Louis W. Ringger, III (Billy)
Billy Ringger is a nationally recognized environmental lawyer with significant litigation experience in some of the largest environmental and toxic exposure cases in the country. He has represented groups of individuals and municipalities in large scale environmental litigation and earned many millions of dollars for his clients. He is an expert in the area of health-based litigation, having successfully litigated numerous toxic exposure and medical malpractice cases over the past decade. Billy works regularly with many of the nation’s top scientific and medical experts and frequently presents on environmental and health-based topics at events throughout the country.
Prior to forming Davis, Johnston, & Ringger, PC, Billy was a partner at a large international plaintiffs’ firm specializing in class action and mass tort litigation on an international scale. For several years, he served as lead counsel representing the hundreds of workers who were injured due to their exposures to coal ash during remediation of the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Coal Ash Spill – the largest industrial spill in United States history. His multi-year efforts were pivotal in obtaining a successful resolution for these injured workers in 2023, and Billy continues to represent individuals, municipalities, and other clients in similar capacities.
Billy obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. After law school, he served as judicial law clerk to then Chief Justice Sharon Lee of the Tennessee Supreme Court, remaining in this role for 2 ½ years and serving as Chief of Staff to the Chief Justice for much of that time. After completing his clerkship, Billy practiced with a prominent litigation firm in Knoxville, where he spent several years litigating complex civil cases. During this time, Billy gained significant litigation and trial experience and earned a wide reputation as a successful litigator and skilled advocate. Now focusing on environmental matters, he continues to practice law with academic rigor and aggressively litigate on behalf of his clients.
Currently, Billy lives and works in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Asheville, North Carolina – dividing his time between the two cities. He enjoys spending time with his family and hiking in the Appalachian Mountains and is committed to protecting the environmental integrity of this region and the entire country.
Bar Admissions:
- Tennessee