Areas of Practice
Commercial Litigation
White Collar Defense Representation
Crisis Management

Aubrey B. Harwell and James F. Neal established Neal & Harwell in 1971. Since then, Mr. Harwell has continuously served as Managing Partner of Neal & Harwell, which is widely regarded as one of the premier litigation firms in the United States.

Mr. Harwell focuses his practice on commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense and crisis management. Through the years he has been involved in many cases receiving national attention. He has been counsel for numerous public officials, including judges, governors, congressmen, state senators, mayors, and state attorneys general. He has represented and continues to represent Bridgestone / Firestone in regard to a variety of matters, including alleged tire tread separation problems; former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo in various matters including a completed federal criminal case involving former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards; former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann; a bond trader associated with Michael Milken in the Drexel Burnham Lambert case; and a former White House aide who was the subject of the Ken Starr investigation of President William Clinton and others.

Highly respected by business leaders, Mr. Harwell has been the Chairholder of the Jennings A. Jones Chair of Excellence in Free Enterprise in the College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University since 2002. He serves on several corporate boards, both public and private. He has also taught at the Vanderbilt University School of Law and Belmont University and has served for many years as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Nashville School of Law. He has authored or co-authored several legal publications and is a frequent speaker at seminars and symposiums throughout the United States. For more than four decades, he has provided volunteer service and leadership to numerous local and national nonprofit and charitable organizations.

Mr. Harwell is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University School of Law.

Notable / Representatives Clients

• Bridgestone / Firestone
• Edward J. DeBartolo
• WTVF – NewsChannel 5
• Atmos Energy
• CNA Financial

Recognition

• AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell peer review,
  highest rating awarded
• Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
• Best Lawyers in America for twenty-five years
• Best Lawyers in Tennessee
• Who’s Who Legal (Business Crime)
• Best of the Bar, Nashville Business Journal
• Mid-South Super Lawyers
• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
• Nashvillian of the Year 2002
• Distinguished Alumnus Award, Vanderbilt University
  School of Law
• National Distinguished Eagle Scout Award,
  Boy Scouts of America
• National Silver Buffalo Award, Boys Scouts of America
• Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award, Community Foundation of
  Middle Tennessee
• John Tune Public Service Award, Nashville Bar Association

Professional Associations

• Member and National Board Member,
  American Board of Trial Advocates
• Member and Past President, Tennessee Chapter,
  American Board of Trial Advocates
• Life Member, Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Tennessee Bar Association
• Member and Past President, Nashville Bar Association
• Fellow, Nashville Bar Foundation
• Fellow, Tennessee Bar Foundation

Court Admissions

• United States Supreme Court
• Tennessee Supreme Court
• U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Second, Fifth, Sixth,
  Eleventh and DC Circuits
• U.S. District Courts for Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee, Eastern District of Kentucky and Eastern and Western Districts of Louisiana

Corporate Boards

• Member, Chairman of Governance Committee, Board of Directors, Piedmont Natural Gas, Inc.
• Member, Board of Directors, Ingram Industries, Inc.
• Member, Advisory Board FCA I, FCA II, FCA III, FCA IV,
  Venture Capital Firms

Civic & Community Service

• Member and Past Chairman, Board of Trustees,
  Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
• Member and Past Chairman, Board of Trustees,
  Vanderbilt University Children’s Hospital
• Member and Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees,
  Meharry Medical College
• Member and Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees,
  Nashville School of Law
• Treasurer & Executive Board Member, National Council,
  Boy Scouts of America
• Member, Past President and Past Chairman, Executive Board, Middle Tennessee Council, Boy Scouts of America
• Member, Board of Trustees, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Member and Past Chairman, Board of Trustees,
  Easter Seals Society of Tennessee
• Member and Past Chairman, Board of Trustees,
  Tennessee Performing Arts Center
• Member, Board of Trustees, The Frist Center for the Visual Arts
• Member and Immediate Past Chairman, Board of Directors, Music City Bowl