Attorneys

David M. Drobny

Principal
Location:
Nashville, Tennessee
Phone:
615-742-9327
Fax:
629-895-0636
Email:
DDrobny@ManierHerod.com

David is a principal with Manier & Herod. He graduated summa cum laude from Mississippi College in 1998. In 2001, he graduated from law school at the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he was a member of the Tennessee Law Review. David is a member of the Tennessee and Nashville Bar Associations.

Since 2003, David’s practice has exclusively involved the defense of employers and insurers in workers’ compensation claims. He has resolved hundreds of cases, influenced important legislation, tried countless contested cases, and argued appeals at the Tennessee Supreme Court and the Tennessee Court of Appeals.

David routinely conducts seminars for clients all over the southeast and has spoken at educational conferences in Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi. He also edited and contributed to the firm’s hardcover book Tennessee Workers’ Compensation, 3rd and 4th editions.

In June 2019, he gave a talk about death benefits at the 22nd Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, hosted by the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. He was invited to update that talk, which he gave at the conference in 2025.

David is also involved in his community. In 2010, he founded Nashville Severe Weather. His work was recognized by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell (2025), the Tennessee Legislature and Governor Lee (2020), the Nashville Bar Association (2019), the readers and editors of the Nashville Scene (2014-25), and by the National Weather Association (2016). David retired from Nashville Severe Weather in 2025, leaving it in excellent hands. Meanwhile, he served more than 4 years on Board of Directors of the Williamson County Soccer Association. He coached his daughter’s soccer team and his son’s baseball teams. 

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

  • Tennessee, 2001

Education

  • University of Tennessee College of Law, Knoxville, Tennessee
    • J.D.
  • Mississippi College
    • B.A.

Published Works

  • Principal Author, Tennessee Workers’ Compensations (4th ed., 2012)
  • Principal Author, Tennessee Workers’ Compensations (3rd ed., 2007)

Representative Cases

  • David’s note: approaching twenty-five years of representing employers and carriers, I’ve learned the best cases are those that limit my client’s exposure. More likely than not, this involves a strong defense then resolving the case, or eliminating a risk my client does not want to take. Some of my best work has come in finding a resolution to difficult compensability questions, or avoiding what would otherwise have been an unpalatable result. Other times I’ve been able to move a claimant off unreasonable demands toward resolution. All examples of these settlements are not for public consumption. Each client has its own goals, and I work to help you get there.

Classes/Seminars

  • Speaker – 22nd & 27th Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference, 2019 & 2025
  • Speaker – Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Law, Brentwood Services, 2018
  • Speaker – Basic Settlement Strategies and Other Important Things Every Adjuster Must Know About the 2013 Reform Act, 2016 – Present
  • Speaker – Comparing and Contrasting the “Old” and “New” Workers’ Compensation Law, 2015
  • Speaker – Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Educational Association Annual Conference, 2013
  • David routinely gives general informational seminars to clients all over the southeast

Professional Associations & Memberships

  • Tennessee Bar Association
  • Nashville Bar Association
  • Mid-South Workers’ Compensation Association
  • Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators
  • Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association
  • Defense Research Institute
  • National Weather Association