Burleson and Conder Advise City Attorneys on Avoiding Police-Related Law Suits

July 2nd, 2013  

Memphis, TN – John Burleson and Dale Conder Jr., attorneys at Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell PLC (Rainey Kizer) were featured speakers at the Tennessee Municipal Attorneys Association’s Summer Seminar held at the Memphis Convention Center.  The speakers described two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions and associated issues that could open local governments to legal liability and advised on how to avoid such liability.

The decisions, Missouri v. McNeely, 133 S.Ct. 1552 (2013), and Maryland v. King, 133 S.Ct. 1958 (2013), dealt with the “search and seizure” provisions of the Fourth Amendment as they relate to the police evidence gathering following an arrest.  The attorneys also described steps that should be taken to avoid legal liability in other police-related situations such as high speed pursuits and adverse personnel actions against police officers.

Burleson serves as firm president of Rainey, Kizer and has been associated with the firm since receiving his Doctor of Jurisprudence, with honors, in 1983 from the University of Tennessee College of Law.  Burleson handles matters in the areas of employment law litigation (representing employers only), municipal law, federal civil rights litigation, and workers’ compensation.  He is a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. Burleson previously served as chairman of the Jackson Board of Zoning Appeals and as chairman of the board of the University School of Jackson.

Conder also has been associated with the firm since receiving his Doctor of Jurisprudence, with honors, in 1992 from the University of Tennessee College of Law.  He has significant experience in the areas of employment law (representing employers only), personal injury litigation, and federal civil rights litigation. He also has significant experience in appellate advocacy. He has represented a number of police departments and municipalities in 42 U.S.C. § 1983 litigation. Condor is a contributor to the Defense Research Institute’s professional journal For the Defense, writing on topics including Law Enforcement and the Americans with Disabilities Actand “The Admissibility of Electronically Stored Information.”

 About Rainey Kizer

 Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell, PLC is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and was named a Go-To Firm® by Fortune 500 general counsels.  The full-service law firm with offices in Jackson and Memphis represents local, state, and national clients before state and federal courts and regulatory agencies throughout the Mid-South.  For more information visit www.raineykizer.com.