David A. Draper

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.