Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP has elected six new partners from the firm’s Nashville office, Nate Bailey, Steven E. Blumenthal, Todd R. Hambidge, Michael T. Harmon, Aron Z. Karabel and Trevor Sava.

Bailey is a registered patent attorney who began his career at the Trial Division of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He earned his J.D. from Southern Illinois University School of Law and his M.S., in electrical and computer engineering from Southern Illinois University. He earned B.S. degrees in physics and chemistry in 2004 from East Tennessee State University.

Blumenthal focuses his practice on information technology and works extensively with both IT vendors and their customers. Before joining Waller, he served as general counsel of Carfax. Blumenthal earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from Tulane.

Hambidge represents clients from a wide range of industries in commercial disputes and intellectual property litigation. Before joining Waller, Hambidge was a senior associate with Fulbright & Jaworski, LLP in New York. He earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and a B.A. from DePauw University.

Harmon represents financial institutions, health care providers and other businesses in complex civil litigation. He earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and an M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University Owen School of Management. He holds an M.P.P., from Australian National University, and a B.A. in political science in 2001 from the University of South Carolina.

Karabel provides advice and counsel to public and private corporations and has served as general counsel and chief negotiator for colleges and universities, school districts and municipalities. He earned his J.D. from Albany Law School. He earned B.A. degrees in political science and psychology in 2002 from Arizona State University.

Sava focuses his practice on assisting health care providers, manufacturers and technology companies. He earned his J.D. from Tulane University Law School and Harvard University Law School. Prior to joining Waller, Sava gained experience with law firms in Cleveland, Ohio and Birmingham, Alabama. He holds an M.B.A. from Case Western Reserve University, and he earned his B.S. in 2001 in International Business Logistics from Auburn University.

Bass, Berry & Sims selects 3 new members

Lewallen

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC has elected three new members in Nashville: Jason S. Lewallen, R. Gregory Parker and Shelley R. Thomas.

Parker

Thomas

Lewallen advises both public and private companies on real estate, finance and general commercial law matters. He earned his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law and a B.S. from Tennessee Technological University.

Parker counsels technology companies on the procurement and enforcement of intellectual property rights. He focuses on patent, trademark, trade secrets, and copyright litigation, representing clients in a diverse range of technologies in intellectual property disputes across the country. Parker earned his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School and his B.A. from Vanderbilt University (2003).

Cowart

Thomas represents clients in the development, commercialization, transfer and protection of intellectual property assets. She earned her J.D. from Emory University School of Law and her B.A. from Vanderbilt University (2004).

Cowart re-elected to Baker Donelson board

Richard G. Cowart, a shareholder in Baker Donelson’s Nashville office, has been re-elected a member of the firm’s board of directors. Cowart, who has served four previous terms on the Board, has been re-elected by Baker Donelson’s shareholders to a fifth three-year term.

Cowart, chair of Baker Donelson’s nationally lauded Health Law and Public Policy Department, is a recognized authority in advising senior management regarding policy, regulatory and business issues related to health care. He serves as strategic counsel to health systems and companies and counsels providers on business, policy and governance issues, with an emphasis on business transactions.

A well-known author and speaker on health care issues, Cowart is a fellow and past president of the American Health Lawyers Association and a recipient of the organization’s David R. Greenburg Award for Lifetime Service to Health Law.

Stites & Harbison adds to Real Estate & Banking

Brittingham

Stites & Harbison, PLLC has added attorney and member John Brittingham to its Nashville office. Brittingham is the fourth attorney to join the Real Estate & Banking Service Group in Tennessee during the last two months.

Brittingham has more than 30 years of experience in real estate and commercial finance. He represents owners, developers, landlords, tenants, borrowers, lenders and investors in the purchase and sale of real estate, and the leasing of commercial property. Brittingham also advises lenders and borrowers on financial workouts.

He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University.

Prior to joining Stites & Harbison, Brittingham led the Commercial Finance Practice Group and was a shareholder at h3gm in Nashville.

New partners named at Neal & Harwell

Flint

Chandra N. T. Flint and Stephen M. Montgomery have been named partners at Neal & Harwell, PLC.

Montgomery

Flint, who has been an associate at the firm since 2004, focuses on family law and criminal and civil litigation. She earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2004 and her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Montgomery has been with Neal & Harwell since 2008. His practice focuses primarily in the areas of commercial law, bankruptcy and corporate transactions. He received his J.D. in 2007 from Vanderbilt University Law School. Prior to attending law school, Montgomery earned his B.A. from Vanderbilt University. While at Vanderbilt, he was a member of the Pi Sigma Alpha honor society.

Kemp joins Butler Snow in Nashville, Washington

Kemp

Butler Snow has hired Timothy V. Kemp as a partner in the firm’s Washington D.C. and Nashville offices.

Kemp will be a part of the firm’s regulatory and government relations group, where he will continue to focus his nationwide practice on insurance and financial services regulation, government relations, compliance and corporate governance.

After more than 20 years in-house, most recently serving as deputy general counsel, chief regulatory and government relations counsel and chief compliance officer of a $5 billion public insurance and bank holding company with international operations, Kemp resumed private practice in 2014 to build a nationwide practice focusing on financial services and insurance regulation, with an emphasis on the representation of insurance holding companies, underwriters and agents in matters before federal and state regulatory agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and all state departments of insurance.

Kemp completed his undergraduate education at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, and earned his J.D. at The University of Mississippi.

AP reporter joins TSU as media relations director

Johnson

Lucas Johnson, a longtime reporter with the Associated Press, has joined the communications team at Tennessee State University as director of Media Relations. He replaces Rick DelaHaya.

Prior to joining TSU, Johnson worked for 24 years with the AP covering local, state and national news. For the last 10 years he covered the Tennessee General Assembly as a beat reporter. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Johnson holds a B.A. in journalism from Middle Tennessee State University.

Democratic Party names communications director

Johnson

Spencer Bowers has been hired as communications director for the Tennessee Democratic Party. Bowers comes to the TNDP after working as a consultant on many state and national campaigns for the past three years. Most recently, he served as communications director for Howard Gentry’s mayoral campaign.

Prior to working for Gentry, Bowers was the deputy communications and scheduling director for the “Keep Tennessee Courts Fair” retention election of Justices Gary Wade, Sharon Lee and Connie Clark. In 2010, he was communications director and deputy campaign manager for State Representative Willie “Butch” Borchert in West Tennessee.

A native of Paris, Tennessee, Bowers graduated from the University of Tennessee-Martin. He now lives in Nashville.

Jacqueline Harms has been hired as deputy communications director. Previously, Harms worked for several private advertising and PR firms in the Los Angeles area.

Nashville CARES appoints chief development officer

Alexander

Nashville CARES has appointed Doug Alexander as its new chief development officer.

For the past 10 years, Alexander held a variety of senior positions with Asurion Insurance in San Francisco and Nashville, most recently as director of product management. A graduate of the Young Leaders Council, he served on the board for the H. Franklin Brooks Fund and has been a fundraising volunteer with the Oasis Center, Safe Haven Family Shelter and Pet Community Center. He holds a degree in Business Administration from UT.