Waller Names 11 New Partners

NASHVILLE, TN--(Marketwired - Jan 20, 2015) - Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP, Nashville's oldest and largest law firm, has elected eight new attorneys as partners while welcoming three new partners into the firm. The eight newly elected attorneys were previously associates and include:

• Tyson Bickley
• Daniel Flournoy
• Jon Gaston
• Kristen Larremore (Birmingham office)
• Laura Merritt
• Wes Scott (Memphis office)
• Lauran Sturm
• Chris Wilson

The three new partners joining Waller include:

• Frances Fenelon
• John Burns
• Jeff Parrish

"We are thrilled to have these 11 exceptional attorneys, who represent a diverse group of legal practices, join the partnership at Waller," said Matt Burnstein, chairman of Waller. "They all have proven histories of delivering results for clients, and Waller is well positioned for the future with these additions to the partnership."

Tyson Bickley assists clients from a range of industries, including healthcare, healthcare information technology, technology, manufacturing, and distribution in relation to corporate and business matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, venture capital financing, and securities. Bickley's experience includes assisting publicly traded corporations as well as early-stage companies. He also advises private equity, venture capital and other investors in strategic transactions. He earned his J.D. from the University of Georgia and received a B.S., with honors, from University of Alabama in Accounting.

Daniel Flournoy assists lenders, creditors and borrowers on matters related to senior and subordinated commercial credit facilities, distressed debt, financial restructurings, and bankruptcy litigation. He works on a diverse set of matters, for clients in the healthcare, banking and financial services industries. He earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University and received an M.P.A. from the University of Kentucky in Policy Studies as well as a B.A., summa cum laude, from University of Kentucky in Political Science.

Jon Gaston counsels public and private organizations alike on a wide range of federal and state tax issues related to tax planning, structuring mergers and acquisitions, business formations, dispositions, and other restructurings. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from Samford University and his LL.M. from Georgetown University in Taxation. He received an M.B.A. from Samford University as well as a B.B.A. from Emory University.

Kristen Larremore assists healthcare providers with regulatory compliance matters and healthcare transactions. Larremore counsels hospitals, health systems, outpatient services providers, physicians and medical practices on Stark law compliance, federal and state anti-kickback regulations, HIPAA, patient privacy and state healthcare regulations. She earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University and received a B.S.B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Southern Mississippi in Economics, Business Administration and Accounting.

Laura Merritt focuses on intellectual property and commercial disputes in Waller's litigation and dispute resolution practice. She is invested in finding practical and efficient solutions to the challenges clients face. She earned her J.D. from American University and also received a B.A., cum laude, from the University of Florida in Political Science, as well as a B.S., cum laude, from the University of Florida in Journalism.

Wes Scott serves as counsel to various public and private companies primarily with respect to corporate finance, regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. He aids clients by utilizing his experience and strong technical knowledge of the federal securities laws and regulations. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Memphis and received a M. Accy from the University of Mississippi as well as a B. Accy, summa cum laude, from the University of Mississippi.

Lauran Sturm serves clients in the healthcare, manufacturing, media, mining, and utilities industries in a variety of litigation matters, including environmental litigation, public records, and regulatory law. In addition to her environmental litigation and compliance experience, Sturm advises media companies on First Amendment and pre-production matters. She counsels clients on open government and privacy issues and has assisted a coalition of news organizations in two high-profile public records cases. She earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Indiana University and received a B.S., magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame in Environmental Science.

Chris Wilson assists clients in industries such as manufacturing, retail, cable television, real estate, professional services, and software in a range of tax-related matters. He also advises not-for-profit organizations in tax-exemption matters. His litigation experience covers a broad range of probate and estate administration matters as well as conservatorship proceedings. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Memphis and received a LL.M. from the University of Florida and a B.S., magna cum laude, from the University of Tennessee at Martin in Political Science, Communications.

Frances Fenelon is a formidable advocate for healthcare providers, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and manufacturers across a wide range of industries. Her experience entails dispute resolution, regulatory compliance, contract law and the day-to-day operational challenges faced by executive leadership teams and their in-house legal departments. She began her career at Waller in 1998 and returned to the firm in 2014 after serving as Associate General Counsel at SpecialtyCare, a leading provider of specialized outsourced clinical services to hospital surgical suites. Fenelon earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University and received a B.S., summa cum laude, from the University of Tennessee.

John Burns is known for his ability to explain complex tax concepts in clear and concrete terms, and he is a trusted advisor to closely held and family-owned businesses. Often serving as outside general counsel, he assists corporate clients with local, state and federal tax issues that impact day-to-day operations, business formation, governance, succession planning, and restructuring. His experience includes representing clients in tax controversies before the IRS, the Tennessee Department of Revenue and municipal assessors. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from The University of Mississippi and received an LL.M from the University of Florida as well as a B.A., cum laude, from the University of Mississippi.

Jeff Parrish is a registered lobbyist who represents healthcare providers, manufacturers and other clients in government relations matters before members of the Tennessee state legislature, legislative committees and state agencies. His extensive legislative and administrative lobbying experience includes initial, direct and multi-year participation and leadership in the passage of high-profile legislation such as the Tennessee Civil Justice Act of 2011 which provided significant tort reform for the state of Tennessee. Prior to joining Waller, Jeff served for more than a decade as Secretary and General Counsel at Tennessee Health Management, Inc., a $250 million post-acute healthcare services provider. He earned his J.D. from the University of Memphis and received a B.B.A. from the University of Memphis in Economics.

About Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP
With approximately 200 attorneys in Nashville and Memphis, Tenn., Birmingham, Ala., and Austin, Tex., Waller assists clients in complex transactional, regulatory and litigation matters. The firm has built a national reputation for its work in healthcare, financial services, retail and hospitality, and this experience extends to manufacturing, real estate, technology and other industries. For more information, please visit www.wallerlaw.com.