Faculty Profile: C. Dewey Branstetter Jr

Dewey Branstetter has represented a broad range of individuals and entities, but his practice concentrates on utility and municipal issues, employment matters, and complex litigation. Mr. Branstetter has extensive experience advising and representing utility districts, municipalities, and utility related entities such as Tennessee 811. He recently appeared before the Utility Management Review Board and successfully defended against the first ratepayer petition ever filed against a utility district in Tennessee. Mr. Branstetter has handled many wide-ranging employment matters for both employees and employers, including employment contracts, separation issues, and labor disputes. He regularly assists employees with non-compete covenants, benefit issues, shareholder agreements, and severance packages. He has counseled and represented labor organizations and their individual members, most notably serving the Nashville Fire Fighters Association for over three decades. Mr. Branstetter has argued numerous cases before the Tennessee Supreme Court, the Tennessee Court of Appeals, and the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In addition to litigating utility and employment matters, he has successfully handled probate cases, personal injury claims, consumer protection cases, trust disputes, administrative claims, and complex cases including class actions and shareholder derivative actions. Mr. Branstetter was appointed liaison counsel in the antitrust case brought on behalf of Tennessee consumers against Microsoft, Inc. and served as a lead counsel in the antitrust litigation regarding High Pressure Laminates. He represented the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System in its securities litigation against WorldCom, Inc. He has also served as lead counsel in several shareholder derivative cases including obtaining the largest recovery in Tennessee history in a derivative case.