Rebecca Wells Demaree

Rebecca Wells Demaree was named as partner with Cornelius & Collins, LLP, in 1996, went in-house in 2007 and returned as partner in 2015. She specializes in the areas of health care and labor and employment law, including federal and state regulatory appeals, employment contracts, non-compete agreements, and civil rights actions. She served as Associate General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer for Tennessee Health Management, Inc. She is admitted to all state and federal courts in Tennessee, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

In addition to practicing law, Rebecca provides in-house, interactive training seminars for her clients in all aspects of employer/employee relations. She has acted as the featured speaker at professional conferences on topics of compliance with laws dealing with workers’ compensation, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Affordable Care Act. Rebecca also serves on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence.

Because of her experience both in private practice and as the Chief Human Resources Officer of a 5,000 employer ESOP company, Rebecca is uniquely placed to guide Management and Human Resources Leadership in all aspects of employee relations – both in unionized and non-union settings.

Rebecca received her law degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Law, where she served as a student writing editor for the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Louisville, in Louisville, Kentucky, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She also studied as an undergraduate at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.

Click here to visit Rebecca’s blog “SimplyWork”.

Practice Areas:

• Business Services and Litigation
• General Litigation
• Health Care and Health Care Liability
• Labor and Employment

Bar Admissions:

• Tennessee Supreme Court
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Tennessee
• U.S. District Court Middle District of Tennessee
• U.S. District Court Western District of Tennessee
• U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit

Professional Associations:

• Nashville Bar Association, Director, Young Lawyers Division, 1992 – 1995
• Tennessee Bar Association, Director, Young Lawyers Division, 1992 – 1997
• American Bar Association
• Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, Board of Directors, first elected 2005 – present
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Representative Cases:

• Houghton, et al. v Aramark, 19 IER Cases 635, 90 S.W.3d 676 (Tenn. 2002)
• Lineberry v Jason Locke, Terry Ashe, et al., 2000 WL 1050627 (TN Ct App 2000)
• Wilson v University of TN at Chattanooga, 2001 WL 1660832 (TN Ct App 2001)
• Bundren v. Peters, 732 F.Supp.1486 (E. D. Tenn. 1989).
• Carr v. UPS, 955 S.W.2d 832 (Tenn. 1997)
• Jackson v. City of Cookeville, 31 F.3d 1354 (6th Cir. 1994)
• Suggs v. Servicemaster, 71 F.3d 1228 (6th Cir. 1995)

Civic & Community Activities:

• Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault, Board of Directors, 2005 – Present
• Pearls & Pinstripes Benefit for Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence, 2013 – 2015

Past Employment Positions:

• Chief Human Resources Officer, Tennessee Health Management, Inc. 2013 – 2014
• Associate General Counsel, Tennessee Health Management, Inc., 2007 – 2013

Seminars & Training:

• Navigating the ACA for Employers, March 10, 2015, SES
• Employment Issues, Women of Color Leadership Institute, June 22, 2006
• Wage & Hour, Women of Color Leadership Institute, June 22, 2006
• Confidentiality in Employment Situations, Sterling Education Services, 2005
• Confidentiality of Medical Records, Lorman Education Services, 2004
• Confidentiality of Medical Records, Lorman Education Services, 2003