Phil R. Newman

I never thought I'd need a divorce lawyer but when I found myself pregnant going through a divorce I knew I'd need one that would advocate for me and my baby boy. From the minute I met Phil Newman we just clicked. His warm, caring nature together with his no-nonsense, cut-to-the-chase way makes him a... bulldog of a lawyer. In the end, the way he fights for what's best for the CHILD is what sets him apart. And he's had to put me in my place a few times, but I've always been better as a result. Now having been divorced 8+ years and going through several post-divorce rounds of parenting plan changes, I can't recommend Phil and his team highly enough. Especially Alisha Warner who is my other lawyer and who has walked with me as well through the past 8 years. She is an incredibly hard worker and has gut instincts that recently helped me settle a really hard situation in mediation. I can't recommend the whole team at Puryear, Newman & Morton highly enough - they are ALL incredible to work with and ultimately fight for what's best for everyone in the long run.

When I needed an attorney, I reached out to friends and colleagues for recommendations. Phil was recommended to me by two different people. I interviewed several attorneys that would be willing to work with my husband and me on an amicable divorce. In my initial meeting with Phil, he told me that ...we were interviewing each other…I wasn’t just interviewing him. It was a difficult decision, but I decided to work with Phil because he kept using the phrase “what’s in the best interest of the children” during our meeting. I didn’t always like what Phil recommended to me, but I believed it was fair and in the best interest of my family. Our divorce was fairly simple and quick. Phil and my ex-husband’s attorney worked extremely well together and were able to advise us and work with us to come to agreement outside of mediation or court. Phil’s value was made abundantly clear after the divorce. Several days after our divorce was final, my ex-husband notified me he was leaving for inpatient rehabilitation for alcohol abuse, which had not been disclosed during the development of the parenting plan or marital dissolution agreement. Phil went above and beyond to help navigate the situation with my children during and after treatment. He continues to do what is in the best interest of my children, and in turn me, even months after our divorce was finalized. When selecting the attorney I was going to work with on my divorce, I didn’t realize I would work with this person for years to come. Phil and I will work together for another 8 years, until my youngest child is 18. I am more comfortable with the decision to work with Phil and his team now more than ever. I have since recommended Phil to friends in need and intend to work with his partners on other Family Law issues, such as wills and trusts.

When faced with an unexpected divorce, I started to research who to work with. A good friend gave me names that were recommended as the best in the Nashville area, and I was pleased to see an old friend Phil Newman at the top of the list. Phil not only is great at what he does, he cared about me as... a person during the difficult process. He helped me take the emotion out of some tough decisions, represented me very effectively, and looked out not only for my best interest, but the interest of my kids. Phil and Julie were professional and kept a good pace to reduce the timeframe and expense of a painful process. I appreciated how Phil and his team communicated, followed up and made sure I understood what steps were next, let me know what may or may not happen, and would prepare me both legally and emotionally. I cannot speak highly enough of how my case was handled and would definitely recommend PN&M.

Phil Newman was recommend to me by a colleague at work; in my colleague’s divorce case, Phil was opposing counsel representing my colleague’s spouse – if this is not the highest recommendation a lawyer can receive, I don’t know what is. In my divorce case I was previously represented and that lawyer... was incapable of moving my case forward, I was simple at the mercy of my ex-wife and stuck in contested-divorce hell with no end in sight. The primary reason I sought out Phil was to get my case unstuck and minimize as much as possible the expense, time, and agony to resolve my case. With his expertise and the help of the PN+M firm, they did exactly that and I am extremely grateful to him and his firm that all affected parties, especially the most precious to me, my son, can get on with their lives. Many times Phil did not tell me what I wanted to hear, instead based on his expertise with the Williamson County legal establishment and his years of experience, he told me what I needed to hear so I could make the most informed decisions in my case. Having a couple children himself that are around my son’s age, Phil was a great advocate for father-son relationships and did a great job to ensure I could spend as much time with my son as possible, both during the case and after. Even though my case is long over, he genuinely cares about my son’s wellbeing and asks how he’s doing. Phil and his firm do a great job at keeping the entire case in perspective, including the opposing side and respective counsel. That perspective is key as you struggle with all the conflict and bad-blood that develops in a contested divorce and many times blinds you of seeing the complete picture. As a result, even though nobody “wins” in a divorce case, Phil and the PN+M team perform a great service by fairly keeping both sides of the case in focus and treating everyone with dignity and respect. Phil and the PN+M team are not the least expensive firm in Middle Tennessee, but if it was not for them, I know for a fact I would still be stuck in contested-divorce hell costing me enormously more in the long run, both financially and emotionally, let alone the continued undue stress on my son. To end my nightmare – priceless :-)

Professional, knowledgeable, understanding and kind are just a few of the words I would use to describe Phil Newman and Alisha Warner. When I found myself in the midst of divorce proceedings I never saw coming, Phil and Alisha’s counsel and guidance throughout the process were invaluable. Phil dev...ised a strategy to secure a very favorable and expeditious resolution to my financial and parenting issues with as little rancor as possible, understanding from the start what was best for me and my children. He was a calming influence when the emotions of the situation threatened to derail the process. Alisha expertly answered every question I asked of her, making certain that my concerns were fully addressed in the marital and parenting agreements. I recommend Phil Newman to anyone seeking counsel in a separation or divorce situation.