Dail R. Cantrell is an accomplished attorney with a successful legal career and a commitment to advocating for his clients. Dail R. Cantrell earned both his Bachelor of Arts and his Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. Dail R. Cantrell is the founding attorney of The Cantrell Law Firm with locations in Clinton, La Follette, and Knoxville, Tennessee. He is licensed to practice law in all Tennessee State and Federal Courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States. Throughout his three-decade legal career, Dail R. Cantrell has achieved trial verdicts and settlements totaling tens of millions of dollars for his clients. Dail R. Cantrell is an experienced litigator with decades of experience and a near perfect record at both the trial and appellate level.
Trial and Appellate Success
- secured the largest jury award for an animal attack in Tennessee;
- won a multi-day trial regarding a pedestrian injury with an award of approximately $2,000,000.00;
- obtained a jury verdict of over $2,000,000 for the wrongful death of a gentlemen;
- attained a large, sealed settlement concerning a shaken baby case;
- secured a $750,000 trial award regarding a complex insurance case;
- obtained jury verdict over $750,000 after a multiday healthcare liability trial;
- negotiated a large, sealed settlement concerning a wrongful death suit;
- successfully defended a multiday contract dispute trial;
- successfully argued before the Tennessee Courts of Appeals twice in the same healthcare liability; and
- successfully argued for increased the jury verdict by an additional $62,772.23, resulting in a total award of $703,772.23.
Awards
- Attorney for Justice, Tennessee Supreme Court
- Million Dollar Advocate, Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- The National Trial Lawyers- Top 100 Civil Trial Attorneys multiyear recipient
- Top 100 Lawyers- multiyear recipient; Top Attorney of the Year for 2025
- Lawyers of Distinction- multiyear recipient
- Best Attorney- The Best of Anderson County- multiyear recipient
- McClung Medal of Trial Advocacy, The University of Tennessee College of Law
- Ray H. Jenkins Award for Trial Advocacy
Dail R. Cantrell is a former adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee College of Law where he taught trial practice; trial advocacy/evidence; and legal process. He authored a trial strategies textbook and Equal to the Task, a book dedicated to his son, Benjamin, and the struggles he faced in the neonatal intensive care unit. Most of all, he enjoys spending time with his family.
