• © Michael D. Ponce & Associates
• 1000 Jackson Rd., Suite 225
• Nashville / Goodlettsville, TN 37072
• 615-851-1776

Meet Our Legal Team

Michael D. Ponce, Managing Attorney and Senior Litigator.

Michael is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education, and Board Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, the Nashville Bar Association, Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, American Trial Lawyers Association. He is a former clerk to Hon. Judge John Wisdom, U.S. Court of Appeals (5th Cir.). He received his Juris Doctor cum laude from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. He also has M.B.A. and a B.S. from Suffolk University in Boston, MA.

• Noteworthy Appellate Cases: *Montgomery v Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., No. M2001-01718-WC-R3-CV, 2002 WL 1364028 (Tenn. Workers’ Comp. Panel 2002).
• Seminars Taught: Damages in Tennessee Civil Trial Practice, NBI, December 2004 Balancing Ethics and Professionalism in the Law for Tennessee Attorneys, NBI, April 2005

Brian Dunigan, Associate Attorney

Brian received his Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee College of Law, magna cum laude, where he was Publication Editor of the Tennessee Law Review. Former law clerk to Hon. Justice Adolpho A. Birch, Tennessee Supreme Court. Brian also received his bachelor degree, cum laude from Cumberland University.

• Noteworthy Appellate Cases: *Willis v Tennessee Department Of Correction, 113 S.W. 3d 706 (Tenn. 2003). *Rearno Vaughn v State, No. M2004-00544-SC-R11-PC (Tenn. Sup. Ct., pending, decision expected 2007). *Ragsdale v Deering, No. M2004-00672-COA-R9-CV (Tenn. Ct. App., pending decision expected 2006). *Silva v Martin Lumber Company, No. M2002-00490-WC-R3-CV, 2003 WL 22496233 (Tenn. Workers’ Comp. Panel 2003). *Salazar v Concrete Form Erectors, No. M2002-03040-WC-R3-CV, 2003 WL 22970953 (Tenn. Workers’ Comp. Panel 2003).
• Seminars Taught: Advanced Personal Injury Practice in Tennessee, NBI, October 2004. Plaintiff’s Personal Injury From Start to Finish in Tennessee, NBI, November 2005. Obtaining the Best Settlement for Personal Injury Clients, NBI, June 2006.
• Publications: Brian Dunigan and Jerry Phillips, Comparative Fault in Tennessee, 67 Tenn. L. Rev. 765 (2000).

A. Allen Smith, III, Associate Attorney

Allen Smith, a native of Detroit, Michigan, joined the firm in 2006. He received his undergraduate degree from Purdue University. While at Purdue, Mr. Smith was named to both the Big Ten academic and All-American teams. He later received his law degree from Vanderbilt University and has been licensed to practice law in the State of Tennessee since 1990. Mr. Smith has been certified as an advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. His practice focuses upon personal injury and workers’ compensation.

Gundega D.Gaigals (1956-2006)

Gundega started with the firm in 1998. She was licensed to practice law in Tennessee and California. Gunda received her Juris Doctor from the University of California School of Law, where she was the recipient of the American Jursiprudence Award in Torts. She also had a Masters of Management from Northwestern University Graduate School of Management (Beta Gamma Sigma) and a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Northwestern University (Phi Beta Kappa).