Practice Areas
Architect, Engineer and Surveyor Professional LiabilityConstructionProfessional LiabilityEducation
University of Tennessee, B.Arch., 1981
University of Memphis, J.D., 1986
David N. Garst, B.Arch., J.D., is a shareholder in the Lewis Thomason Nashville office, where he serves a pivotal role as the chair of the Construction Law Practice Group and on the firm's Board of Directors. Mr. Garst's legal practice is focused on general construction law, with emphases on architects’, engineers’ and surveyors' professional liability, construction defect litigation, design and construction contract negotiation, and professional discipline.
With almost four decades of legal experience, Mr. Garst provides counsel and representation to a diverse clientele of general and specialty contractors, architects, engineers, surveyors, suppliers, and building owners across a wide range of ...
David N. Garst, B.Arch., J.D., is a shareholder in the Lewis Thomason Nashville office, where he serves a pivotal role as the chair of the Construction Law Practice Group and on the firm’s Board of Directors. Mr. Garst’s legal practice is focused on general construction law, with emphases on architects’, engineers’ and surveyors’ professional liability, construction defect litigation, design and construction contract negotiation, and professional discipline.
With almost four decades of legal experience, Mr. Garst provides counsel and representation to a diverse clientele of general and specialty contractors, architects, engineers, surveyors, suppliers, and building owners across a wide range of construction project types, both locally and regionally. His impressive track record includes litigation or arbitration of hundreds of construction disputes involving sports stadiums, airports, industrial buildings, commercial, educational, and hospitality projects, roads, subdivisions, dams, and major civil works projects.
Mr. Garst’s commitment to the construction industry goes well beyond his legal practice as he actively participates in multiple construction industry organizations. His dedication to these organizations underscores his unwavering support for the construction community and his ongoing contributions to its growth and development.
AFFILIATIONS
- Member – American Bar Association
- Board Member Emeritus – Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel
- Founding Fellow – Construction Lawyers Society of America
- Member – Tennessee Bar Association
- Member – Nashville Bar Association
PROFESSIONAL HONORS AND ACTIVITIES
- 2024, 2025, and 2026 Chambers USA Top Ranked – Construction Law – Nashville
- 5 Times Best Lawyers® Nashville “Lawyer of the Year”
- Construction Litigation 2020, 2022, and 2025
- Construction Law 2021 and 2026
- Named to Mid-South Super Lawyers Top 100 Tennessee Attorneys
- Life Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Member, Nashville Bar Foundation
- Selected by American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell as Elite Lawyer of the South, 2018
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rating, 20 years
- Best Lawyers in Nashville, 19 years
- Mid-South Super Lawyers, 19 years
- Premium Member, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
- Presidential Award of Excellence – AIA Tennessee (2015)
- Presidential Award of Merit for Distinguished Service – AIA Tennessee (1997)
- General Counsel, Middle Tennessee Chapter of the American Institute of Architects
- Board Member, Associated General Contractors of Tennessee, 2011 – 2013
- Elected Officer, Middle Tennessee Branch of the Associated General Contractors of America, 2008 – 2014
- Tennessee Association of Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Contractors
- Associated Builders and Contractors
- Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers
- The Jefferson Society
- Construction Specifications Institute
- Chapter Technical Excellence Award – CSI Knoxville
- Committee Member, XL Design Professional Insurance Company Contract Guide
