Mr. Diegel is a shareholder in Baker Donelson's Knoxville office and a member of the Logistics, Energy and Manufacturing Litigation Group. Using his well-rounded experience, he provides clients with strategic guidance to solve their litigation challenges.
Mr. Diegel represents business clients in high-stakes litigation in both trial and appellate courts. He represents businesses and underlying business owners in cases involving accounting, dissolution, breach of fiduciary duty, misappropriation, and claims for piercing the corporate veil. His practice focuses particularly on prosecuting and defending the ejection of shareholders and members of closely held companies (i.e., "business divorce"). He prosecutes and defends clients in contract disputes, including those related to real estate transactions and commercial and residential leasing. He also provides experienced guidance to clients concerning non-compete agreements and restrictive covenants.
Mr. Diegel represents and defends insurance clients in first-party litigation, and he has used this experience to provide excellent outcomes for his insurers. He has successfully defended insurers against claims for statutory bad-faith penalties in Tennessee at both the state and federal court levels.
In addition to his commercial litigation experience, Mr. Diegel advises and defends businesses in the context of labor and employment. He has defended companies against allegations of discrimination under state and federal law, as well as wage and hour violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. He counsels clients concerning everyday labor issues, updates in the law, and employee handbooks, and he speaks frequently to human resources organizations on labor and employment issues.
As part of his practice, Mr. Diegel also conducts environmental due diligence and negotiates with state regulatory agencies, including the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), for the future development of brownfield properties and other properties with environmental risk.
During law school, Mr. Diegel was executive editor for the Tennessee Law Review. He worked as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Chancellors in the Hamilton County Chancery Court in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Mr. Diegel volunteers with Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries (KARM), and he chairs the Firm's homeless legal clinic in collaboration with the University of Tennessee College of Law. He is also an Eagle Scout.