William A. "Bill" Simms - Lawyer in Knoxville, TN

Bill Simms is a third generation lawyer primarily focusing onlitigation, insurance defense, products liability, personal injury, aviation,construction, and trucking law. Bill became a partner in the firm in 1977 andcurrently serves on the managing partners' committee, which is comprised of thefour most senior partners.

He entered college at the University of the South, Sewanee,Tennessee, in 1964. There he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, aswell as the Order of Gownsmen, an academic society, and other organizations. Hegraduated from Sewanee in 1968, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in politicalscience.

He was admitted to the University of Tennessee School of Law inKnoxville, Tennessee, in 1968 where he pursued a curriculum with emphasis ontrial practice. He participated in the co-op program sponsored by the lawschool in conjunction with the legal office of the National Aeronautic andSpace Administration (NASA), at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center inHuntsville, Alabama.

In 1971, he was hired as a law clerk by the firm of Arnett,Draper Hagood. While attending school and clerking for the firm in thesummer of 1971, Bill was also selected as outstanding moot court attorney inhis moot court class.

Upon graduation from law school in 1971, Bill accepted anassociate's position with the firm. He took the Tennessee Bar exam in 1972, andreceived his license to practice law later that year.

After joining the firm in 1972, Bill has practiced continuouslywith the firm since that time. He is also certified as a mediator pursuant toRule 31 of the Rules of the Tennessee Supreme Court. He has an AV rating inMartindale Hubbell.

Bill is a member of the Knoxville Bar Association, the TennesseeState Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He is also a member ofthe American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), the International Association ofDefense Counsel (IADC), the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC),the American Inns of Court, Hamilton S. Burnette Chapter, the Defense ResearchInstitute (DRI), the Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association, and the AmericanBoard of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). He served as President of the Tennesseechapter of ABOTA in 2004. In addition, Bill is a Fellow in the Knoxville BarFoundation, as well as the Tennessee Bar Foundation.

Bill has been listed in the 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2014 editionsof The Best Lawyers in America, the2012, 2013, and 2018 editions of The BestAttorneys in Tennessee, the 2013 edition of Knoxville Best Lawyers, and the 2010 and 2015 editions of Top Lawyers, City View Magazine, aswell as the 2018 edition of Top Attorneysin the Mid-South.

Bill is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He enjoys fishing,camping, photography, archery, gun collecting, and the shooting sports.

A detailed curriculum vitae outlining Bill's professionalactivities and accomplishments and his membership in various professionalorganizations is available upon request.