Trent, Edward H.

EDWARD H. TRENT is a Member of Wimberly Lawson Wright Daves & Jones, PLLC in the Knoxville, Tennessee office of the firm, which he joined in 2011.  His practice includes labor and employment law matters in both state and federal court and before state and federal agencies.  Ed's broad range of experience includes jury trials in employment discrimination cases, including the defense of appeals before federal and state appellate courts, day-to-day preventative counseling and advice, training for supervisor and human resources personnel on managing the workplace and complying with federal, state and local employment laws and regulations.  Ed also works with churches on child protection issues and employment law matters, and is actively involved with religious liberty issues.  He filed an amicus brief in the case of Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church v. EEOC, 132 S.Ct. 694 (2012), upholding the "ministerial exception" to the application of state and federal employment laws to religious organizations, in Hobby Lobby v. Burwell, 1345 S.Ct. 2751 (2014), upholding the religious liberty rights of business owners in a challenge to the Affordable Care Act's Contraception Mandate, and several other cases.  Ed received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Florida and his law degree from Duke University School of Law.  He has been admitted to practice in the United States District Court; Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Tennessee; Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida; the United States Court of Appeals, Sixth and Eleventh Circuit; and the United States Supreme Court.  Ed has an AV Preeminent® Rating - which is the highest possible rating given by Martindale-Hubbell, the leading independent attorney rating entity - and since 2011 he has also been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in the fields of Employment Law/Management and Litigation/Labor & Employment.  In 2016 Ed was named Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers for Employment Law/Management, Knoxville. Ed is also Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by The Florida Bar.