Joey Fuson Named to The Best Lawyers in America for 2027

Press Release • August 20, 2026

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When Joey Fuson started trying criminal cases in Nashville 20 years ago, cannabis law did not exist as a practice area in Tennessee. In the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, released today, he is recognized in Cannabis Law and Criminal Defense: General Practice. The recognition is his first, and the first in Freeman & Fuson’s history.


Best Lawyers has built its lists the same way for more than 40 years. Practicing attorneys evaluate the colleagues and competitors they see in their own market, nominations and listings carry no fee, and ballots stay confidential. Inclusion rests entirely on those evaluations.


Fuson, a founding partner of the firm, has defended clients across Middle Tennessee for 20 years. His criminal defense work covers the full range of state charges, from DUI and drug cases to assault and homicide, and that caseload remains the core of his practice. His cannabis work has grown with the practice area itself, as Tennessee lawmakers and regulators keep redrawing the rules for cannabis and hemp-derived products and the criminal exposure that comes with them.


“When I started practicing 20 years ago, a marijuana case meant a criminal case, and that was the whole story,” said Fuson. “Tennessee has been rewriting that story ever since, and the people caught in the middle of it are still scared people who need someone in their corner. Recognition from other lawyers, the ones who have watched that work up close, means the most to me.”


Freeman & Fuson is a Nashville trial firm practicing criminal defense, family law, personal injury, and civil litigation across Middle Tennessee. The firm’s attorneys bring more than 30 years of combined courtroom experience to cases ranging from criminal trials to complex civil disputes. To speak with an attorney, call (615) 298-7272.

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