Mr. Draper is a Knoxville native and the senior shareholder in Lewis Thomason’s Knoxville construction law practice group. He is an AV-rated trial lawyer with broad experience in civil litigation, arbitration, and mediation. Prior to obtaining his law degree, he operated a paint contracting business and worked in commercial construction. His law practice is concentrated in construction defect litigation, professional liability defense, commercial disputes and insurance coverage disputes. His construction clients include owners, designers, industrial, commercial, utility, and residential general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers. He has successfully defended a broad range of licensed professionals, including architects and engineers, lawyers, health care providers, surveyors, and realtors. He also has extensive experience in insurance coverage disputes, much of it related to the construction industry. Mr. Draper has extensive arbitration experience and he serves as both an arbitrator and mediator. He is a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 listed Civil Mediator. He is a founding member and past president (2015) of the Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel, and long-time member of the Steering Committee of the Construction Practice Group of ALFA International – a global legal network of premier law firms in which the firm is a member. In his law practice, he aspires to the example of his now retired father lawyer, Jack Draper, who counseled that a lawyer should always seek to leave no stone unturned, but to resolve, rather than perpetuate conflict wherever possible.

Attorney at Lewis Thomason
Mr. Garceau is an associate in the firm’s Knoxville office practicing in the areas of business and commercial law, construction and general civil litigation. As a law student, he was a two-year member of the National Professional Responsibility Moot Court Team. Mr. Garceau also received the 2014 Chancellor’s Citation for Extraordinary Professional Promise as well as Certificates of Academic Excellence for receiving the top grade in Legal Process I, Civil Procedure II, Torts II, Legal Profession, Fundamental Concepts of Income Taxation, Constitutional Law, American Jurisprudence, Investigatory Criminal Procedure, Jurisprudence, Secured Transactions, Trial Practice, and Workers Compensation. He worked as a law clerk for the firm during the summers of 2012 and 2013.

Shareholder at Lewis Thomason
Mr. Irvin, shareholder, is in Lewis Thomason’s Nashville office, where he focuses his practice on construction law with an emphasis on the representation of architects and engineers against professional liability allegations. He also represents contractors in a wide variety of business matters, including contract negotiations, project administration, closeout, construction defect defense and payment disputes, including the assertion and enforcement of mechanics’ and materialmen’s liens and performance and payment bond claims. Additionally, Mr. Irvin advises contractors in administrative matters before the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, the Tennessee Occupational Health and Safety Administration (TOSHA) and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). He is a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 listed civil mediator.

Justin Joy leads Lewis Thomason’s cybersecurity practice group and is the firm’s privacy officer.  He provides counsel to clients in a variety of industries in the area of information privacy and cybersecurity including incident investigation and breach response management, regulatory compliance, privacy and security policy review and drafting, and cyber risk management. He speaks frequently to various groups and organizations on the topic of information privacy and cybersecurity. 

Special Counsel at Lewis Thomason
Mr. Rust serves as special counsel in the firm’s Knoxville office and focuses his practice primarily on civil litigation. He handles cases involving a wide range of individual and corporate clients, including the areas of employment law, transportation, construction and general tort litigation. Mr. Rust also spends a significant amount of his time representing businesses in commercial disputes. Additionally, he provides counsel to both private and public employers regarding a variety of employment matters. Mr. Rust has served as first chair counsel in jury trials before Tennessee state and federal courts, in addition to regular motion practice in both state and federal court.

W. Paul Whitt Esq., a shareholder in the firm’s Knoxville office, practices in the areas of construction law and litigation, including professional liability defense of design professionals, such as engineers, architects and surveyors, as well as professional liability representation of accountants and lawyers. He also has significant experience in general civil litigation and in the representation of insurance carriers in first party actions brought by insureds related to coverage matters, claims of bad faith, insurance fraud and other extra-contractual matters.