- Government Contracts
- Insurance Defense
- Personal Injury– Defense
- General Litigation
J. William Coley (Bill) received his law degree with honors from the University of Tennessee in 1985. His practice is devoted primarily to utility representation across a broad range of legal issues, general litigation, and insurance representation. Bill serves as General Counsel to Knoxville Utilities Board. He also serves as Chair of the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission and is a past president of the Knoxville Bar Association and Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyer Division. Bill served in firm leadership as Managing Member for 10 years during his career at Hodges, Doughty, and Carson. He is a member of the American Bar Association, American Bar Foundation, Tennessee Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Foundation, and Knoxville Bar Association, and Knoxville Bar Foundation. He has served his church and the community in a number of capacities and enjoys family and outdoor activities.
Litigation Percentage
- 75 percent of practice devoted to litigation
Bar Admissions
- Tennessee, 1985
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Tennessee, 1985
- U.S. District Court Western District of Tennessee, 1985
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Tennessee, 1985
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
Education
- University of Tennessee College of Law, Knoxville, Tennessee J.D. – 1985 - Honors: With Honors
- University of Tennessee B.S.
Representative Clients
- Knoxville Utilities Board
- Farmers Insurance Exchange
Honors and Awards
- Knoxville, Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Tennessee Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Best Lawyers in America 2012 – Administrative/Regulatory Law
- Best Lawyers in America 2013 – Administrative/Regulatory Law
- Best Lawyers in America 2014 – Administrative/Regulatory Law, Litigation-Environmental
- Cityview 2014 Top Knoxville Attorney – Environmental Law, Administrative Law
- Best Lawyers in America 2015 – Administrative/Regulatory Law, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Litigation-Environmental
- Cityview 2015 Top Knoxville Attorney – Administrative Law, Environmental Law
- Best Lawyers in America 2016 – Administrative/Regulatory Law, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Litigation-Environmental. Listed as Best Lawyer since 2012.
- Cityview 2016 Top Knoxville Attorney – Administrative Law, Environmental Law
- Best Lawyers in America 2017 – Administrative/Regulatory Law, Eminent Domain & Condemnation Law, Litigation-Environmental
- Cityview 2017 Top Knoxville Attorney – Administrative Law
- Cityview 2018 Top Knoxville Attorney – Environmental
- Best Lawyers in America 2018 - Administrative/Regulatory Law; Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law; Litigation-Environmental; Litigation-Municipal
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Knoxville Bar Association (President 2012)
- Tennessee Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- American Bar Foundation
- Defense Research Institute
- Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association
Past Employment Positions
- Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC, Managing Partner, 2004 – 2011
Pro Bono Activities
- Chair, Campaign for Equal Justice, Legal Aid of E. Tennessee, 2006 – 2007
Fraternities/Sororities
- Phi Alpha Delta
- Alpha Gamma Rho
