Robert L. Arrington

Of Counsel

Bob Arrington’s practice includes:

• Employment law and litigation (analysis and advice, training, employment discrimination claims, labor-management grievances, and unfair competition and non-compete claims)
• Commercial litigation (construction, breach of contract, lender special asset cases, and creditor bankruptcy practice).
• Arbitration
• Mediation
• Probate (will and trust) litigation.

Arrington is a member of the American Arbitration Association’s Rosters of Neutrals for arbitration and mediation of commercial, employment, complex, and class action disputes and for non binding arbitration. He has been named as a panel member of the Banking, Accounting and Financial Services, Employment and Tennessee Distinguished Panels of Neutrals with the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) and is on the roster of arbitrations of the American Health Lawyers (AHLA). He has been approved as a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Dispute Resolution Arbitrator. He is listed with the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution as a Rule 31 General Civil Mediator. He is also a member of the panels of court approved arbitrators and mediators for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Mr. Arrington is AV-rated in Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating awarded by this most widely-used directory of lawyers. He chairs the firm’s Employment Law and  Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice groups. He has attended advanced mediation training from the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. He is also a member of the Tennessee Academy of Mediators and Arbitrators.

Professional Activities & Honors

• Listed in Mid-south Super lawyers 2012-2018
• Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce (past president; Director 2018)
• Rotary Club of Kingsport (Downtown) (past president)
• Kingsport Jaycees (past president and life member)
• JCI Senate (life member)
• Kingsport Center of Opportunity, Inc. (past president)
• Past Member of the Board of Directors of the Kingsport Chamber Foundation, Inc.
• Columist for Kingsport Times-News
• Chair of the Executive Council of the Tennessee Bar Association Section on Alternative Dispute Resolution (2010-2011; 2015-2016)
• Member of the Board of Directors of Tennesseeans for Fair and Impartial Courts (TFIC)
• Member of the Board of Directors, Meals on Wheels
• Member of the Board of Directors, Northeast State Community College Foundation

Publications

• “Tips for Advocates in Arbitration,” TENNESSEE BAR JOURNAL, June 2009
• “Employment Dispute Resolution – An Idea Whose Time Has Come?” TENNESSEE BAR JOURNAL, Sept 2001
• “A Lawyer’s Dream, a Client’s Nightmare,” TENNESSEE BAR JOURNAL, Nov/Dec 1997
• “I Admit Your Former Testimony is Admissible – As an Admission,” TENNESSEE BAR JOURNAL, Sept/Oct 1994
• “CLE at the Office,” TENNESSEE BAR JOURNAL, Aug/Sept 1993
• “Unemployment Compensation and Workers’ Compensation for Tennessee Employers,” TENNESSEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, Contributing Editor
• “Tennessee Human Resources Manual,” TENNESSEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, Contributing Editor
• “An Arbitrator’s Guide to Social Networking Issues in Labor and Employment Cases,” DISPUTE RESOLUTION JOURNAL, Jan 2012 (co-auther with Aaron Duffy and Elizabeth Rita)

Presentations

• December 2, 2015 – Webcast of “How to Blow Up a Mediation” for the Tennessee Bar Association.
• February, 2016 – “Dispositive Motions in Arbitration” for the American Arbitration Association (with Steven C. Huret)
• Tennessee Bar Association (2009): “Arbitration – ABC’s and Hot Issues”
• Tennessee Bar Association (2010): “Arbitration Fairness Act” (with Marnie Huff)
• Tennessee Bar Association (2010): “Arbitration 101” (webcast with Ken Jackson)
• American Arbitration Association (2010): “All-A-Twitter About Social Networking” (webinar and live seminar with David Stacy and Elizabeth Rita)
• Tennessee Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Forum (2011): “Arbitration: Significant Issues for the Practitioner” (with Ken Jackson)
• American Arbitration Association (2012): “All a Twitter About Social Networking: Impact on Arbitration Practice, Procedure and Cases” (webcast with Loretta T. Attardo)
• Kingsport Association for Continued Learning (2012): Origins of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence
• Tennessee Bar Association’s Court Square Seminar (2012): Mediation and Arbitration
• Tennessee Bar Association: “Saving Time and Money in Arbitration and Mediation” (webcast with Wearen Hughes December 17, 2012)
• Tennessee Bar Association (2013): “How to Initiate an Arbitration Proceeding” (part of the Section of Dispute Resolution Annual ADR Seminar)
• American Arbitration Association (2015 & 2016), “Dispositive Motions in Arbitration” (with Steven C. Huret)
• 2016 – Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association: “Mediation”
• 2016 & 2018 – Tennessee Bar Association: “Best Practices in Arbitration and Mediation”
• 2018 – Tennessee Bar Association, “Arbitration Update” (w/ Matt Swaney and Josh Turnball).
• 2020 – Tennessee Bar Association, “Arbitration Update”

Reported Cases

• Weaver v. Hamrick, 907 S.W. 2d. 385 (Tenn. 1995)
• Cassel Bros., Inc. v. Crump Assoc. 14 Bankruptcy (West), 698 (Bankr. E.D. Tenn. 1981)
• Quebecor Printing Corp. v. L & B Mfg. Co., 209 S.W. 3d. 565 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2006)
• First Tennessee Bank National Assoc. v. Bad Toys, Inc., 159 S.W.3d 557 (Tenn. App., 2004)
• Payne v. First Community Bank, 523 Bankruptcy (West) 560 (Bankr. E.D. Tenn 2014)

Professional Affiliations

• Amercian Bar Association, member (sections on Business, Litigation, Labor and Employment and Alternative Dispute Resolution)
• Tennessee Bar Association, member (sections on Bankruptcy, Dispute Resolution, Litigation and Employment)
• Kingsport Bar Association, member (past president)
• Federal Bar Association
• Phi Beta Kappa
• Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity