Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs
| No. of offices | 6 |
|---|---|
| No. of attorneys | 200+ |
| Major practice areas | General practice |
| Key people | Franklin K. Jelsma, Managing Partner Donald J. Kelly, Partner in Charge - Louisville Mark Burton, Partner in Charge - Lexington Robert E. Craddock, Jr., Partner in Charge - Memphis James C. Bradshaw III, Partner in Charge - Nashville James L. Pettis III, Partner in Charge - Jackson |
| Date founded | 1812 |
| Founder | Wilson W. Wyatt, John E. Tarrant, Bert T. Combs |
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
| Website | www.wyattfirm.com |
Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP is one of the largest law firms in the Southeastern United States. Organized into nine service teams and industry-focused practice groups, the firm has more than 200 attorneys in six offices in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Indiana. Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs traces its roots back to 1812, the year William Christian Bullitt opened his law practice. The current generation of the firm was formed through the mergers of the practices of Tarrant, Combs & Bullitt and Wyatt, Grafton & Sloss in 1980; Orbison, O'Connor, MacGregor & Mattox in 1984; Brown, Sledd & McCann in 1985; Gilbert & Milom in 1989; and McDonnell Dyer in 1995.[1] With a diversified clientele ranging from fast growing start-ups to second and third generation family businesses to large corporations, Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs is a member of Lex Mundi, the world's largest association of independent law firms. The firm is also one of 39 member firms in the DuPont Legal Model Network and one of eight firms that participate in the AdvanceLaw program, the new model in legal service delivery.[2]
History
Tarrant, Combs & Bullitt began its history in 1812 with the founding of the Bullitt firm. One of William Christian Bullitt's grandchildren, William Marshall Bullitt, the former Solicitor General of the United States, practiced with the firm from 1895 to 1957. The presiding partners in the firm at the time of its merger with the Wyatt firm were John E. Tarrant and former Governor Bert T. Combs. Governor Combs was also a former United States circuit judge, and Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court. Wyatt, Grafton & Sloss was founded in 1947 as Wyatt & Grafton. The presiding partners in the firm were Arthur W. Grafton, Sr. and Wilson W. Wyatt, a former mayor of Louisville, who served in President Truman's cabinet, as presidential emissary under President Kennedy, and as lieutenant governor of Kentucky.[3]
Orbison, O'Connor, MacGregor & Mattox was founded in 1879 as Jewett & Jewett. Telford B. Orbison, a past president of the Indiana State Bar Association, was the presiding partner in the firm when it merged with Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs.[4]
Brown, Sledd & McCann was founded in 1952 as McCann, Sledd & McCann. In the intervening years, it practiced under the name of Brown, Sledd & McCann, P.S.C. William H. McCann and Herbert D. Sledd, a past president of the Kentucky Bar Association and secretary of the American Bar Association, were the presiding officers of the firm when it merged with Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs.[5]
Gilbert & Milom was founded in 1951 as Barksdale, Hudgins and Osborne, and evolved into Gilbert & Milom in 1983. Harris A. Gilbert and Michael W. Milom were the presiding partners in the firm when it merged with Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs.[6]
The Memphis McDonnell Dyer merger in October 1995 made Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs the largest firm operating in the Kentucky-Indiana-Tennessee region. The expansion into Tennessee was part of the firm's plan to establish statewide presence and to transition towards a diverse regional law firm.[7]
The firm opened its office in Jackson, Mississippi in 2006. That location has shown significant growth since its opening.[8]
Practice areas
Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs is a full-service law firm, with lawyers specializing in the following areas of law:
- Antitrust & Trade Regulation
- Arbitration & Mediation Services
- Bankruptcy & Creditors' Rights
- Corporate & Securities
- Data Privacy & Security
- Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation
- Environmental
- Equine & Gaming
- Estate Planning
- Financial Institutions
- Governmental Affairs and Regulated Industries
- Health Care
- Immigration
- Insurance
- Intellectual Property Protection and Litigation
- International Trade
- Labor & Employment
- Litigation & Dispute Resolution
- Media Communications
- Mineral & Energy
- Nonprofit Institutions
- Public Finance and Economic Development
- Real Estate Development, Financing, and Transactions
- Sustainability
- Taxation
- White Collar Crime
Notable lawyers and alumni
- Wilson W. Wyatt, former Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky and Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky
- John E. Tarrant, name partner and outside counsel for General Electric in its development of Appliance Park, one of the largest manufacturing facilities in the U.S.
- Bert T. Combs, former Governor of Kentucky
- Franklin K. Jelsma, Managing Partner and former Chief of Staff for Governor Brereton Jones
- Gordon B. Davidson, former Managing Partner at Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs and attorney for the "Louisville Sponsoring Group," a collaboration of business leaders who provided the funding for Muhammad Ali's launch into professional boxing (see Sports Illustrated's "The Eleven Men Behind Cassius Clay")
- Dr. Benjamin Hooks, American civil rights leader and former executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
- Frank W. Burke, former Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky
- H. Foster Pettit, mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, 1972-1978
Notable clients
- Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
- E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company
- Fruit of the Loom
- General Electric
- Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc.
- Jefferson County Public Schools
- JPMorgan Chase & Co.
- Pfizer, Inc.
- PNC Bank, National Association
- Raycom Media, Inc.
- Reynolds Packaging Group
- Smith & Nephew
- Tempur Sealy International, Inc.
- Thorntons Inc.
- Vanderbilt University
Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America® 2014 named 96 of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs' lawyers in its publication. The firm is also top-listed in 58 practice areas in its Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi locations.
- Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business 2013, named Wyatt a "Leading Law Firm" and 26 of the firm's lawyers as "Leading Individuals" in its publication.
- 2013 Super Lawyers® (Kentucky and Mid-South editions) named 66 of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs' attorneys as Super Lawyers and 9 Rising Stars in its publications.
- Corporate Counsel Magazine's survey of General Counsel at top 500 companies named Wyatt a "Go-To Law Firm" for labor & employment and litigation matters.
- Benchmark Litigation named Wyatt a "Highly Recommended" and "Leading Litigation" firm.
- The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management named Wyatt one of the "Best Places to Work." Wyatt has also been named one of the "Best Employers in Tennessee."