Chip Rieger was born in Indianapolis but spent his formative years in Connecticut before moving to Tennessee in 1983. Chip earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee and graduated from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis. While a law student, he was a member of Phi Alpha Delta (Chief Justice) in addition to serving as a Bankruptcy Court Extern and as Vice President of the Student Bar Association.

Chip is the Department Managing Attorney for the Nashville, TN office of Vernis & Bowling. Prior to joining the firm, he was a partner at a national law firm. Chip was also the founding Member of The Rieger Law Firm and was a founding Member and Managing Partner of Oakley Rieger PLLC. He founded Oakley Rieger after spending the majority of his career as a partner in a large regional litigation defense firm, where he also served as a Managing Partner.

Prior to receiving his Juris Doctorate, Mr. Rieger was a Manager of a National Bank, responsible for operations and personnel at the retail level.  After Law School, Chip started with a boutique employment law firm in Memphis before moving to Nashville and joining a regional firm. Mr. Rieger subsequently became a partner with his previous firm, where he served as a Managing Member of the Nashville office, overseeing operations and personnel. After 15 years, Chip decided to take his entrepreneurial spirit to another firm with a goal toward developing closer, more personal relationships with his clients by learning their business operations and goals, and partnering with them to achieve those goals.

Chip has a broad range of experience in litigation, including cases involving employment discrimination, FLSA, FMLA, ADA, retaliation, harassment, products liability, premises liability, transportation, personal injury, workers’ compensation, insurance law and general civil defense. Chip has extensive experience supervising litigation teams in complex civil lawsuits. A part of his practice is also spent in the representation of management in employment law and related matters, pre-litigation corporate counseling, preventive strategies to avoid discrimination, management training and the creation of human resource tools.

Chip is proud to serve as a founding Board Member of Old School Farm, where he has served since its founding in 2013. Old School Farm is a non-profit dedicated to producing quality farm-to-table food while providing vocational training and employment for individuals with disabilities. Old School Farm was founded on the belief that creating a sustainable farm can also produce sustainable jobs while giving back to the community at large.

When Chip is not defending lawsuits or counseling clients, he is a frequent seminar speaker on a variety of industry topics. He is also a regular presenter for The Society of Human Resource Managers, Lorman Education Services and Sterling Education Services. Chip also offers more personal in-house training and counseling for his business clients.

Mr. Rieger is a Member of The Society of Human Resource Managers. He has served on the Employment Law and Civil Rights Committee of the Nashville Bar Association and as the Legal Counsel and Director of the Nashville Area Junior Chamber of Commerce. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Young Lawyers Division of the Nashville Bar Association and was a Professor of Employment Law and Tort Law at the Southeastern Career Institute. He is a member of the Memphis, Nashville, and Tennessee Bar Associations.

Chip is admitted to practice in all Federal Courts in the State of Tennessee and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit.

Chip was motivated to go to law school by a friend who convinced him he could take his law degree and apply it in any industry that interested him. That concept holds true today, as Chip gets the most enjoyment out his practice by meeting people in a wide variety of industries, learning what is important to them and helping them to achieve their goals.

Chip is an avid hockey player, snow skier and water skier. He loves to travel the world but lately spends most of his travel visiting his kids at Clemson, Tampa and Tennessee Universities.

Michael is originally from New York, where he initially practiced law and is still admitted to the New York Bar. He moved to Miami after his admission to the Florida Bar in 1974 and where he has practiced law since then, being recognized as a Fifty Year Member of the Florida Bar in 2024.

His practice encompasses all areas of Business Law, both transactional and litigation. He actively practices commercial and corporate litigation, including asset protection and debtor-creditor law as well as construction law, real estate litigation, business torts including interference with economic relations, trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, deceptive and unfair trade practices, intellectual property and unfair competition and professional negligence to include attorney, architect, engineer and accountant malpractice.

In his fifty years of practice, Michael has tried numerous cases to conclusion before juries, judges, and appellate and arbitration panels.

Prior to joining Vernis & Bowling Michael was the managing partner of the Miami office of a statewide firm and prior to then he managed his own firm for 27 years.

After law school Michael served on active duty with the United States Army as a First Lieutenant where he was detailed to the Judge Advocate General’s Corps to assist an overworked office.

Michael has served as President of the Miami Beach Bar Association as well as being a Director of that Association. Previously he has served on committees of the Miami Dade County Bar Association presently serving on its corporate law committee.

After a long career in the law Michael still finds the practice to be exciting and rewarding and he has no plans of slowing down. He still enjoys learning about each client’s business and how he can help his client keep their businesses successful.

Michael resides in the Brickell area of Miami with his wife Susan. His son Josh is a mortgage banker and his daughter Jessica is a lawyer in Atlanta. He has four grandchildren and hopes one of them will become a lawyer.

DeSharné Carroll was born in Birmingham, Alabama.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Mississippi State University and earned her Juris Doctor from Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University where she was recognized on the Chancellor’s List and Dean’s List for her academic achievements.

Since joining Vernis & Bowling, she concentrates her practice on civil litigation.  DeSharné handles a wide range of matters including automobile liability, premises liability, trucking litigation, and products liability representing individuals, businesses, and insurers in complex disputes. DeSharné is admitted to practice law in all state courts in both Georgia and Alabama, including the U.S. District Courts for the Middle and Northern Districts of Georgia; as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Middle and Northern Districts of Alabama. She is a member of the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association and Georgia Association for Women Lawyers.

Prior to joining the firm, DeSharné practiced in insurance defense, medical malpractice litigation, and transportation defense in both Alabama and Georgia. She has managed cases from inception through resolution, achieving favorable outcomes for her clients. DeSharné’s favorite part of practicing law is working with clients. She is committed to ensuring that clients feel supported and informed through every stage of the legal process.

Beyond her work, she enjoys a well-rounded life and loves spending time with friends and family, working out, traveling and experiencing new cultures.  You can also find her doing Pilates, hiking, cooking, and reading.

David A. Reinblatt is a native of Montreal, Canada, where he completed his undergraduate degree at McGill University before moving to Miami for law school. He has called Miami home ever since.  While in law school, David was the founder and president of the Business Law Society and was on the Dean’s List.  Prior to joining Vernis & Bowling, David practiced at several firms focusing on insurance defense, coverage and declaratory judgment actions, construction, and commercial litigation and brings a breadth of knowledge to the firm.

At Vernis & Bowling, David is a Department Managing Attorney where he manages a team of lawyers and staff dedicated to representing their clients in matters concerning bodily injury, property damage, construction, and general liability.  He brings his years of experience and dedication to advocate for his clients at all stages of litigation. David strives to provide his clients with innovative legal advice in order to obtain the best results possible.

Outside of work, David enjoys spending his time travelling, exploring South Florida’s dining scene, and being active, including playing hockey.

Ali Rahnavard is a civil litigator who joined Vernis & Bowling, seeking new challenges and professional growth.

Prior to joining the firm, Ali’s practice focused on general civil litigation, creditors’ rights, compliance, and pre and post-judgment collections. In four years, Ali distinguished himself with a litigation-focused approach, initiating several thousand civil suits, advocating for the interest of his clients before courts in all 67 Florida counties on more than 2,000 occasions, and obtaining countless judgments on behalf of his clients. Ali’s focus in the last two years of his collections practice was on litigious opposition from Consumer Attorneys and the defense of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act counterclaims.

Ali was sworn into the Florida Bar on his 28th birthday after obtaining his law degree from Stetson University College of Law. While at Stetson, Ali took advantage of their #1 ranked Trial Advocacy program and focused on practical experiences, completing two judicial internships. From his experience with Judge Pamala A.M. Campbell of the 6th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, he learned the importance of preparation and mastery of the rules of civil procedure and sharpened his research skills. His experience with Judge Catherine Peek McEwen of the United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District of Florida, allowed him to hone his legal writing and analysis and obtain valuable working knowledge of the Bankruptcy Code. Ali was also an active volunteer guardian ad litem advocating on behalf of the interest of children in dependency. In 2025, Ali was appointed by the incoming Florida Bar President to serve as a committee member on the Law Related Education Committee of the Florida Bar.

A lifelong student of history, Ali graduated from the University of Central Florida with his Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Political Science. His areas of study included European, Greek, and Roman history, but he particularly enjoyed his study of the classics.

Ali was born in Washington D.C. and has lived in the D.C. Metro, South Carolina, and Central and South Florida before settling in Tampa Bay after law school.

Outside the practice of law, Ali enjoys new adventures with his wife Scarlett and their children, connecting with his Persian heritage, staring at a mountain of unread books, and telling himself that one day he really will get around to learning guitar.