Parks Tedford Chastain

Parks T. Chastain is a member of the law firm of Brewer, Krause, Brooks & Chastain, PLLC. He graduated from the University of Louisville, where he earned a B. S. in Sociology, awarded with high honors, in 1986. He earned his J. D. also at the University of Louisville, Brandeis School of Law, where he graduated cum laude. He served as editor of the Journal of Law & Education, was a two year member of the National Moot Court Team, and a member of the prestigious Brandeis Society. He was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 1989.

He focuses on the representation of insurers on a state and national basis. Mr. Chastain represents insurers in the investigation of first party claims, and in litigation arising from first party and third party coverage disputes. He has been involved in litigation dealing with first party policy interpretation, claims handling practice and procedures, bad faith and extra-contractual exposure, arson, misrepresentation and fraud, as well as third party coverage disputes arising from complex coverage matters, including involvement in declaratory judgment actions and interpleader actions. He has also consulted with insurance carriers regarding the development and drafting of insurance policy provisions and endorsements. At a national level, Mr. Chastain has been retained by various carriers to represent them in the cases involving public adjusters and the appraisal process, as well as the investigation of insurance fraud. Most importantly, Mr. Chastain has taken over sixty coverage cases to trial, ranging from cases of arson and fraud to third party coverage matters dealing with anything from the applicability of pollution exclusions to the definition of “resident relatives” or “residence premises.”

Mr. Chastain is the co-author of a blog entitled “Tennessee Insurance Litigation,” voted one of the top 50 blogs in the Insurance Law community, which can be found at . He is a contributing author to Inside the Minds: Defending Against Insurance Fraud (Aspatore Books, 2012) and Insurance Law 2013 (Aspatore Books, 2013).

Mr. Chastain is actively involved in educating the public and private sectors in topics related to arson and fraud investigation, having twice served as President of the Tennessee Chapter of the National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators. He frequently lectures on topics of policy interpretation and carrier duties to insurance company claim personnel, and has participated in live burns and other demonstrations as part of his efforts to foster cooperation between the public and private sectors. He has consistently provided continuing legal education to the legal community on topics related to insurance coverage triggers and analysis, as well as first party coverage issues.