EDUCATION

Ricky is a product of the Bristol, TN  city school system, and a graduate of Tennessee High School.  He attended college locally at E.T.S.U., where he graduated with a B.S. in political science, and a minor in history.  He obtained his Juris Doctorate from the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he served on the Moot Court Board.

EXPERIENCE

Ricky has a broad range of experience at all levels of the Tennessee Judicial System.   In the field of family law, he has handled hundreds of highly contested divorce, custody, and support matters for clients from all walks of life. Because of his broad experience and demonstrated expertise in the field of domestic relations, he has been selected by the National Business Institute to teach continuing legal education classes for other attorneys in the area of family law, and has been called upon  to serve as a judicially appointed special master presiding over difficult domestic violence cases. 

In criminal law, both Ricky and Teresa are former Sullivan County District Attorneys, and have participated in hundreds of criminal cases in courtrooms throughout Sullivan County.  For a period of several years, Ricky tried more jury trials in Sullivan County than any other lawyer in Sullivan County.  Ricky lectures at law enforcement training classes for the Governor’s Highway Safety Office, the Tennessee District Attorney General’s Conference, and local law enforcement agencies.

Ricky represents dozens of criminal defendants each year on charges ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies.  Ricky is one of few attorneys in Sullivan County eligible to be certified a TN Supreme Court Rule 13 death penalty attorney owing to his trial experience in major felony cases, including homicide cases.

LICENSURE

Ricky is licensed to practice in all Tennessee state Courts, and has practiced in over 20 counties, from Nashville to Bristol.  He is also licensed to appear before the Federal Courts, including the United States Supreme Court.

LEGAL ACTIVITIES & ASSOCIATIONS

Throughout his legal career, Ricky has demonstrated a commitment to improving our community and the legal profession.  He is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, and an active member of the Family Law, Criminal Law, and Appellate Practice sections of the Bar.  He is likewise a member of the Bristol, Kingsport, and Knoxville Bar Associations, and the Northeast Tennessee Young Lawyers Association.    He is presently the Vice President of the Bristol, TN Bar Association. Ricky is  an active member of the Federalist Society, a conservative and libertarian legal and public policy group.    Ricky volunteers to assist with the Tennessee High School Mock Trial Competition; lectures on the judicial system at local high schools; and provides pro bono legal work through the Legal Aid Clinic of East Tennessee.  In 2009, he was selected to serve on the Local Rules Committee for the Sullivan County Criminal Court.