Samuel L. (Sam) Jackson
Overview
Sam Jackson provides proactive legal counsel to business management leaders in human resources counseling, employment litigation, and traditional labor law, identifying risks, and equipping clients with the tools necessary to minimize the time and resources spent on costly litigation. He practices in the areas of labor and employment and education law, focusing on a variety of legal issues including employment of licensed and classified employees, employee contracts, employee and student discipline, employee and student rights, special education and disability accommodation, First Amendment issues, sexual harassment and civil rights matters, desegregation, tort liability, school finance and taxation, and school construction.
With extensive experience in general litigation, product liability, labor and employment law, transportation, workers’ compensation law, probate litigation, and general business litigation, Sam has represented boards of education and other business entities and individuals in various federal and state actions and administrative actions across Tennessee. Sam serves as a Rule 31 Listed Mediator in the field of General Civil Mediation in the state of Tennessee.
Sam is very active in the community. Currently he serves on the board of the Sexual Assault Center in Nashville. He also serves on the Board of the Calvary United Methodist Church Young Children’s School, where he serves as chair of the personnel committee.
Credentials
Education
- Samford University, Cumberland School of Law, 2000 (J.D.), magna cum laude
- Eastern Kentucky University, 1996 (B.S.)
- Represented several Boards of Education across the state involving employment of licensed and classified employees, employee contracts, employee and student discipline, employee and student rights, special education and disability accommodation, First Amendment issues, sexual harassment and civil rights matters, desegregation, tort liability, school finance and taxation, and school construction.
- Represented principal business owners in the successful mediation of various errors and omission matters.
- Successfully defended manufacturers and sellers of products in products liability actions in state and federal court.
- Successfully defended individuals and businesses in personal injury actions across Tennessee.
- Successfully defended employers in workers’ compensation matters including defenses concerning traveling to and from work, workplace safety violations, and violations of drug policy.
- Defended employers in state and federal courts involving violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other discrimination and retaliation claims.
- Successfully represented individuals and business entities in regard to real estate transactions across the state.
Clerk Experience
- Honorable Glen M. Williams, Senior U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Virginia
- Martindale-Hubbell, AV Preeminent Rating
- Nashville Post, In Charge: Legal, 2025
- Best Lawyers in America, 2021-2024
- Order of Curia Honoris
- Mid-South Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2014
- Rule 31 Listed Mediator: General Civil Mediation
- American Bar Association
- Tennessee Bar Foundation, Fellow, Class of 2018
- Nashville Bar Association
- Defense Research Institute
- Nashville Bar Foundation, Fellow, Class of 2019
- Tennessee Council of School Board Attorneys, Former President
- “Looking Back, Looking Forward,” Spencer Fane WorkSmarts Seminar, November 2024
- “The ‘Amazing Race’ against the DOL and the Ever Changing World of Independent Contractors,” Spencer Fane WorkSmarts Seminar, September 2022
- “Staying out of the Doghouse: U.S. Supreme Court’s Recent IDEA Decision May Lead to Increased Litigation for School Districts,” Tennessee Association for Administrators in Special Education, December, 2017
- “ADA and Website Accessibility,” Lewis Thomason Annual Employment Law Seminar, December, 2017
- “Top Five Pitfalls of Employment Law,” Jack-in-the-Box National Franchisee Association Conference, July, 2017
- “Developments in Employment Law: What Employers Need to Know,” Denny’s Franchisee Association Annual Meeting, October, 2016
- “Understanding the FLSA and What to Expect with the Final Rule,” Nashville Originals and Sysco’s Partnering for Success, November, 2016
- “Seven Deadly Sins of Employment Law,” Lewis Thomason Annual Employment Law Seminar, November, 2016
- “Transgender Students: Navigating a Transforming Legal Landscape,” Tennessee Council of School Board Attorneys Winter CLE, February, 2016
- “How to Conduct a Workplace Investigation,” Lewis Thomason Annual Employment Law Seminar, December, 2015
- “Impact of ADAAA on Employer Practices,” Volunteer State Community College, January, 2015
- “When Civil Rights Aren’t Civil: Board / Board Member Exposure in Civil Rights Lawsuits,” Tennessee School Board Association Summer Law Conference, June 2015
- “What’s New and Why Do I Care? Tennessee Employment Law Legislative Update,” Lewis Thomason Annual Employment Law Seminar, December 2014