Best Places to Work: Warren & Griffin law firm

Advocating for their clients in tough times

Staff file photo / C. Mark Warren, left, and John Mark Griffin, with the local law firm Warren and Griffin, P.C., are photographed in their offices in the Dome Building.
Staff file photo / C. Mark Warren, left, and John Mark Griffin, with the local law firm Warren and Griffin, P.C., are photographed in their offices in the Dome Building.

The Warren & Griffin law firm makes a keen point that it's "100% Chattanooga based."

"We are your local lawyers," says C. Mark Warren, who co-founded the practice with John Mark Griffin. "There are a lot of firms that have been poaching clients and claiming they are local but are actually based in Alabama or Atlanta."

In its 30 years, Warren says that the firm has demonstrated compassion toward its clients, noting that being injured or involved in an auto accident can be "scary and overwhelming."

"We are a Christian-based law firm and lean on our faith when decisions are hard," Warren says. "Our Creed: Proverbs 31:8-9, which reads: 'Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the right of the poor and needy."'

The firm specializes in the areas of personal injury and Social Security and disability cases.

Warren says the firm is proud of its response rate. Most people's No. 1 complaint about their lawyer is that they can't get them to call them back, or they have some kind of problem with communication, Warren says.

"At Warren & Griffin, we try our hardest to be as responsive as possible," he says. "Our attorneys answer calls on the weekends and after regular business hours to best suit our clients' needs."

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, Warren says accidents still happen.

"During these hard economic times, people need attorneys now more than ever to get paid," he says.

While the firm has remained open during the pandemic, it's careful to follow Centers for Disease Control regulations.

"We have been encouraging our clients to contact us via phone or e-mail and avoid coming to our office if at all possible," Warren says.

Also, the firm divided the workforce into morning and evening shifts to limit the amount of people on each floor to no more than 10, he says.

photo Staff file photo by C.B. Schmelter / C. Mark Warren talks with the Times Free Press in the law offices of Warren and Griffin, P.C., at the Dome Building.

Warren & Griffin, which already has offices in Chattanooga and in Dalton, Georgia, is exploring opening a new office in Bradley County to better suit clients who live in the greater Chattanooga area, leaders of the firm say.

Last year, Warren & Griffin marked Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke's designation of Sept. 19 as NVR TXT & DRV Day with a celebration at its new office location on the first floor of the historic Dome Building. It invited the public to take the pledge to never text behind the wheel.

Warren & Griffin

* Founded: 1990* Employees: 26 companywide; 20 in Chattanooga* Why this is a Best Place to Work: When we meet with our clients they are often times injured, confused by legal paperwork, or have undergone a hardship at work. We are the people they turn to when they desperately need help. We take pride in being able to help people with whatever they need, and being an active member of our community to raise awareness.* Online: warrenandgriffin.com

Phone use while driving has been cause for major legislative intervention, resulting in Tennessee's "Hands Free Law," which took effect last July.

"We were early pioneers in the campaign to keep drivers focused on the road. This proclamation is a step in the right direction toward saving lives," Warren says. "We are committed to doing all we can to proactively protect drivers on Tennessee and Georgia's roads through our NVR TXT & DRV campaign."

Griffin says that an estimated 3,000 deaths occur nationwide each year as a result of distracted driving.

"We have seen the heartbreaking consequences a preventable traffic accident can have on families and entire communities. It's our mission to educate drivers and stop needless tragedies," he says.

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