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My clients want a quick study of their legal challenges and objectives. They want someone whom they can trust, whose lead they can follow, who will coach them and be the front end of the plow for them. That’s my job – every day.

Primary Practice:

Cannon F. Allen, Sr. is a commercial litigator with 30+ years’ experience in the courts of West and Middle Tennessee. He focuses his practice on complex business litigation, including class actions, mass torts and multidistrict litigation in federal court. He has tried multiple cases to verdict and appeal. He has represented corporate and individual clients in a broad array of disputes involving consumer and commercial products, trade secrets, insurance coverage, contract claims and breach of fiduciary duty. Cannon has extensive experience litigating claims involving commercial real estate, mortgage financing, personal injury and transportation and logistics claims. He has represented major biomedical implant, pharmaceutical and industrial products manufacturers in personal injury litigation and government investigations.

He also advises clients in transactional matters, including contract negotiations, employment and compensation agreements and business entity formation. He enjoys connecting his clients to Adams and Reese’s other practice areas.

“ Litigation clients are looking for someone to be in the foxhole with them. I tell them when to duck and when it’s time to charge. ”

Education

  • University of Virginia, J.D., 1987
  • Princeton University, A.B., 1984

Bar Admissions

  • Tennessee

Court Admissions

  • United States Supreme Court
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • Tennessee Supreme Court
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
  • United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee

Community Involvement

  • Past Board Member and Chairman of Westminster Academy, a Classical Christian school that teaches students using the seven liberal arts to love others, truth, wisdom, and beauty
  • Founder, Board Member and Past President of the 26-year-old Binghampton Fellowship Foundation which has trained hundreds of teachers and thousands of students in urban and private schools to help improve elementary education
  • Past President, Board Member/Officer and Board of Advisors of the seven-decades-old Memphis World Trade Club
  • Elder at Independent Presbyterian Church, 2014-present

In 2010, Cannon directed the World Trade Club’s efforts to serve the strategically important transportation and logistics industries in Memphis and spearheaded the development of the Memphis Multimodal Conference (2010), the Southeast Freight Conference (2011-2014) and the JOC Inland Distribution Conference (2015-16) in Memphis.

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Areas of Practice

Acknowledgements

Cannon is AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 rating by Martindale-Hubbell, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, is listed in Best Lawyers® - Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, and Mid-South Super Lawyers® (by Thomson Reuters) Class Action Defense 2006, 2009-2018.

Canon has been named Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year in Memphis - Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, 2020, 2022, 2024.

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

  • Federal Bar Association
  • American Bar Association, Litigation Section
  • Tennessee Bar Association
  • Memphis Bar Association
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America
  • Transportation Lawyers Association
  • Binghampton Foundation, Director and President, 1992 - Present
  • Memphis World Trade Club, President, VP, Board of Directors & Advisors, 2008-2015

Related Knowledge

News

  • Extensive representation of clients in class claims, consumer actions, product liability claims, medical malpractice, personal injury, commercial and fiduciary duty disputes and multi-district litigation before the Sixth Circuit, various federal courts in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas and state courts in Texas, Virginia, Florida, Oklahoma, New York and Utah
  • Mass tort litigation (2006-2018)
  • Commercial and consumer fire claims litigation (2010-2018)
  • Trials involving commercial products claims, breach of contract and fiduciary duty claims (2017)
  • Executive compensation and business organizations negotiations (2015-present)
  • Representing pharmaceutical companies in product liability litigation and government investigations by attorney generals in multiple states (2013-present)
  • Representing a multinational biomedical device manufacturer in products and personal injury litigation (2013-2017)
  • Representing a major drug testing company in anti-competitive and trade practices disputes (2012)
  • Representing an insurance company in class litigation (2010)
  • Representing product manufacturers in personal injury and product liability litigation
  • Representing insurance companies in class and complex litigation, including coverage disputes (2006-2017)