J. Mark Benfield

J. Mark Benfield graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in 1994. He then attended the University of Memphis School of Law where he graduated Cum Laude.

Prior to joining Bailey and Benfield, Mr. Benfield received extensive legal experience while serving in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) for four years. There he was attached to Trial Service Office Southeast where he served as prosecutor in numerous felony and misdemeanor court-martials including aggravated rape, child sex abuse, drug trafficking and distribution, and numerous financial crimes. While in this position Mr. Benfield was also responsible for providing expert legal advice to some of the most strategic military commands in the world.

After leaving Trial Services Office Southeast, Mr. Benfield was then assigned as staff attorney for Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, one of the largest military hospitals in the world. While at the Naval Medical Center, Mr. Benfield was responsible for providing command advice on numerous legal issues including medical malpractice, numerous federal and state medical and hospital regulations, and provider disciplinary proceedings. Mr. Benfield, in his four years, received various awards including two Navy Achievement Medals.

Currently, Mr. Benfield's trial practice includes cases involving medical malpractice, nursing home neglect and abuse, wrongful death, as well as various other cases involving catastrophic injuries.

State Court Licensures

• Licensed member of the Tennessee Bar – 1997
• Licensed member of the Georgia Bar – 2000

Federal Court Licensures

• Western District of Tennessee – 2004

Awards

• Recipient, CALI and Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence in Civil Procedure and Sales.
• Two Navy Achievement Medals

Military

Lieutenant, U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps, 1997-2001

Seminars Presented

• National Business Institute – “Nursing Home Malpractice in Tennessee”, October 17, 2003;
• National Business Institute – “Art of Settlement in Tennessee”, November 16, 2004;
• National Business Institute – “Using Medical Records to Prove Your Case in Tennessee”, December 2005

Reported Cases

Wrote Amicus Brief in Howell v. NHC Healthcare – Fort Sanders, Inc., 109 SW3d 731 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2003), a nursing home neglect case brought pursuant to Tennessee law. The Court of Appeals for the Eastern Section of Tennessee held that the arbitration clause the Defendants were attempting to enforce was illegal and void as a matter of law.