About Brandon D.
Brandon D. Fersten began his legal journey after completing undergraduate studies in political science and economics at the University of South Florida in 2012 and earning his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2019. He arrived in Tennessee law school already interested in courtroom work and trial advocacy, and he carried that interest into his student practice.
While at the University of Tennessee College of Law he served as a student lawyer in the Advocacy Clinic, where he gained hands-on experience in courtroom procedure, client interviewing and legal research. Those clinic hours were followed by a string of law clerk positions that exposed him to both defense work and civil litigation. From 2017 to 2018 he worked as a law clerk at firms including Barnes Law Office, the Law Office of Burroughs & Capps and McDonald, Levy & Taylor.
After law school he joined Barnes Law Office as an associate in 2019. The transition from law clerk to associate allowed him to take greater responsibility on case strategy and trial preparation. In 2022 he became a partner at Barnes & Fersten, PLLC, where he shares management duties and continues to try cases in state and federal court.
Fersten is admitted to practice in Tennessee and appears regularly in federal court. His federal admissions include the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee and the Sixth Circuit. He holds a professional certification in legal research from LexisNexis, a credential that supports his written work in briefs and motions.
Professional associations have been a steady part of his career. He is an active member of the Tennessee State Bar and has belonged to the Knoxville Bar Association since 2019. He also maintains memberships in the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association and the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, organizations that reflect the courtroom and defense work that form a core part of his practice.
Clients and colleagues describe him as methodical in preparation and direct in court. He divides his time between litigation, trial preparation and the business tasks of running a small firm. He practices at Barnes & Fersten, PLLC, where his work centers on criminal defense and trial litigation.
