Legal Services & Lawyers

Margaret Held has known she wanted to be a lawyer since she was 8 years old, hearing the stories of her grandfather's practice in Knoxville. "When you decide to become a lawyer when you are a kid, it's because you want to stick up for the little guy and take down the bully."

As a new attorney, that attitude landed Ms. Held a prestigious Equal Justice Fellowship, awarded by the National Association for Public Interest Law to honor lawyers who make unique contributions in public law. The Fellowship allowed Ms. Held to represent entrepreneurs and non-profit rganizations to create and retain jobs in poor neighborhoods. "These folks could not afford corporate counsel," says Ms. Held. "It was great to be a new attorney, working up the legal documents to start a bank, suing the government over its use of economic incentives, and representing welfare moms to start businesses ranging from child-cares to ice cream parlors."

After the fellowship ended, Ms. Held continued her mission by founding Held Law Firm. "The Firm exists to support lawyers who have enough little kid in them to love the fight - who wake up each morning excited to take on the big boys, and who haven't become cynical about ideals like justice and fair play."

Ms. Held represented India Tracy in her lawsuit against the Union County school system for religious discrimination. She represented Citizens for Police Review in its battle for increased accountability within KPD. She helped the Tennessee Industrial Renewal Network to fight for a living wage for Knoxville workers. She obtained a record-breaking settlement for a Department of Energy whistleblower who reported safety violations in Oak Ridge. She represented KnoxRecall in its drive for increased accountability from Knoxville city lawmakers, and Knox County over abuses within the juvenile detention facility. "I suppose that these sorts of lawsuits haven't made me many friends in certain circles," laughs Ms. Held. "But they weren't who I went to law school for anyway."


"But seriously," she continues, "As fun as those cases are, the issues that matter most to real people are much more personal. Law, for regular people, is about your kids, your job, your business, your neighborhood. That's why we specialize in family law, employment law, and non-profit law." "My best hope is that we will take the mystery out of the legal process for my clients - that they will know how the legal system works, feel like they got sound advice and a good outcome, and know that, win or lose, we fought the good fight for them. Big cases are great, but there's nothing more satisfying for me than to represent an honest, hard-working person well."

Ms. McKinnish graduated with a Bachelorâs Degree from the University of Tennessee and received her law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. While in law school, she received the award for Best Oral Advocate in 2003 and was named the Associate Chief Justice of the University of Memphis law school as Moot Court Board. Also while in law school Ms. McKinnish was a National Environmental Moot Court semi-finalist and completed an internship with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee, a clerkship in the Corporate Legal Division with Servicemaster, Inc. and a summer clerkship with The Bosch Law Firm, P.C., focusing on complex criminal defense litigation, including death penalty defense. Upon graduation she was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 2005.

Ms. McKinnish began her practice with Rice, Amundsen & Rogers, P.L.L.C., a boutique Domestic Relations firm located in Memphis, Tennessee, where she was a member of the Memphis Bar Association. Ms. McKinnish returned to the East Tennessee area to be closer to her family. Her primary practice areas include family law, juvenile law and adoptions. Ms. McKinnish is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the American Bar Association Family Law Section, American Inns of Court - Hamilton Burnett Order of the Barristers and the Knoxville Bar Association.

The primary focus of our firm is to provide effective representation and advocacy in the areas of criminal defense and family law. Should you have any questions, please contact Tracy Phillips immediately. Mrs. Phillips is the legal assistant to Ms. Mendez and can assist in scheduling an immediate appointment.

Mr. Wright was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He attended Middle Tennessee State University (B.S., summa cum laude, 1977); the University of Tennessee (J.D., 1980) Order of the Coif, Law Review. He was admitted to the Tennessee, Sixth Circuit and Fourth Circuit Bar in 1981. Author credits include: Tennessee Current Legal Summaries. Co-Author: Avoiding Environmental Liability in Tennessee; Hazardous Waste in Tennessee; Distinguished Alumni Speaker - University of Tennessee College of Law 2008. He has been on the Executive Committee of the Tennessee Bar Association Section on Environmental Law since the founding of the section and is a past Chair of the Section. He is also the Co-Chair of the Knoxville Bar Association Environmental Law Section, the Past President of the Knoxville Legal Aid Society (three terms), and is a past Director of Knoxville Montessori School. Notable cases include: Joe Chadwell v. Knox County, Tenn. Sup. Ct. (Environmental Law); Davis v. Indian Mountain Clinic, Tenn. Ct. App. (Medical Malpractice); Deaton v. Sensaboy, Tenn. Ct. App. (Civil Rights and Medical Malpractice); Anthony v. Felknor and Cunningham, Tenn. Ct. App. (Legal Malpractice); Cincinnati Insurance Co. v. Fred S. Post, Tenn. Sup. Ct. (Insurance Law); Campbell County v. Brownlee-Kesterson, Inc., Tenn. Ct. App. (Product Liability); Jefferson County v. Celotex, Tenn. Ct. App. (Product Liability); Lockett v. Blalock Construction.

Areas of Practice:

Corporate and Banking
Environmental Law & Toxic Torts
Products Liability
Lender Liability
Personal Injury
Medical Malpractice & Medical Devices
Bar Admissions:
Tennessee, 1981
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Tennessee, 1982
U.S. Federal Courts, 1981
U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 2002
U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 1981
U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court, 2004
Education:
University of Tennessee College of Law, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1980
J.D.
Honors: Order of the Coif
Law Review: University of Tennessee Law Review


Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 1977
B.S.
Honors: Summa Cum Laude


Published Works:
Tennessee: Current Legal Summaries


Avoiding Environmental Liability in Tennesse; Hazardous Waste in Tennessee (Co-Author)


Representative Cases:
Cincinnati Ins. Co. v. Fred S. Post (Tenn. Sup. Ct. (Insurance Law))
K.M.C. Co., Inc. v. Irving Trust Co., 757 F.2d 752 (C.A.6 (Tenn.) 1985)
Anthony v. Felknor & Cunningham (Tenn. Ct. App. (Legal Malpractice))
Joe Chadwell v. Knox County (Tenn. Sup. Ct. (Environmental Law))
Davis v. Indian Mountain Clinic (Tenn. Ct. App. (Medical Malpractice))
Deaton v. Sensaboy (Tenn. Ct. App. (Civil Rights and Medical Malpractice))
Campbell County v. Brownlee-Kesterson, Inc. (Tenn. Ct. App. (Product Liability)
Jefferson County v. Celotex (Tenn. Ct. App.(Product Liability))
Lockett V. Blalock Construction (Tenn. Ct. App - Disc Costs/Prejudg. Intrst (Construction Law-Blasting))
Wilson v. McCann Steel Corp. ((Corporation Law))
Ward v. Bush Construction ((Tenn. Ct. App. (Construction; Tennessee One-Call))
Representative Clients:
CNA
Pepsi Bottling Group
Frito-Lay, Inc.
Sedgwick CMS
Wampler's Farm Sausage, Incorporated
Family Brands International
Shaner Group
References:
Wamplers Farm Sausage
Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc.
Frito Lay, Inc.
Professional Associations and Memberships:
Tennessee Bar Association, Section on Environmental Law, 2003 - 2004
Member, Past Chair, Executive Committee


Knoxville Bar Association, Environmental Law Section
Co-Chair


Knoxville Legal Aid Society
Past President (Three Terms)


Fraternities/Sororities:
Phi Delta Phi
Birth Information:
Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Robert R. Kurtz represents individuals accused of criminal offenses in Federal and State court. Mr. Kurtz represents clients accused of DUI, drug offenses, sex offenses, homicide/murder, internet crimes, and a variety of other felonies and misdemeanors.

Mr. Kurtz received his undergraduate degree, with honors, from the University of Southwestern Louisiana at Lafayette. Mr. Kurtz graduated, cum laude, from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2000. While at the University of Tennessee, Mr. Kurtz received the Charles Miller Excellence in Advocacy Award.

Mr. Kurtz is a an active member of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, having served as co-chair of the Continuing Legal Education Committee for three years. Mr. Kurtz is active in the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Knoxville Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Mr. Kurtz is the representative for the Criminal Justice Act panel for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Mr. Kurtz is also on the Review Committee for the Tennessee Innocence Project.