Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

About this office:

In today's sophisticated business environment, more and more companies are looking for law firms that have a broad base of practices. Bass, Berry & Sims is positioned to meet that need. Its practice areas focus on specific legal disciplines and the needs of particular industries. The firm utilizes a team approach, which draws on the expertise, experience and resources of every attorney. This approach ensures that clients receive the benefits of the firm's depth and diversity of experience while maintaining a close relationship with the attorney who best understands their business.

Throughout its existence, the firm has been involved with many of the major business transactions and significant litigation matters in the Southeastern region and nationally. In transactional matters, the firm frequently deals with multi-million dollar assignments, and in litigation matters, attorneys often handle cases where the vital interests of the client are at stake.

Clients come from many different industries and firm attorneys pride themselves on knowing a clients' business inside and out. Some of the industries represented by the firm include banking and finance, construction, entertainment, environmental, healthcare, manufacturing, educational institutions, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, hospitality and insurance.

The attorneys at Bass, Berry & Sims are its greatest asset. Firm members have held and continue to hold leadership roles and to be recognized for their leadership in community groups, political parties, civic associations, national and international law firm associations, legal reform and legal aid committees, bar associations, local governments and chambers of commerce. Sixty attorneys are named in The Best Lawyers in America, 2007. This represents 60% of the firm's statewide partner base. More than ten members of the firm have served as President of the Tennessee, Knoxville and Nashville Bar Associations. Attorneys in the firm also serve or have served as chairs of sections and committees of the American, Tennessee, Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis Bar Associations. Two members chaired the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association, one from 2004-2005, and the other from 1998-1999. In the past 30 years, only two other firms in the country have produced more than one chair of this Section. In addition, a member was named as chair of the American Bar Association Task Force on Corporate Responsibility in response to corporate governance concerns emanating from Enron, WorldCom and similar cases. Several members have chaired and continue to actively serve as board members and trustees for educational institutions, and a number of our attorneys serve as Adjunct Professors of Law at various law schools.

Bass, Berry & Sims recognizes that diversity is essential to our firm's continued success. Diversity enables us to better understand and appreciate the complexity of our clients' experiences and points of view, and we believe that diverse legal teams bring broader perspectives to problem-solving, which results in better solutions for our clients. We are committed to building a workplace rich in diversity that reflects our profession and the communities we serve.

The firm has an active diversity committee that focuses on recruitment, career development, professional and personal life integration and community involvement. Once the firm hires qualified attorneys, it ensures that they have the mentoring necessary to stay and grow a legal career with the firm. The firm supports our female attorneys through the Female Mentor Group, which consists of all female attorneys in the firm. This group meets on a monthly basis, hosts guest speakers who address various topics relating to women in the corporate world and assists our female attorneys as they strive to balance work and family.

In 2007, Bass, Berry & Sims was named the number one corporate law firm in Nashville for the fifth consecutive year by Corporate Board Member magazine. Chambers USA gave the firm a number one ranking in Tennessee in Corporate/MÆ Law, Employment Law (Defendant), Real Estate, Litigation and Entertainment. Twenty-four attorneys received top ranking by Chambers USA, more than those selected from any other Tennessee law firm. Bass, Berry & Sims was also named one of the 250 largest law firms in the country by the National Law Journal.

Law Firm Network Affiliations

Bass, Berry & Sims is a founding member and the Tennessee representative of Lex Mundi, the State Capital Global Law Firm Group and the Southern Law Network. These three organizations are associations of independent law firms located in principal business centers throughout the United States and major foreign markets. Member firms of each are selected for the significance of their practices and their reputation as a leading firm in their legal community. Bass, Berry & Sims is one of only six law firms in the United States selected for membership in both Lex Mundi and the State Capital Global Law Firm Group. Member firms of these three organizations practice independently and not in relationship for the joint practice of law.

Lex Mundi

Lex Mundi has 162 member firms around the world, representing approximately 17,000 lawyers. The organization provides for the exchange of professional information about the global practice and development of law, facilitates and disseminates communications among its members and improves the members' abilities to serve the needs of their respective clients. Member law firms are located throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

State Capital Global Law Firm Group

The State Capital Global Law Firm Group member firms are located in all 50 U.S. state capitals and in business markets and financial centers around the world. The organization has a membership of nearly 120 independent law firms, representing approximately 9,000 attorneys located throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa/Middle East and Asia/Pacific Rim. Member firm attorneys offer a broad range of skills and experience to clients. Those based in U.S. state capitals offer a unique knowledge of state legislatures and regulatory agencies. Those based outside the United States offer similar perspectives and abilities in their jurisdictions.

Southern Law Network

The Southern Law Network, representing approximately 2,700 attorneys, is comprised of 12 leading law firms throughout the South. These include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. The Network serves as a strategic alternative to certain types of expansion and is a vehicle for the cooperation trend among law firms, even in overlapping markets.