Bass, Berry & Sims has 13 new attorneys in Nashville. The following seven attorneys counsel clients on corporate and securities issues including mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, private equity financings, and securities regulations matters and filings:

•Shayan A. Ahmed, associate, previously was an associate with Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, LLP. He earned a law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law (2016); and an M.A. (2013) and a B.A. (2012) from Vanderbilt University.

•Elizabeth A. Bounds, associate, earned a law degree from Duke University School of Law (2018) and a B.A. from Vanderbilt University (2015).

•Mark B. Buente, associate, earned a law degree from The University of Chicago Law School (2018) and a B.B.A. from The George Washington University School of Business (2012).

•Bo R. Cook, associate, earned a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law (2018) and a B.A. from the University of Tennessee (2015).

•Chris Johnson, associate, earned a law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law (2018) and an M.B.A. (2018) and a B.S. and B.B.A. (2015) from the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics.

•Sara Vance, associate, previously was an associate at Sirote & Permutt, P.C. in Birmingham. She earned a law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law (2016) and a B.A. from Mississippi State University (2013). Vance is currently licensed to practice in Alabama and registered to practice in Tennessee pursuant to Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 7 Sec. 10.04.

•Lora A. Wuerdeman, associate, earned a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law (2018) and a B.B.A. from the University of Mississippi (2015).

The following four attorneys provide health care regulatory counsel as it relates to compliance, operational and transactional matters:

•Ali Deatherage, associate, earned a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law (2018) and a B.A. from the University of Tennessee (2014).

•Maleaka N. Guice, associate, earned a law degree from Emory University School of Law (2018) and a B.A. from the University of Mississippi (2015).

•Page Minton Smith, associate, earned a law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law (2018), an M.P.H. from Emory University Rollins School of Public Health (2015), and a B.S. from Washington and Lee University (2012).

The following two attorneys counsel clients such as commercial and residential developers, landlords and tenants, businesses and investors related to commercial real estate and debt financing transactions.

•R. Turner Henderson, associate, earned a law degree from Vanderbilt Law School (2018) and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina (2014).

In addition, the following two individuals also joined the firm:

Stefanie Colletier, associate, represents clients on intellectual property transaction matters, including mergers and acquisitions, licensing and service agreements, and strategic relationships. She earned a law degree from Vanderbilt Law School (2018) and a B.B.A. from Belmont University (2014).

Brooke Howlett, associate, represents clients in complex litigation, contract disputes and business torts; she also assists clients in response to government investigations and related civil and criminal proceedings. Prior to joining Bass, Berry &Sims, Howlett was an associate at Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP in Seattle, Washington. Howlett earned a law degree from the University of Washington School of Law (2014) and a B.A. from the University of Washington (2011).

Waller adds 8 attorneys for its Nashville office

Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP, a provider of legal services to the health care, financial services, technology, retail and hospitality industries, has made eight lateral hires in Nashville:

Bethany A. Blair assists both lenders and borrowers in negotiating, structuring and closing senior credit facilities – including acquisition, financing, development financing and working capital lines of credit. Prior to joining Waller, she gained commercial finance experience at a boutique law firm in Atlanta focused on residential and commercial real estate transactions. She also served as a Legal Fellow to the Honorable Christopher J. McFadden of the Court of Appeals of Georgia.

Frederick “Trip” Conrad III defends employers against allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wrongful discharge brought under federal and state laws. Previously, he served as a judicial law clerk in U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. Additionally, Trip was a labor and employment associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

Kierstin Jodway represents employers in the health care, retail, hospitality and manufacturing industries in labor and employment matters, including allegations of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful discharge. In addition to her employment practice, she has experience advising and representing educational institutions on Title IX and Clery Act matters. Prior to joining Waller, Jodway was as an assistant attorney general in the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General where she served as lead counsel in complex employment and education lawsuits.

Ignacio De la Huerta focuses on transactional matters in the health care, manufacturing and technology sectors. He joined Waller with more than a decade of experience in strategic corporate transactions gained both in-house and at well-known international law firms. He began his career as an associate in the New York office of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.

Josh Porte advises publicly traded and privately held companies on various issues that arise as part of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint venture agreements and other strategic business transactions. Prior to joining Waller, he was a corporate associate with Dickinson Wright PLLC in Nashville and Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. in Minneapolis. Additionally, he served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Priscilla R. Owen, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Austin, Texas.

Maggie Sandwith assists real estate developers, owners, investors and management companies with the financing, development, acquisition, disposition and leasing of commercial real estate. Previously, she served as assistant legal counsel at a privately owned and operated commercial real estate company specializing in the acquisition, long-term ownership and management of shopping centers, office buildings, and apartments throughout the eastern United States.

Briant L. Shumard focuses his practice on construction transactions and disputes and environmental enforcement actions and litigation. He previously was with the Atlanta office of Troutman Sanders LLP.

Elliott G. Smith assists clients in mergers and acquisitions, corporate dispositions, securities offerings, and periodic reporting required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. He previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable William R. Sawyer of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Additionally, Smith was an internal auditor at Coleman World Group before attending law school.

Financial services litigator joins Bradley as associate

Holland

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP has hired Austin W. Holland as an associate in the Litigation Practice Group, focusing on financial services.

Bradley represents six of the 10 largest banks and 16 of the 20 largest mortgage servicers in the United States. Many of the firm’s attorneys also serve in leadership roles with various prominent financial services trade organizations including the ACMA, MBA, ACCFSL, AFSA, and AllRegs.

Prior to joining Bradley, Holland worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Office of Litigation, where he handled matters related to reverse mortgages, bankruptcy, foreclosures, grant recaptures, withdrawals of SAFMR and AFFH rules, religious discrimination and the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

He clerked in the Office of the District Attorney in Nashville and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Holland earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and holds a degree in business administration from Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

Baker Donelson adds to Finance, Securities Group

Metrock

Lori B. Metrock has returned to Baker Donelson in the firm’s Corporate Finance and Securities Group. Metrock was previously with Nelson Mullins.

Metrock joins Baker Donelson as a shareholder in the Nashville office, concentrating her practice in the areas of corporate and securities law and mergers and acquisitions. She advises public companies on a day to day basis and handles their public and private securities offerings, corporate governance and Exchange Act compliance work. She also advises NASDAQ and NYSE listed companies on their regulatory compliance. She also provides compliance advice for REIT clients.

A graduate of the Vanderbilt University Law School, Metrock was recognized as a “Rising Star” in the area of Securities & Corporate Finance by Mid-South Super Lawyers in 2017.

Soto stepping down from Conexión Américas

Soto

Conexión Américas co-founder and Executive Director Renata Soto has announced her plans to step down May 31 after nearly 17 years leading the organization.

Under her leadership, Conexión Américas has grown from a startup with just three employees in 2002 to one of Nashville’s most respected nonprofits and a leading force in the Middle Tennessee region, the state, and the nation

Under Soto’s leadership, Conexión Américas has flourished into a $5M operation with 50 employees dedicated to supporting thousands of immigrant families as they pursue their American dream. The signal achievement of her tenure is the creation of Casa Azafrán, a nonprofit collaborative and gathering place for the immigrant, refugee and broader communities that has become the de facto gateway to Nashville’s International District.

Opened in 2012, the 28,000-square-foot facility located on Nolensville Pike represented a $6M public and private investment in Nashville’s most ethnically diverse neighborhood. It houses both Conexión Américas and a variety of partner nonprofits that offer legal, health-care, and advocacy services, entrepreneurship support and arts programming.

Soto was in 2015 elected chair of the Board of UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, and now serves as immediate past chair. Soto’s advocacy also has reached beyond the Latino community. She also helped form the Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition, a statewide group advocating for the educational needs of all students of color, and conceived the Mosaic Fellowship, which connects and supports leaders of color across the state.