In one of the more famous lines from The Godfather, Michael Corleone, played by a young Al Pacino, told his older brother, “It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business.”
But as the founding attorney at GriffithLaw, John Griffith has built a successful business by flipping that iconic script. He understands the intensely personal nature of the cases he takes and values the relationships that come from them.
“We don’t meet people under ideal circumstances,” he says. “They come to us, often as a last resort, seeking relief from an injustice they did not deserve. When someone reaches out to us, what they’re really doing is searching for someone they can trust. I take that very personally. If I can’t bring about a substantial difference in their outcome, I won’t take the case.”
Griffith’s approach to his work as a personal injury attorney is as authentic as the farm he grew up on near the Tennessee River in New Johnsonville. He says that his sensibilities and desire to do right by others come from his mother who, “has always been such a sweet person and taught me the importance of being humble and genuine,” he says.
His career path has mirrored that of his father’s. “My dad was an attorney and a farmer. As a child, I didn’t care for farming but now I have a passion for it,” Griffith says. “I’m always aching to get to my farm. Bush-hogging clears my mind and helps me figure things out.”
Whether he’s on the farm, competing in athletics, playing music, or trying a case, it comes as no surprise that every aspect of Griffith’s multi-faceted life is invested thoroughly in personal relationships.
Since his days as a high school football player in Waverly, Griffith has been at home in the gym or the stadium. He turned down scholarship offers from smaller schools to walk-on at Vanderbilt. A torn Achilles tendon ended his career after two seasons.
The abrupt end to his athletic career left a void in his life that he’s filled by coaching his children’s teams. But he missed actual competition so, a few years ago, he took up jiujitsu.
“I got into it to have something meaningful to do with my son,” says Griffith. “I’ve always been in decent shape, but now I am in the best shape of my life. Rollin’ with 25-year-olds will do that to you.”
When the calendar flipped to springtime and his son’s attention turned to lacrosse, Griffith stayed with jiujitsu.
“Now I’m obsessed with it,” he says. “I train for competition and I love competing. It fulfills that drive for me. It gives me peace of mind and confidence like I have never had before.”
Griffith is musically inclined as well. He’s a guitarist (his prized axe is a Gibson Les Paul) who played in cover bands during college. Today he sings and plays mostly spiritually driven acoustic arrangements with his family and for his church. Dozens of duet videos featuring Griffith and his wife, Jenny, are available on the GriffithLaw website.
“Jenny is the best thing that ever happened to me,” he says. “I’ve always been in awe of musicians and she’s a brilliant singer. She also has a designer’s touch which is evident in our offices. There are lots of little ‘Jenny sprinkles’ all over the office and we get so many compliments about them. I am very thankful for her in so many ways.”
The Griffith’s blended family includes five children: Carly, 24; Case, 20; Jolie, 19; Zoe, 14 and Ella Faith, 7.
Griffith tried cases for the Humphreys County District Attorney’s office while he was attending law school in Nashville. “It was really cool to do that as a third-year law student,” he says. "I would try a jury trial during the day, then I'd arrive for classes that evening and the guys would ask how my day went. I would tell them, 'I tried a jury trial,' as if it were no big deal."
“Trying those cases is when I discovered I had a huge desire to do jury trial work. I enjoyed making those connections with people, whether they were my clients or on the jury.”
Griffith was practicing law in downtown Nashville until 2015 when he moved his office to Franklin. “There was hardly anyone specializing in personal injury in Franklin at that time so I thought, ‘Why not open my firm here where I live?’ It was one of the best decisions of my life.” GriffithLaw opened with one attorney and one paralegal. Today the firm has 21 employees, with
an office in Murfreesboro, and another coming soon to Clarksville.
Griffith attributes his success and the firm’s growth to his guiding principles. “I’m honest and transparent with juries because they can see through it if you’re not. I don’t ‘act’ like a lawyer. I talk ‘Waverly’ to my juries, not legalese. I just am who I am.”
Because in the end, it’s not about business. It’s personal.
If you, or someone you know, have wrongfully experienced a personal injury, consider reaching out. GriffithInjuryLaw.com
