Gayle has over 50 years' experience in litigation and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Overview
Gayle has over 50 years' experience in litigation and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Practice Areas
Experience
- Lead counsel in scores of jury and bench trials in federal, state and regulatory forums involving: all types of business litigation, including anti-trust, securities fraud and contract matters; claims relating to catastrophic injuries or death for both plaintiffs and defendants in products liability actions in a number of different industries, medical malpractice actions, and tractor trailer and other motor vehicle actions; premises liability for both plaintiffs and defendants; appeals of CON decisions for hospitals in healthcare regulatory matters; and professional negligence actions relating to lawyers and accountants.
- Numerous judgments or settlements on behalf of plaintiffs for millions of dollars, including:
- A $20 million jury verdict in a wrongful death case in Memphis,
Shelby County, Tennessee, in 2012. - An approximate $5.6 million jury verdict in 2009, the largest ever in a
personal injury case in Columbia, Maury County, Tennessee.
- A $20 million jury verdict in a wrongful death case in Memphis,
- Successfully mediated hundreds of cases involving complex commercial and business disputes of all types and catastrophic injury and death cases.
Distinctions
- Lifetime Achievement Selection, America’s Top 100 Attorneys®, 2016
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers, 1995
- Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
- Litigation: General Commercial – Tennessee, 2014-2022
- Litigation: Mediators – Tennessee, 2020-2024
- Best Lawyers in America®
- Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, 2011-2025
- Lawyer of the Year, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Nashville, TN), 2019
- Super Lawyers®
- Top 100: Tennessee Super Lawyers, 2007-2021
- Top 50: Nashville Super Lawyers, 2007-2021
- Mid-South Super Lawyers, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Personal Injury – Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff, 2007-2024
- Martindale-Hubbell®
- AV® – Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated, 1983-2023
- "100 Best Lawyers in Nashville", Nashville Post
- "Tennessee’s Best 150 Lawyers", Business Tennessee Magazine, 2010
- Benchmark Litigation
- State Litigation Star – Tennessee, 2015-2016, 2018, 2021
Bar Admissions
- Tennessee, 1973
- U.S. District Courts
- Tennessee: Middle, Western
- U.S. Court of Appeals
- 6th Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
Education
- Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., 1973
- Vanderbilt University, B.A., 1970
- Rule 31 Listed General Civil Mediator
Associations
- American College of Trial Lawyers
- State Committee Chair, 200-2009
- American Bar Association
- Tennessee Bar Association
- Nashville Bar Association
- Board of Directors, 1982-1984
- Officer, 1984-1985
- International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)
- Faculty, Trial Academy, 1997
- American Association for Justice
- National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals