Faculty Profile: Debra Fulton

Having practiced law for more than 30 years, Debra is a knowledgeable, hands-on professional for whom direct client involvement is essential. Her passion, knowledge, and extensive experience aid in giving her the ability to quickly assess her clients’ needs and offer them sound, practical advice while aggressively defending them and their interests.

Debbie focuses her practice in the areas of workers’ compensation, arbitration and mediation for health care, general civil litigation, toxic exposure litigation, products liability, personal injury litigation, privacy, insurance, appellate and mediation. Debbie also is currently expanding her practice to include alternative dispute resolution of health care conflicts.

During her career, Debra has appeared before state and federal trial courts throughout East Tennessee, the Tennessee Court of Appeals, the Tennessee Supreme Court and the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on various civil matters, and has practiced extensively before the Tennessee Department of Labor in workers’ compensation matters. She also:

• Is a Rule 31 listed general civil mediator by the Tennessee Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution. ? 
• Is a member of the Federal Court Mediation Panel for the Eastern District of Tennessee. ? 
• Is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and the Knoxville Bar Association, and served on its Board of Governors from 1989-1991. ? 
• Earned the ANSI-accredited Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US) credential through the International Association of the Privacy Professionals (IAPP).
• Earned the ANSI-accredited Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) credential through the International Association of the Privacy Professionals (IAPP).
• Received an AV® Martindale-Hubble Law Directory rating. ? 
• Has been named to Best Lawyers® for Workers’ Compensation Law since 2014 and Lawyer of the Year for Workers’ Compensation – Employers since 2015.

The East Tennessee native, who has been with Frantz, McConnell & Seymour, LLP since 1987, and became a partner in 1989, has lived in the Knoxville area since returning to attend law school. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee, followed by her Doctor of Jurisprudence, in 1981, from the University Of Tennessee College Of Law.

Away from the office, Debbie enjoys spending time with her family and pets, exercising and knitting.