The firm was founded on February 14, 1954, by Foster D. Arnett, when he decided to leave a well-established Knoxville firm to open his own office on the 12th floor of the Hamilton National Bank Building in the heart of downtown Knoxville. Jack B. Draper joined Mr. Arnett in 1958, and together they focused their practice on civil litigation, primarily in the area of insurance defense. Seven years later Lewis R. Hagood joined the firm, bringing with him considerable skill and expertise in the field of labor and employment law.

From that point forward the firm has steadily grown to its current size of eighteen attorneys by providing quality, client-oriented, legal services in an efficient, expeditious and cost effective manner. In 1980 the firm relocated to the 23rd floor of the First Tennessee Plaza, which is within walking distance of all local state and federal courts.

During the firm's history its civil litigation practice has steadily grown to encompass areas including, but not limited to, aviation, asbestos, commercial, construction, corporate, health care, insurance defense, personal injury, products liability, professional malpractice, torts, trucking, and workers' compensation law.

Additionally, the firm also offers a wide range of legal services in such fields as labor and employment law, ERISA, wills, trusts, estate planning, and corporate and commercial transactions.

Management of the firm is overseen by a management committee composed of the four most senior partners: Lewis R. Hagood, William A. Simms, F. Michael Fitzpatrick and Rick L. Powers.

The firm is privileged to represent a wide variety of personal and corporate clients, many of which are prominent local, regional, and national corporations. It also has close ties with the University of Tennessee College of Law, where many of the firm's members received their legal education and where several have been or currently are members of the faculty.

Arnett, Draper & Hagood also maintains a strong commitment to the legal profession and the organized bar. Its founder, Foster Arnett, has served as president of the Tennessee State Bar Association and four of its members have served as president of the Knoxville Bar Association. Two members are currently Fellows of the Tennessee Bar Foundation and several of the firm's members currently hold various offices in the local Bar Association.

A strong work ethic, a commitment to preparation, dedication to the highest ethical standards and principles, as well as a strong commitment to the community and the legal profession have been guiding principles by which the firm has practiced since its inception. The firm continues to grow and expand its range of legal services by adhering to these tried and true values while constantly adapting to and growing with the ever changing demands placed upon the firm and its clients by modern society.

In conclusion, the philosophy of Arnett, Draper & Hagood in serving our clients is both simple and effective. We strive to become partners with our clients. Our lawyers place a premium on listening to the client and learning the client's philosophy and goals. We understand and meet our clients' needs for prompt responsiveness in all communications. We provide clients with our best objective professional analysis and assist clients to achieve their stated goals within the bounds of applicable law.