Bass, Berry & Sims attorney John Golwen provided insight for a Memphis Business Journal article focusing on the creation of the Tennessee Business Court. The article was published to coincide with the Court’s one-year anniversary. Last year, the Tennessee Supreme Court created a pilot court, physically located in Davidson County, to focus exclusively on complex business litigation. The court often hears “business divorce” cases among partners, breach of contract disputes, shareholder derivative suits, trade secrets and intellectual property disputes. Cases that are excluded from the court include personal injury, wrongful death, products liability and most employment cases. Tennessee is one of 26 states that have already implemented a business court system. “If deemed successful by the Tennessee Supreme Court, the system would likely expand to Shelby County and Knox County,” explains John. He adds, “[i]f we’re trying to attract business to Tennessee, obviously they won’t move their business here just for court, but it certainly makes for a more business-friendly environment.”
The full article, “Tennessee Business Court Sees Successful First Year,” was published by the Memphis Business Journal on May 5, 2016, and is available online.