A periodic Q & A session with a Lewis Thomason (LT) lawyer
LT: When did you decide to become a lawyer?
Loy Waldrop: When I was working as an engineer at Olin Corporation designing new brackets for old machines.
LT: What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Loy Waldrop: Working on the Knoxville City-County Building case with George Morton, working on product liability cases with Charlie Lewis, and representing the project architect in the UT basketball arena case. In the arena case, or client told us to spend the entire $5 million in its coverage and its insurer agreed to do so to deprive the plaintiffs from recovering any amount. We did as instructed.
LT: What do you enjoy most about being a lawyer?
Loy Waldrop: The interaction with other lawyers and our clients.
LT: You’re stranded on a desert island with only an iPod – what music are you listening to?
Loy Waldrop: A somewhat wide variety. I particularly like Bruce Springsteen’s music, but also some folk music, Neal Diamond, Linda Ronstadt, and the Everly Brothers. I also listen to German and Spanish pop music.
LT: What do you want your legacy to be?
Loy Waldrop: The great people I work with at LT.
LT: What is one thing on your bucket list and why?
Loy Waldrop: A cruise around the world. There would be a lot to see and time to see it all.
LT: What is your favorite drink and why?
Loy Waldrop: White Russians and chocolate stout beer. I like ‘em both.
LT: What famous person do you admire and why?
Loy Waldrop: I have two: Abraham Lincoln because of his wisdom and Mikhail Gorbachev because of his courage.
Loy Waldrop has represented contractors, design professionals, developers, owners, sureties, and material suppliers in a wide range of construction industry matters for over 30 years. He has more than 25 years of experience in defending major lawsuits against designers with single suit claims as high as $250 million. He has represented contractors in the prosecution and defense of claims ranging from payment issues to complex differing site conditions and scheduling claims. He has participated in hundreds of court cases and arbitration proceedings and has personally tried dozens of jury and bench trials and arbitration hearings to verdict. He has obtained summary or voluntary dismissals of numerous suits against designers. He also regularly assists his contractor and designer clients in contract reviews and negotiations. His present practice is devoted almost exclusively to the construction industry. In the first 10 years of his career, he obtained extensive trial experience in personal injury and product liability cases. He has also represented accountants, attorneys, nurses, architects, engineers and surveyors in professional liability matters.