Jordan was born in Stamford, Connecticut, and raised in the greater Tampa area, where she developed a strong sense of community and an early appreciation for the power of advocacy. She went on to attend Florida State University, earning her undergraduate degree while cultivating a passion for critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication.

Driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact, Jordan pursued her Juris Doctor at Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law in Orlando, Florida. During her time in law school, she enriched her legal education through an international study program in Siena, Italy, in partnership with Tulane University. There, she focused on international law as well as art and cultural property, gaining a broader global perspective that continues to inform her approach to legal analysis and advocacy.

After being admitted to the Florida Bar, Jordan began her career in civil litigation, representing clients in both state and federal courts across a diverse array of cases. Her experience has equipped her with a well-rounded understanding of litigation strategy and a deep commitment to achieving favorable outcomes for her clients.

Jordan is currently an associate at Vernis & Bowling’s Central Florida office, where she handles a wide range of civil defense matters. She concentrates her practice on personal injury and premises liability litigation, approaching each case with diligence, attention to detail, and a client-focused mindset.

Outside of her professional life, Jordan enjoys discovering new restaurants, spending quality time with friends and family, and enthusiastically cheering on the Seminoles.

TJ is a fifth-generation Hillsborough County native and has never lived more than two hours from the Tampa Bay area. After graduating from the University of Florida, he worked at a firm in Tampa before beginning law school at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport. While there, TJ gained early experience in case management, client communication, and the practical day-to-day work of a small litigation practice. After completing his first year at Stetson, he returned to the Tampa firm and continued working there throughout law school as the practice expanded into additional offices.

TJ practices in the areas of first-party property and general liability defense. His experience includes litigation and arbitration involving sinkhole claims, hurricane and storm damage, negligent security, premises liability, and product liability matters. From early on in his career, he has handled corporate representative and expert depositions, dispositive motion practice, mediations/arbitrations, the sinkhole neutral evaluation process, and site inspections.

TJ particularly enjoys working with clients who are navigating the litigation process for the first time. He focuses on explaining the process clearly, keeping clients informed, and advocating for their interests as cases move through discovery, mediation, and trial.

Outside of the office, TJ lives with his wife and their dog, Tito. They enjoy hosting friends and family, working on their bungalow home, and cooking together.

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.

Lillian Akridge was born and raised in Macon, Georgia. As a first-generation college graduate, she received her bachelor’s degree from the University of West Georgia. Upon graduating, Lillian pursued a Juris Doctorate at North Carolina Central University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude. During law school, Lillian interned with Wake County District Court Judge Walczyk and North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls. Lillian served as Vice Justice for Phi Alpha Delta and increased recruitment by 250%. Lillian was also a member of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society, Pro Bono Society, Teen Court, and Trial Advocacy Board before joining the Family Law Clinic, where she handled active family law cases under her third-year law certificate.

After passing the Uniform Bar Exam in North Carolina with a score high enough to waive into any UBE jurisdiction, she worked as an associate with a firm in Princeton, NJ, focusing on commercial defense before returning to Georgia and taking the Georgia Bar Exam.

Lillian has extensive experience in policy reformation and several areas of civil litigation, involving automotive finance, creditors’ rights, corporate asset recovery, fraudulent transfers, bankruptcies, family law, probate law, trucking and personal injury. Lillian is also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and had the opportunity to intern with her organization and develop a compliance system, organizing disciplinary audits with over nine years of formal complaints received from inside and outside the United States.

Since joining Vernis & Bowling, Lillian handles all types of general liability claims, including automobile and premises liability.

In her free time, Lillian enjoys traveling, volunteer work, spending time with her fur babies, and cheering on the Florida Gators and Philadelphia Eagles.

John, who has gone by “Jack” his whole life, grew up in northern Virginia but knew he wanted to experience different parts of the country. An avid football fan, he chose to attend the University of Notre Dame. There, in addition to braving the frigid temperatures of northern Indiana, he obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Analytics with an additional Major in Philosophy. Jack has long enjoyed debating various subjects and has always been interested in strategy games such as chess and hearts, but it was not until his junior year at Notre Dame that he knew a legal career would be a good fit for him.

Jack then sought out warmer weather and attended the University of Georgia School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor. While there, he interned for a variety of different organizations and legal services providers, and served as an Executive Editor of the Georgia Criminal Law Review. Jack began his legal career clerking for state court judges in southern Georgia.

After a fulfilling year as a judicial law clerk, Jack made his way to the Sunshine State and began working for Vernis & Bowling. He currently focuses on automobile liability and premises liability cases.

In his free time, Jack enjoys working out, playing and watching various sports (especially his beloved Fighting Irish and Bulldogs), and relaxing outdoors.