Baker Donelson announces newly elected shareholders

Friday, May 6, 2016, Vol. 40, No. 19

Baker Donelson has elected 15 new shareholders across the firm, including three attorneys in its Nashville: Julie A. Boswell, Claire Cowart Haltom and Austin Shaver.

Boswell is a member of the firm’s Tax Group and focuses her practice in the areas of federal taxation, tax exempt organizations, estate planning and administration, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate matters.

She is a University of Tennessee-Martin graduate and earned her J.D at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and her LL.M. from the Georgetown University School of Law.

Haltom, a member of Baker Donelson’s Health Law Group, concentrates her practice on the legal, regulatory and business issues related to health care services, and has successfully closed more than $1 billion in health care transactions.

She is a graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Shaver is a member of the firm’s Business Litigation Group and the Consumer Finance Litigation and Compliance Group. His practice includes mortgage servicing litigation, lender liability claims and wrongful foreclosures.

He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Also, Austin K. Purvis, previously an associate in Baker Donelson’s Memphis office, has joined Baker Donelson’s Nashville office.

A member of firm’s Business Litigation Group, Purvis represents clients in consumer banking and financial disputes, commercial torts, general business and commercial litigation, including defending claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, negligence, tortious interference, civil conspiracy and fraud.

He holds a degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Bass, Berry & Sims taps Phillips for group chair

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC has appointed W. Brantley Phillips, Jr. to serve as chair of the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice Group. In this role, Phillips will have responsibility for more than 100 attorneys and staff working in Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis and Washington, D.C. Additionally, Phillips will continue to serve in his role as a senior member on the firm’s seven-person Executive Committee through 2016.

Phillips joined the firm in 1998. In his previous role as co-chair of the firm’s Securities & Shareholder Litigation Practice Group, Phillips successfully represented many of the firm’s 35 public company clients in disputes relating to corporate transactions valued at more than $45 billion, as well as dozens of class actions related to sub-prime structured investment products.

Phillips is a fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation and a member of the current class of Leadership Tennessee. He graduated from Washington & Lee University School of Law, where he was a senior editor of the Law Review, and earned master’s and undergraduate degrees from Duke University and Birmingham-Southern College, respectively.

Wiseman Ashworth adds associate in Nashville

Anne Maddux Frazier has joined Wiseman Ashworth Law Group as an associate. Frazier’s practice focuses on mental health law, health care defense, conservatorships, and long term care litigation.

She is a 2015 graduate of Emory University School of Law with a concentration in civil litigation. During law school, Frazier clerked for the Honorable Judge W. Jeffrey Hollingsworth, Circuit Court judge of the 11th Judicial District in Chattanooga, and also served as a clerk to the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General.

Frazier holds a master’s degree in teaching from Lee University and taught ninth grade world history prior to attending law school.

Sherrard & Roe recognizes 2 partners with new name

Sherrard & Roe, PLC has a new name as it celebrates its 35th anniversary. In recognition of the contributions of partners John Voigt and Bill Harbison, the firm is now named Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, PLC.

Both Voigt and Harbison joined the firm shortly after its founding in 1981 and have played instrumental parts in the firm’s success and development to its position today as one of Nashville’s preeminent law firms.

Voigt has been practicing for more than 30 years, primarily representing health care providers and provider-owned businesses. He is a past chairman of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Health Law Forum and member of the Executive Council of the Health Law Section of the Tennessee Bar Association. He holds an M.B.A. from Wharton Business School and earned his J.D. from Emory University.

Harbison, who is president of the Tennessee Bar Association, is a litigator who works primarily in the areas of corporate law, trusts and estates. He is a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court Board of Law Examiners, fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and past president of the Nashville Bar Association.

He has been a part of numerous high-profile cases throughout the State and region, including recent representation of plaintiffs at the Supreme Court of the United States. Harbison earned his J.D. from Harvard University.

Lifepoint Health appoints 3 to leadership positions

LifePoint Health has appointed three leaders to new roles at the LifePoint Health Support Center in Brentwood. Jason (Jay) Gunter has been named vice president, finance, for the company’s Physician Services department; Tracie Stratton has been named vice president, nursing and clinical operations, Western Group; and Russell Palk has been named director, government relations.

Gunter will be responsible for overseeing all revenue cycle, financial reporting and accounting activities for the department. He has more than two decades of experience in health care finance and accounting.

He comes to LifePoint from DSI Renal in Nashville, where he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Stratton works closely with hospitals and clinicians to drive clinical and operational improvements in patient safety, service and quality. Additionally, she provides guidance and assists with the education and training of hospital CNOs and other clinical leaders.

Stratton has more than 17 years of nursing experience. She has been with LifePoint since 2012, most recently serving as CNO at Los Alamos Medical Center in Los Alamos, N.M., a role that earned her recognition as LifePoint’s CNO of the Year in 2015.

Palk is responsible for building and overseeing relationships with elected officials, civic and community leaders, regulatory agencies and other interest groups at the state level for the company.

He comes to LifePoint from American Addiction Centers, where he served as vice president of government affairs.

New board member joins Tennessee Justice Center

Kevin Crumbo, a practice leader for KraftCPAs’ turnaround and restructuring group, has appointed a new member of the Tennessee Justice Center’s board of directors.

Crumbo clients include public and private operating companies, commercial and investment banks, law firms, trusts, and nonprofit organizations. He has served as bankruptcy trustee, eminent domain jury of view juror, public company director, and testifying financial expert in commercial litigation.

In addition to being a certified public accountant, he has earned other professional credentials in financial forensics and valuation. He holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University, where he has been an adjunct professor on financial topics for Vanderbilt’s law school.

The Tennessee Justice Center is a non-profit that provides legal services to secure the basic necessities of life, including health care, for hundreds of thousands of Tennessee’s most vulnerable children and families.

Frost is exec. director of industry relations for BMI

Broadcast Music, Inc. has promoted Jessica Frost to executive director of industry relations. In her newly-expanded role, Frost will continue her work to develop and cultivate relationships with industry associations and businesses across the country that use BMI music.

Frost began her career at BMI in 1999 as a customer relations executive for the licensing team and moved through the ranks holding various positions until she was promoted to senior director of industry relations in 2013.

Frost, who sits on the board of the Nashville/Midsouth Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, is a graduate of the University of Florida.

Health Care Council announces new hires

The Nashville Health Care Council has hired Kelly West as director of talent development and Jennifer Herron as event coordinator.

West will lead the Council’s initiatives to attract, develop and retain highly informed talent to serve the local health care industry. These initiatives include the Council’s signature 900-member Leadership Health Care program for emerging leaders, along with creating new strategies and goals to foster university and student relationships.

In her most recent role, West served as operations travel manager for Soles4Souls (S4S), where she managed all aspects of S4S’ international volunteer travel department. She holds an English degree from the University of Tennessee.

Herron has joined the Council as event coordinator and will provide logistical support and administrative assistance for Council events.

Anderson joins Crain’s preconstruction team

Crain Construction, Inc. has added Ryan Anderson as a preconstruction manager.

Anderson has been an estimator or project manager on a wide variety of construction projects since joining the industry in 2005. Projects have ranged from multifamily residential to a large-scale themed entertainment to a high-rise concrete frame Class A office.