Robert Pless grew up in the small town of Norris, Tennessee. Robert attended Roane State Community College and The University of Tennessee. He began working at the Southern Railroad as a carman and later became a journeyman machinist. In 1986, he left the railroad to work with FELA attorneys as an investigator. Robert has the skills to help fellow railroaders in their FELA cases. He works closely with John Cooper in establishing negligence, obtaining photographs, collecting physical evidence, and gathering witness statements. He has attended well over a thousand union functions of every craft across the Eastern United States and Midwest.