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Chambliss Welcomes Three Experienced Associate Attorneys
Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C. is pleased to announce the addition of three attorneys who will support a variety of the firm’s service areas. Michael Holmes, Stephen Muhonen, and Jake Spindler bring valuable insights and innovative perspectives to a multitude of practice areas, including business, construction, estate planning, litigation and risk management, and real estate.
“Michael, Stephen, and Jake each bring valuable experience in their respective practice areas, strengthening our ability to serve clients across a broad range of legal needs,” said President and Managing Shareholder Steve Barham. “We are pleased to welcome them to the firm and look forward to the contributions they will make to our clients and our team.”
Holmes advises clients in commercial and business litigation, bringing experience in creditor and consumer bankruptcy, commercial bankruptcy, insurance defense, and a broad range of civil litigation matters. He regularly handles disputes involving construction projects, transportation and trucking, products liability, premises liability, contractual and payment disputes, construction bonds and liens, warranty issues, fraud and consumer protection, collections, probate disputes, and other complex litigation.
Holmes is a member of the Chattanooga Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, and the Brock-Cooper American Inn of Court. After law school, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Shelley Rucker, retired, of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Holmes earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, where he served as articles editor of the University of Memphis Law Review. He received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Holmes is licensed to practice in Tennessee and Georgia.
Muhonen focuses his practice on commercial and business litigation, representing companies in disputes involving contracts, high-value property damage, construction matters, and other complex commercial issues. His experience includes contractor licensing matters, construction defects, payment disputes, warranty issues, contractual disputes, differing site conditions, and change orders arising throughout the life of construction projects.
Muhonen is a member of the Chattanooga Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, and the Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel. He earned his Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law and his Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Muhonen is licensed to practice in Tennessee.
Spindler advises individuals, families, and business owners on estate planning, probate, estate and trust administration, business succession planning, and related wealth transfer matters. His practice includes the preparation of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and other estate planning documents, as well as advising clients on trust and estate administration, probate proceedings, business succession planning, and real estate-related matters connected to estate planning.
Spindler earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Wyoming College of Law and his Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, from Southwest Baptist University. He is licensed to practice in Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri, and will be practicing in Tennessee (Practice Pending Admission pursuant to Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 7, Sec. 10.07).