Randall L. Kinnard - Nashville, TN

Best Lawyers announced that Randall Kinnard has been named Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year yet again for 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee. Best Lawyers compiles its list of outstanding attorneys by surveying thousands of leading lawyers and asking them to evaluate their professional peers.

In the last several years Mr. Kinnard has been asked by lawyer groups across the country to visit them and give his speech called, "R-E-S-P-E-C-T." This speech reminds lawyers how important it is to be respectful at all times, even in the courtroom. "The lawyer must respect the jury. Never waste their time and always be honest with them," he says.

In August 2010, the President of the Inner Circle of Advocates announced the selection of Randall Kinnard as a new member of the Inner Circle of Advocates: "Randy Kinnard, of Nashville, Tennessee has been inducted into the Inner Circle of Advocates, a group of the best 100 trial attorneys in the country, because of his extraordinary career and remarkable successes in the courtroom. He is a person who is universally respected among his peers and one of the great trial lawyers in the United States."

Lawyers Weekly USA, a prominent national law publication, featured Randy Kinnard as a MASTER OF TRIAL ADVOCACY in the article "THE WARRIOR WITHIN" Click here to read the article.

Before entering law school, he attended West Point and served in Vietnam. His combat experience with the 173rd Airborne Brigade has served him well in the practice of law." (August 4, 2003, LWUSA 518). A combat Airborne Ranger, he was awarded the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Purple Heart, Bronze Star for Valor and Air Medal for 28 assaults in combat during his two tours in Vietnam. He also served with the 82nd Airborne Division and 101st Airborne Division.

Mr. Kinnard is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification. He is also a Certified Medical Malpractice Specialist. He has won many record-setting verdicts for his clients in over 30 years of practice. Randall Kinnard was voted the lawyer they would most want to represent them in a medical malpractice case by Middle Tennessee lawyers, said Business Nashville, which quoted one lawyer as saying, "It's pretty well recognized that he is the premier plaintiff's medical malpractice attorney in Nashville."

But, as he says, "It's not all about doing the best you can for your client as a lawyer. It's also about being a counselor and a friend to your client." When he teaches other lawyers about how to be a good lawyer, he emphasizes two things: (1) competence and (2) respecting your client. This means "being there" for your client, he says.

Volunteer in the community. Mr. Kinnard is a volunteer for Alive Hospice. He serves on the Quality Council for Alive Hospice. He also is a board member of Centerstone, which is a not-for-profit organization helping over 40,000 with mental illnesses. He is on the Board of Directors of Friends of Warner Parks, which seeks to preserve hundreds of acres of parklands in Davidson County. For decades, Mr. Kinnard has supported The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, which gives free legal services to poor people. When he was Chair of the fundraising campaign for Legal Aid, he helped raise over $700,000, setting a record. He has been a board member of his church, Sunday school teacher, and Scout leader. He is a member of the Exchange Club. He supports dozens of charitable organizations both local and national.

Nashville Business Journal writes a feature on Randall L. Kinnard. Read here.

Other professional achievements, memberships, and honors.

• Chairman of the Ethics Committee, Tennessee Association for Justice
• Past Chairman and Current Member of Legal--Medical Relations Committee of the Tennessee Bar Association
• Ethics Committee Member of the Tennessee Bar Association
• Ethics Committee Member of the American Association for Justice
• Advocate Chair of Patient Safety Committee of the Tennessee Association for Justice
• Member of Fellowship for Accurate Courtroom Testimony
• Best Lawyers Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year, Nashville, TN 2011, 2013
• Member: Inner Circle of Advocates
• Super Lawyers, Mid-South
• Best Lawyers in America
• Best Lawyers in Tennessee, as listed in Business TN
• Top 100 Lawyers in Tennessee, Law and Politics Magazine
• Preeminent Lawyers, Highest AV rating* by Martindale-Hubbell
• Past President of Tennessee Association for Justice
• Past Chairman of Lawyers Involved for Tennessee
• State Delegate to American Association for Justice
• Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Association
• Fellow of the Nashville Bar Association
• Law Review, Memphis State University School of Law
• American Board of Trial Advocates Member
• Nashville Bar Association Member
• Tennessee Bar Association Member
• American Bar Association Member
• American Association for Justice Member
• Tennessee Association for Justice Member

Published writer. The following articles, written by Mr. Kinnard, have been published in state or national magazines:

• Peremptory Challenges - How Many?
• Mental Anguish Without Physical Injury
• Is Your Action Really Time-Barred?
• Damages in Children Death Cases
• Discovery of Expert Opinions
• The Personal Injury Trial - Less is More
• New Tennessee Medical Malpractice Laws (2008)
• Tennessee Medical Malpractice Laws Change Again (2009)
• Lawyers Weekly USA, a prominent national law publication, featured Randy Kinnard as a MASTER OF TRIAL ADVOCACY in the article "THE WARRIOR WITHIN"

Areas of Practice:

• Medical Malpractice
• Vehicular Accidents
• Product Liability
• Wrongful Death
• Personal Injury

Bar Admissions:

• Tennessee
• Kentucky

Certification/Specialties:

• Certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification
• Board-Certified in the area of Medical Malpractice by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys

Frequent speaker. During his career, Mr. Kinnard has given dozens of speeches to lawyers to help them in their practice. He has spoken to judges about challenges in the courtroom. He has given speeches to hospitals, physicians, and nurses about how to avoid committing malpractice and how to improve the quality of care for patients. Here are the titles of some of the speeches he has given to national, state and local trial bar associations and to judges:

• Medical Malpractice In a Nutshell
• Medical Malpractice - - Best Tips from 25 Years of Trial Work
• The Personal Injury Trial: Voir Dire to Closing
• Trial Advocacy In Tennessee - Initial Considerations; How to Assess Damages
• Voir Dire in Auto Cases
• Putting the Case Together for Trial
• Mistakes Made in the Preparation and Trial of Personal Injury Cases
• Children and Loss of Consortium; Comparative Fault Challenges
• Advanced Trial Techniques
• Opening Statement and Closing Argument - Trial Advocacy in Tennessee
• Medical Malpractice - Tips for Tennessee Judges
• How to Evaluate and Settle Personal Injury Claims in Tennessee - Plaintiff's Perspective
• Tennessee Evidence
• Settling the Federal Case - - The Plaintiff's Perspective
• Mistakes Made in the Preparation of Trials
• Assessing and Evaluating the Malpractice Case: Plaintiff's View
• Ethics & Professionalism
• Evaluating Your Client's Medical Malpractice Case
• Medical Malpractice
• Medical Malpractice - Plaintiff Perspective
• Personal Injury Litigation Practice in Tennessee
• Notice and Certificate of Good Faith Laws Change Again!
• The Burden of Proof and Related Evidence Issues
• What I Would Tell the Doctor if I Were His Lawyer
• The New Medical Malpractice Statutes
• Less is More in the Personal Injury Trial
• Malpractice and Other Tort Issues
• R-E-S-P-E-C-T

In his most recent speech to lawyers on the topic of respect, Mr. Kinnard advised how important it is to respect your client, the jury, and yourself. He said, "Sometimes lawyers fail to respect the time of a juror. Jurors expect you to be organized and prepared. Do not waste their time. They want you to get to the point and sit down. Doing that requires you to be extremely competent, to know your case and to communicate it." He emphasized that "respecting your client" means far more than just being competent as a lawyer. "Be your client's friend. Due to tragic things that may have happened to your client, you may be one of the last friends your client says."

Other information. Mr. Kinnard is in the process of founding The Children's Justice Center, a non-profit, charitable organization which will provide free legal help, advice, and court representation for abused and neglected children.

Mr. Kinnard is an avid outdoorsman, enjoys running, golf, fishing, and hiking. He also likes to read, especially history.

* AV Preeminent and BV Distinguished are certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell ratings fall into two categories - legal ability and general ethical standards.