Faculty Profile: Donald Mason Jr

Education:

Milligan College, Milligan College, Tennessee (1973 - 1974) University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee (UTK) (1974 - 1979) UTK - Bachelor Science Business Administration (Honors) - BS - 1976 UTK - Master Business Administration - MBA - 1979

UTK - Doctor Jurisprudence - JD - 1979

 

Legal Practice:

1980 to Present in active practice

Since 2010, Mason Law Office, Kingsport, Tennessee

AV Rating - Martindale Hubbell - Highest Possible Rating in Legal Ability and Ethical Standards

2017 Elite Lawyers of the South - Selected by American Lawyer Media, National Law Journal and Martindale-Hubbell

General Legal Practice with emphasis in Labor and Employment Law, Administrative and Personal Injury Law; Licensed to practice before all Tennessee state Courts, trial and appellate, and in numerous federal courts, with appearances before the Tennessee Supreme Court, numerous Federal District Courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, VA and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Cincinnati, Ohio, with Petitions for Certiorari to the United States Supreme Court.

 

Representative Cases:

Archer v. Sullivan County, Tennessee (1995-1997) United States District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee, Greeneville and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Cincinnati, Ohio; Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), compensatory time, unpaid overtime. Successfully represented more than 50 Sullivan County Deputy Sheriffs in obtaining unpaid overtime wages. Federal District Court, Greeneville, Tennessee, trial judgment in favor of plaintiffs upheld by Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Chandler v. Specialty Tires (1999-2007) United States District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee, Greeneville; Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Cincinnati, Ohio; Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA); Tennessee Handicap Act (THA); FMLA jury verdict and Sixth Circuit THA decision in favor of client.

Fort v. Tennessee Commerce Bank (2008 - 2010) United States Federal District Court, Middle District Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Cincinnati, Ohio; and United States Department of Labor Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) administrative claim; Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act (FDICIA); Sarbanes- Oxley Act (SOX); Tennessee Public Protection Act (TPPA). Successfully represented whistle blower under Sarbanes Oxley and numerous other statutes.

Hickerson v. Greeneville City Schools (2012 – 2014) Greene County Chancery Court, Greeneville, Tennessee; Tennessee Tenured Teacher Act; successfully represented terminated special education teacher and obtained Court ordered reinstatement with back pay and benefits.

Civil Trial and Administrative Practice:

All trial and appellate courts, state and federal, and all administrative forums; practice includes personal injury; discrimination law - age, race, sex, handicap, religion and national origin; Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA); Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) - Wage and Hour Law; Unemployment Compensation; Unjust Dismissal; Workers' Compensation (job injury); Social Security Disability, Social Security Administration; Employment Contracts; Union/Management Labor Practice; Contract Negotiation; Arbitration and related areas of Labor Law; Civil Mediation and Arbitration Practice; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Mediation Practice; practice before the Tennessee Department of Labor.

 

Experience:

Law Student Clerk, Cheek, Taylor and Groover, Knoxville, Tennessee (1978-1979) Associate Attorney, Bernard H. Cantor and Associates, Johnson City, Tennessee (1980-1982) Associate Attorney, Gillenwater and Laws, Bristol, Tennessee (1983-1985)

Partner, Shine and Mason, Kingsport, Tennessee (1986-2009)

Principal Attorney, Mason Law Office, Kingsport, Tennessee (2010-Present)

 

Practice Areas:

General Legal Practice including Civil Trial Litigation in all State and Federal Trial Courts Appellate Practice - State and Federal Courts of Appeal including the Fourth and Sixth Circuit Courts of Appeal and the United States Supreme Court

Administrative Law practice before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, the United States Department of Labor, the Tennessee Department of Labor and others

Labor and Employment Law including Wage and Hour Law - Fair Labor Standards Act, Equal Pay Act; Unemployment Compensation Law; Family Medical Leave Act; Discrimination Law - Age, Race, Sex, Handicap, Religion, National Origin; Civil Rights Law; Mediation; Arbitration;

Contract Law; Personal Injury Law; Wills and Estates

 

Activities, Societies and Honors:

University of Tennessee College of Business, with Honors (1976); Dean's List - University

of Tennessee School of Law (1978); Baseball - University of Tennessee and Milligan College (1973 and 1974); Sigma Chi fraternity - Beta Sigma, UTK (1975-1979); Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity (UTK Law 1976-1979); ABA Young Lawyers Division representative to ABA Annual Conference, New York, NY (1976); member or prior member of Kingsport Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association and American Bar Association

 

Volunteer Experience:

American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, President, affiliated with the ABA and the Kingsport Bar Association, Kingsport, Tennessee (1984); March of Dimes, County Chairman, Kingsport, Sullivan County, Tennessee (1985); Board of Directors, Kingsport Boys and Girls Club, Kingsport, Tennessee (1988-1992); President, Kingsport Bar Association, Kingsport, Tennessee (2008-2009); Board of Directors, Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) (2010- Present); LAET Secretary, Board of Directors, 2011; LAET Treasurer, Board of Directors (2012); LAET President Elect, Board of Directors (2013-2014); LAET President, Board of Directors (2015 - 2016) - Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) is a not for profit law firm sanctioned by federal law, serving a 26 county area spanning the eastern border of Tennessee with offices in Johnson City, Morristown, Knoxville and Chattanooga, providing legal services to the underprivileged, the aged and veterans who could not otherwise afford the services.