J. Wallace (“Wally”) Irvin, shareholder in Lewis Thomason’s Nashville office, has been selected for the Tennessee Bar Association’s 2023 Leadership Class. Now in its twentieth year, Leadership Law is designed to equip Tennessee lawyers with the vision, knowledge, and skills necessary to serve as leaders in their profession and local communities.
Irvin focuses his practice on construction law. He represents architects, engineers, contractors, and surveyors in a wide variety of matters, including contract negotiations, project administration, closeout, construction defect defense and payment disputes, including the assertion and enforcement of mechanics and materialmen’s liens and performance and payment bond claims. Additionally, he advises clients in administrative matters before the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, the Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners, Tennessee Occupational Health and Safety Administration (TOSHA) and Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).
Among Irvin’s many professional achievements he helped lead an industry coalition to amend Tennessee’s construction statutes to provide additional protections and remedies for contractors and design professionals to ensure timely payments are made on construction projects. He has contributed to numerous industry publications, such as the 2017 A201 Desk Book (ABA/AIA 2017), The Tennessee Construction Law Handbook (HLK 2017), the Annotated Construction Law Glossary (ABA 2011), the Law of Payment Bonds (ABA 2011). Irvin is also a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 listed Civil Mediator.