One of the mainstays of the Nashville Post magazine is our In Charge list. Each year, we highlight the people that make our city work. Be them newly minted or seasoned veterans, we have trimmed this year’s list to the best of the best.
David Anthony — Founder, Exo Legal: Banking and creditor’s attorney launched boutique office after more than a decade at Bone McAllester Norton.
Gail Vaughn Ashworth — Founding Member, Wiseman Ashworth Trauger: Litigator and mediator with decades of experience in Nashville legal industry. Past president of state and local bar associations.
Albert Bart — Managing Partner, Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison: General corporate and commercial transactions attorney with over 25 years of experience. Former SVP and Associate General Counsel for Ceridian Corp., now Dayforce, and parent of Brentwood-based Comdata.
Charles Robert Bone — Managing Director of Real Estate Development, Southwest Value Partners: Left the top spot at Spencer Fane in early 2025 after leading Bone McAllester Norton’s merger in 2021. Continues to work on Nashville Yards.
Ross Booher — Co-founder and CEO, Latitude Legal Solutions: Oversees growing company that provides on-demand legal services to companies and firms. Former Bass partner.
Laura Brown — Executive Director, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services: Former Legal Aid and state attorney succeeded Ann Pruitt at nonprofit legal services provider.
Walt Burton — Partner and Co-founder, Thompson Burton: Commercial real estate-focused attorney co-founded Nashville-area firm in 2012 after stints in Atlanta and the Navy.
Mark Chalos — Nashville Managing Partner, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: Veteran litigator and leader of plaintiffs firm’s local office. Past president of Tennessee Trial Lawyers’ Association.
Lisa Ramsay Cole — President and Managing Shareholder, Lewis Thomason: Civil litigator with experience in labor and employment sector. Leads both firm and its Nashville office.
Wally Dietz — Director, Metro Department of Law: Longtime Bass Berry & Sims attorney joined Metro in 2021. Remained in post after Freddie O’Connell became mayor and is now tasked with managing city’s ongoing litigation against state, among other matters.
Griffin Dunham — Member, Dunham Hildebrand: Co-founded firm in 2016. Manages bankruptcies and financial restructuring. Former JAG attorney.
Wen Fa — Vice President for Legal Affairs, Beacon Center: Promoted to VP in May 2024 at conservative think tank to expand litigation efforts aimed at government relations and other priorities.
Aubrey Harwell, Jr. — Founding Member, Neal & Harwell: Veteran lawyer involve in several cases garnering national attention including at the U.S. Supreme Court focuses practice on white-collar criminal defense and major commercial litigation.
Daniel Horwitz — Founder, Horwitz Law: Takes cases of First Amendment law and speech defense as well as post-conviction and innocence litigation. In 2024, filed a federal lawsuit against Middle District of Tennessee for attorney gag order rule.
Tricia Herzfeld — Founding Partner, HSGLaW: Along with several partners, split from Branstetter, Stranch & Jennings. Plaintiffs attorney with experience in high-profile litigation. Member of Davidson County Election Commission.
Jamie Hollin — Principal, Law Office of Jamie R. Hollin: Plugged-in with Metro and state decision makers. Varied practice includes niche work related to Metro regulations and zoning.
Sam Jackson — Nashville Managing Partner, Spencer Fane: Promoted to top spot in 2025 to firm with 36 attorneys in Nashville. Focuses on labor and employment law as well as education law.
Lauren Jacques — Nashville Managing Partner, Bradley: Recently oversaw office move to new Gulch high-rise. Health care attorney has led local office since 2021.
Holly Kirby — Chief Justice, Tennessee Supreme Court: Elected in 2023 to lead high court that is experiencing significant turnover. Appointed to Supreme Court in 2014 after nearly two decades as appeals court judge.
Andrew Kitchen — Nashville Managing Partner, Maynard Nexsen: Founded the San Francisco office of Maynard Nexsen in 2014. Moved to Nashville in 2019. Practice mostly focuses on representation of investment sponsors, real estate funds and developers and also advises athletes, artists, high-net-worth individuals, family offices and hospitality companies.
Jay Knight — Nashville Partner-in-Charge, Barnes & Thornburg: Former Bass partner helped establish new local office of Indianapolis-based national firm. Also co-chairs national securities and capital markets practice.
Bill Koch Jr. — President and Dean, Nashville School of Law: Former Tennessee Supreme Court justice has led local law school since 2014. Awarded membership in prestigious Amer-ican Inns of Court.
Tom Lawless — Founder, Lawless & Associates: Active on state boards and as a municipal judge. Specializes in bankruptcy and creditor rights.
Henry Leventis — Partner, Holland & Knight: Returned in late 2024 after serving two years as U.S. Attorney by President Joe Biden. He led an office of 85 attorneys and support per-sonnel and oversaw the investigation and litigation of all civil and criminal cases brought on behalf of the United States.
Christopher Maddux — Firm chair, Butler Snow: Focuses on bankruptcies, business reorganizations and distressed transactions. Vanderbilt University graduate.
Ashley Mallard — Executive Director, GSRM Law: Fast-rising former Patterson IP administrator has since 2022 overseen GSRM’s operations, budgeting, business development and other functions.
Ken Marlow — Managing Partner, McDermott Will & Emery: Named to top spot in early 2025 of Chicago-based firm establishing health care-focused office in Nashville. Focuses on health care and life sciences company transactions along with private equity funds.
Holly McDaniel — Founder and CEO, H. Lee Group: Former Adams & Reese lobbyist opened government affairs and business development firm in May 2024. Represents groups in education, health care, finance and telecommunications.
Rocky McElhaney — Founder, Chief Legal Officer and Lead Attorney, Rocky McElhaney Law Firm: Visible and well-known personal injury attorney. Leads eponymous firm founded in 2006.
Mekesha Montgomery — Nashville office member-in-charge, Frost Brown Todd: Practice group leader of labor and employment. Serves along with chairman Robert Sartin.
Martesha Johnson Moore — Metropolitan Nashville Chief Public Defender: Serving second term as city’s chief public defender.
Richard Myers — Office Executive Manger, Stites & Harbison Nashville office: Patent and intellectual property attorney named to local leadership title in 2024.
Brian Neal — Nashville Managing Partner, Burr & Forman: The ten-year company veteran practices in the firm’s commercial litigation practice group concentrating on labor and employment disputes in addition to teaching at Nashville School of Law.
Jeremy Oliver — Office Managing Shareholder, Winstead Nashville office: Previously partner at the Nashville office of Epstein Becker & Green and at Waller Lansden Dortch and Davis.
Lauren Patten — Nashville Managing Partner, K&L Gates: Former Butler Snow partner joined global firm in 2021 and was named leader of local office the next year.
John Peterson — Office Managing Shareholder, Polsinelli: Leader of firm’s local office and maintains varied commercial litigation practice, including an expertise in financial services and payment card industry.
Stephen Price — Office Managing Principal, Jackson Lewis: Helmed employment firm’s expansion to Nashville in 2022. Former Burr & Forman Nashville leader whose practice includes defending companies in employment and labor cases.
David Raybin — Co-Founder, Raybin & Weissman: High-profile criminal defense attorney, represented parents of Covenant shooter. Has defended Nashville police officers.
Steven Riley — Managing Partner, Riley & Jacobson: Nearly 40 years of experience representing companies and individuals in commercial litigation. Serves as an adjunct professor of law at his alma mater, Vanderbilt Law School.
Allen Roberts — Nashville Managing Shareholder, Baker Donelson: Succeeded Brigid Carpenter in firm leadership role. Joined Baker in 2012 with a practice including corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and private equity and debt offerings.
Todd Rolapp — Managing Partner, Bass Berry & Sims: Corporate and securities attorney who has led local firm for more than a decade.
Jonathan Skeeters — Chair and Managing Partner, Bradley: Practice is focused on the health care industry. Leads the Birmingham-based firm from Nashville, one of its biggest offices.
Jonathan Skrmetti — Tennessee Attorney General: Top state attorney has not been shy about wading into national political and legal fights. Harvard grad is a former deputy AG and counsel to governor.
Nancy Stabell — Founder and Managing Attorney, Wood Stabell Law Group: Attorney who helps companies with business strategy. Involved with EO Nashville, Nashville Business Coalition and Hands On Nashville.
Joycelyn Stevenson — Office Managing Shareholder, Littler Mendelson: Former Tennessee Bar Association leader rejoined employment firm in 2022 as local office head. As chair of airport board, weathered contentious year as state sought takeover.
Gerard Stranch IV — Managing Partner, Stranch, Jennings & Garvey: Litigator whose high-profile work includes national opioid cases. Firm that bore his grandfather Cecil Branstetter’s name split in 2023.
Gif Thornton — Managing Partner, Adams and Reese: Connected attorney has run regional firm since 2015. Has served on state and city boards and committees.
James Tucker — Managing Partner, Manier & Herod: Practice focuses on workers’ compensation and civil litigation. Former assistant attorney general for the state. Graduate of Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt University.
Geoffrey Vickers — Nashville Managing Partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough: Took over local office leadership from longtime boss Larry Papel in January 2023. Co-lead of firm’s technology and procurement practice.
Jack Waddey and Chanelle Acheson — Founders, Waddey Acheson: Started firm focused on intellectual property, corporate and government investigations, and artificial intelligence. Acheson represented Swan Ball Initiative volunteers in litigation against Cheekwood in 2024.
DarKenya Waller — Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands: Has led public service law firm since 2018. Work during pandemic included legal support for renters facing eviction.
Liz Washko — Managing Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins: Nashville attorney who earlier this year took over firmwide leadership at Atlanta-based employment firm. Joined Ogletree Deakins in 2000 and previously spent eight years running Nashville office.
Sheree Wright — Executive Director, Tennessee Bar Association: After three-plus decades at Vanderbilt (where she earned both undergrad and law degrees), was picked to lead state bar group in June 2023, succeeding Joycelyn Stevenson.
Tyler Chance Yarbro — Managing Partner, Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella: A litigator with experience in employment, personal injury and criminal law. Has led firm since 2018. Helped organize legal advocacy group focused on reproductive rights.