Daniel J. Taylor - Jackson, TN

Daniel J. Taylor, a resident of Jackson, Tennessee, concentrates his practice almost exclusively in the areas of state and federal criminal defense law in West Tennessee. Mr. Taylor is certified as a Criminal Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization. He has been certified since 2000. He was recertified in 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. He is also qualified pursuant to the Rules of the Tennessee Supreme Court to serve as lead counsel in capital (death penalty) cases and appeals. He has participated as either lead or co-counsel in over one hundred (100) criminal jury trials. He has experience in both the defense and prosecution of criminal cases. He was formerly employed by the office of the Tennessee Attorney General (Criminal Division); served as an assistant to the Attorney General of the Thirteenth Judicial District as a senior law student pursuant to Rule 10.03 of the Tennessee Supreme Court; and was employed for five (5) years as the Chief Assistant Public Defender for the Twenty-sixth (26th) Judicial District, Jackson, TN. He is a 2001 graduate of the National Criminal Defense College located at the Mercer School of Law, Macon, Georgia. He is also a 2002 graduate of the Clarence Darrow Death Penalty Defense College located at the University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Mr. Taylor has served on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has served as a Board of Director, Vice President, and President of the Jackson-Madison County Bar Association. He is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association (Criminal Justice Section), Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (TACDL) and the Madison County Bar Association. He is a Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. He served as a hearing committee member of the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility, Disciplinary District VII from 2003-2009. He also served as Chair of the Criminal Rules Subcommittee of the Standing Local Rules Committee of Federal Courts of the Western District of Tennessee for a term.

Mr. Taylor is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and the Nashville School of Law. He was admitted to the practice of law in 1992. He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Tennessee and all lower appellate and trial courts. He is also admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee and U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Mr. Taylor served twenty years as an officer in the Tennessee Army National Guard. During his military career he served three times as a Company/unit Commander. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom (2004-2005) and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his service during that deployment. He retired with the rank of Major.

Mr. Taylor served in the Boy Scouts of America. He is an Eagle Scout and was the past Chairman of the Central District Committee of the Boy Scouts of America, Jackson, TN. He was also past Scoutmaster of Troop 110 at Grace United Methodist Church. He has served as a member of the Board and President of the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity, Jackson, TN. He taught as an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at Jackson State Community College. In addition, he coached the mock trial team at Lambuth University for a year.

He has published numerous articles regarding criminal law in For the Defense, the publication of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and he authored a chapter in Trends in DUI Discovery, for Inside the Minds legal series for Aspatore Publications. He has been listed in the Super lawyers of the Mid-South since 2008 in the area of criminal defense law and he has been listed in America's Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyers. He had been sole or co-counsel in over 130 criminal jury trials.