STEPHANIE HELTON
Stephanie Helton was born and raised in Knoxville. After graduating from Carter High School, she thought she wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. One bad day in human anatomy lab and Stephanie decided the legal field might be a better choice for her. After completing the Paralegal Program at Pellissippi State, she began her legal career with Hogan & Hogan, working in insurance defense. She now has more than 25 years of legal experience in everything from insurance defense, corporate law, labor law, personal injury and workers’ compensation. She is our senior paralegal and office manager and has been with our firm for almost 12 years. Stephanie and her husband Lance have been married 24 years and have a son, Landon, who is finishing his Junior at MTSU, where he is pursuing his dream of flying with a bachelor’s degree in Pro-Pilot. Stephanie’s other child has four legs and is our firm mascot, Miss Ripley. When she isn’t keeping this place running smoothly, she loves spending time with family, New York Yankees baseball and once her son graduates and begins his commercial pilot career, she will spend lots of time traveling.
APRIL VITTETOE
April Vittetoe was born and raised in Knoxville. She is a graduate of Karns High School and spent several years in the Knox County District Attorney’s office before coming to work at Hotz & Associates. April is the first contact that our clients have with our firm and she does an amazing job making them feel like family. April has been with Hotz & Associates 7 years and when she is not working, she loves spending time with her daughter Ensley who is studying to be a paralegal and hanging out wherever there is water and sun.
ANNA PILSON
Anna Pilson was born and raised in California. She has always had an interest in law. She graduated from Pellissippi State in 2000, with a degree in Paralegal Studies. Anna has spent the last 19 years working in personal injury and workers’ compensation. She has 3 sons, 2 of which live in Washington State and currently working at Grand Collee Dam. Her youngest, is a student in Computer Science at ETSU. She has been with Hotz & Associates going on 3 years and workers as our medical specialist. When she is not working, she enjoys fishing and hunting with her soon to be husband.
JACKIE TAVERES
Jackie Taveres was born in Williamsburg, Kentucky. Jackie has a Bachelor’s Degree in Paralegal Studies and has worked in law firms for over 30 years on both the defense and the plaintiff’s side. She has worked on wide variety of cases in many areas of law including personal injury, property damage, medical malpractice, toxic tort, environmental, products liability and construction. Jackie lives in the country with her husband and three dogs and when she is not working, she is a student of nature and stoicism. She also enjoys boxing, weightlifting, hiking and reading.
