Brooks Law Firm is a Memphis practice serving clients across Shelby County and the surrounding West Tennessee area. The firm’s work spans criminal defense, civil litigation, real property disputes, family and disability matters, and criminal appellate and post-conviction review. Clients work directly with their attorney — from the first consultation through the conclusion of the case.
About the Firm
Brooks Law Firm is a Midtown Memphis practice with deep roots in the city’s courts and communities. The firm was built on a simple idea: that clients are best served when they know the lawyer handling their case, understand what is happening at each stage, and receive candid counsel about what the law can and cannot do for them. That idea has shaped how the firm operates for decades.
The firm’s attorneys — Robert Brooks, Patrick Brooks, and Beth Brooks — bring complementary experience across trial and appellate work, criminal and civil matters, and state and federal courts. Robert Brooks has devoted nearly forty years to criminal practice and now focuses exclusively on criminal appeals, post-conviction, and habeas corpus. Patrick Brooks handles the full range of criminal trial-level work in Shelby County and surrounding West Tennessee. Beth Brooks brings more than four decades of experience in family, juvenile, estate, Social Security disability, civil rights, personal injury, and workers’ compensation matters. Together they cover a breadth of practice that few small firms can match.
The firm’s office is located on Union Avenue in Midtown Memphis. Spanish-language services are available for consultations and court proceedings.
Our Values
Honest Counsel
The first thing a client deserves from an attorney is an honest assessment of what the case is likely to involve and what outcomes are realistically possible. We do not promise results. We explain the law, the facts as we understand them, and the options — including the risks and costs of each — so that the client can make informed decisions about their own matter.
Preparation
Cases are not won by eloquence; they are won by preparation. We read the discovery. We watch the video. We pull the records. We research the statute and the case law. A well-prepared file is the foundation for every favorable result we have obtained — whether by motion, negotiation, or trial.
Direct Client Contact
Clients at Brooks Law Firm work directly with the attorney handling their matter. Phone calls are returned. Questions are answered in plain language. Updates are provided as the case develops. We believe that is how a law practice is supposed to work — and it is how we have always worked.
Due Process
Protecting due process is essential to the orderly administration of impartial justice. Whether the matter is a traffic citation or a felony indictment, a contract dispute or a probate contest, every client is entitled to have the State, the opposing party, and the court held to their burdens. The firm’s work begins from that premise.
How We Work
No two cases are identical, but most matters move through a familiar sequence. Understanding what comes next helps clients make better decisions along the way.
1. The First Conversation
Every engagement begins with a conversation. We want to understand the charge or claim, the circumstances, any statements that were made, any documents in hand, and the client’s objectives. That conversation shapes the rest of the case.
2. Investigation and Discovery
We gather the information the other side has — police reports, body-camera and dash-cam footage, 911 recordings, scientific evidence, discovery responses, and produced documents. Where appropriate, we conduct our own investigation: witness interviews, scene review, public records requests.
3. Motion Practice and Pretrial Work
In criminal matters, well-supported motions to suppress or dismiss can resolve a case before trial. In civil cases, early motions under Rule 12, and later motions under Rule 56, can substantially narrow the issues. The motion phase is often where the most important work of a case is done.
4. Negotiation and Mediation
Most cases — criminal and civil — are resolved without trial. Whether a negotiated resolution is acceptable depends on the strength of the evidence, the client’s circumstances, and the client’s objectives. Those are decisions the client makes with candid advice from counsel. In civil cases, Tennessee courts strongly encourage mediation under Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 31, and most civil matters in Shelby County are mediated before trial. We prepare for mediation with the same discipline as trial — clear liability theory, organized damages analysis, realistic bottom line.
5. Trial
If a case must be tried, it is tried. The credibility of any pretrial resolution often reflects how prepared the other side believes we are to go to verdict — and we prepare accordingly.
6. Appeal, If Needed
Where an adverse result presents appealable issues, the firm is positioned to carry a case forward. Robert Brooks’s practice is limited to appellate and post-conviction work, giving clients access to experienced appellate counsel without the need to retain a separate firm.
Practice Areas at a Glance
Criminal Defense
Representation in misdemeanor and felony matters throughout Shelby County and surrounding West Tennessee. Practice includes DUI, assault, drug offenses, theft and property crimes, weapons charges, probation violations, white collar matters, expungements, and traffic offenses. Learn more about our criminal defense practice →
DUI Defense
First-offense through felony DUI, implied consent violations, aggravated DUI matters, and related license revocation proceedings under Tennessee law. Learn more about DUI defense →
Criminal Appeals and Post-Conviction
Direct appeals to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals and the Sixth Circuit, post-conviction relief petitions under Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-30-101 et seq., state and federal habeas corpus, and petitions for discretionary review. Learn more about criminal appeals →
Federal Criminal Defense
Representation in the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee in federal criminal matters, including pre-indictment investigation, plea negotiation, trial, sentencing under the federal guidelines, and appeal. Learn more about federal defense →
Civil Litigation
Contract disputes, fraud and misrepresentation claims, landlord-tenant matters, debt and collection actions, personal injury and property damage claims, estate and probate disputes, and injunctions and declaratory judgment actions. Learn more about civil litigation →
Real Property Disputes
Boundary disputes, easements, title matters, adverse possession, life estate claims, and disputes arising from the sale or transfer of real estate. Litigation in the Chancery Court of Shelby County and surrounding Tennessee counties. Learn more about real property disputes →
Business Litigation
Commercial contract disputes, claims under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, partnership and closely-held business disagreements, and related commercial litigation. Learn more about business litigation →
Family Law, Juvenile, and Estate Matters
Divorce, custody, child support, juvenile court representation, wills, powers of attorney, and probate administration — handled with the discretion and judgment that family and estate matters require.
Social Security Disability and Workers’ Compensation
Representation before the Social Security Administration at every stage of an SSDI or SSI claim, and representation of injured workers before the Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims.
Traffic Matters
Speeding, reckless driving, CDL offenses, driving on a suspended license, financial responsibility citations, and related traffic matters in Shelby County and surrounding jurisdictions. Learn more about traffic matters →
Our Attorneys
Three attorneys, one office, and a practice that spans trial and appellate work in state and federal courts. Each attorney handles their own cases personally and is reachable directly by the clients they represent.
Robert Brooks — Criminal Appeals and Post-Conviction
Nearly forty years of criminal practice experience, including service as an Assistant Federal Public Defender. Practice now limited exclusively to criminal appeals, post-conviction relief, and habeas corpus in Tennessee state and federal courts. Full bio →
Patrick Brooks — Criminal Defense and Trial Practice
Tennessee-licensed since 2012, with a practice handling the full range of criminal trial-level matters in Shelby County and surrounding West Tennessee. Member of the Memphis Bar Association and the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Full bio →
Beth Brooks — Family, Disability, Estate, and Civil Matters
More than four decades of practice in Memphis, covering family law, juvenile matters, estate planning and probate, Social Security disability, civil rights, personal injury, and workers’ compensation. Rhodes College; Memphis State University (1988). Full bio →
Where We Serve
Brooks Law Firm serves clients throughout Shelby County and the surrounding West Tennessee area — including Memphis, Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Cordova, Germantown, Lakeland, and Millington. The firm appears regularly in:
- General Sessions Court of Shelby County
- Criminal Court of Shelby County
- Circuit Court of Shelby County
- Chancery Court of Shelby County
- Probate Court of Shelby County
- Shelby County Juvenile Court
- Municipal Courts of Memphis, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, and surrounding municipalities
- Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims
- United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
- Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals and Tennessee Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Languages
Brooks Law Firm has Spanish-language interpreters available for client consultations and court proceedings. Se habla Español.
Contact the Firm
Brooks Law Firm
2299 Union Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee 38104
Phone: (901) 324-5000
Email: patrick@patrickbrookslaw.com
Consultations are confidential and may be arranged by telephone or in person at our Midtown Memphis office. When you call, a member of our staff will speak with you to discuss your matter and, where appropriate, set an appointment to speak with one of our attorneys in person.
Attorney Advertising. The information on this page is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Viewing this page does not create an attorney-client relationship; such a relationship is formed only by a written engagement agreement signed by both the client and the firm. Every matter is different, and prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter.