Waller Elects Twelve New Partners

NASHVILLE, TN--(Marketwired - Feb 2, 2017) - Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP, a leading provider of legal services to the healthcare, financial services, technology, retail and hospitality industries, has elected twelve new partners from the firm's Corporate, Environmental, Finance and Restructuring, Healthcare Regulatory, Intellectual Property, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Real Estate and practices.

"Waller's newest partners hail from our offices in Texas, Alabama and Tennessee and reflect the firm's depth and experience across a broad range of practice areas and industry teams," said Waller chairman Matt Burnstein. "They exemplify Waller's commitment to client service, and we are both fortunate and honored to welcome this talented group to the partnership."

Austin

• Cleveland R. Burke, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, represents healthcare providers, banks and financial institutions, energy companies and other corporate clients and individuals in bankruptcy and commercial litigation. His experience includes the representation of creditors, creditors' committees, trustees, debtors, and other parties in bankruptcy and adversary proceedings. Burke also represents both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of civil lawsuits related to contracts, real estate, business torts and debt collection. His experience includes all stages of trial and appellate litigation in both federal and state courts. Burke served as Law Clerk to the Hon. Will Garwood in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He earned his J.D. in 2008 with high honors from the University of Texas School of Law and graduated magna cum laude from Duke University in 2001.
  
  

Birmingham

• Christopher Driskill, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, represents banks and financial institutions in complex commercial litigation and consumer disputes, including the enforcement of commercial financial instruments and claims alleging breach and commercial fraud. He has also defended against wrongful foreclosure actions and claims brought under federal law. Additionally, Driskill defends national retailers and other employers against claims of discrimination, retaliation and harassment brought under federal and state law, and he advises clients on employment contracts, personnel decisions and business strategies to avoid potential litigation. He served as Law Clerk to the Hon. William M. Acker, Jr., United States District Judge in the Northern District of Alabama from 2009 to 2010. Driskill graduated magna cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2009. He earned his B.A. in 2005 from the University of Tennessee.
  
  

Nashville

• Matthew C. Cox, Intellectual Property, represents manufacturers, retailers and life sciences companies across the full spectrum of IP law, including patent preparation and prosecution, patent and trademark litigation, proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and counseling clients in overall IP strategy and IP portfolio management. A registered patent attorney, Cox has prepared and prosecuted more than 150 U.S. patent applications in a variety of technical fields, and he has extensive experience in the areas of mechanical and electro-mechanical systems, medical devices, sporting goods, heavy machinery, automotive and materials science. Cox earned his J.D. in 2009 from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He earned M.S. and B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2005 and 2002, respectively.
  
  
• Christopher W. Hayes, Environmental, advises manufacturers, healthcare companies, utilities and other clients with respect to compliance with the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and other federal and state environmental regulations. He assists clients in preparing environmental indemnification agreements and performing environmental due diligence to facilitate the acquisition and sale of real property and assets. He also represents clients before administrative tribunals, boards of zoning appeals, states' courts, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concerning an array of environmental issues. Earlier in his career, Hayes worked in the Environmental Division of the Tennessee Attorney General's Office and the Conservation Section of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. He graduated cum laude from Vermont Law School in 2008 and holds an M.S. in Environmental and Natural Resource Law, Management and General Policy from the University of Tennessee. He earned his B.S. in Environmental Policy in 2001 from Virginia Commonwealth University.
  
  
• Morgan W. Jones, Real Estate, represents healthcare companies, hospitality clients and real estate developers and management companies in the acquisition, development, financing and disposition of commercial real property. He also represents both landlords and tenants in connection with the leasing of shopping center outparcels and in-line retail space, office buildings and industrial properties. Jones earned his J.D. in 2002 from the University of Alabama School of Law and his B.S. in Business Administration in 1999 from Auburn University.
  
  
• Tera Rica Murdock, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, represents clients in complex commercial, business and employment disputes. She has prosecuted and defended claims of breach of contract in the financial services, manufacturing and healthcare industries. Murdock has also litigated complex multi-plaintiff claims involving the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, assisted companies in enforcing non-compete agreements, and defended businesses against alleged violations of federal and state employment law. She was recently recognized in the Nashville Business Journal's annual 40 Under 40 list for her professional accomplishments and community involvement. Murdock graduated Order of the Coif from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2009 and earned her B.A., summa cum laude, in 2006 from Murray State University.
  
  
• Kevin Page, Healthcare Compliance and Operations, advises health systems and other healthcare providers on a wide variety of regulatory compliance, operational and transactional matters. His practice focuses on Medicare and Medicaid billing and reimbursement, HIPAA privacy and security issues, and Stark and anti-kickback compliance. He also advises hospitals, academic medical centers, physician practices, surgery centers and other healthcare providers and suppliers on regulatory issues involved in the structure of mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. Page graduated magna cum laude from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2009 and earned his B.S., summa cum laude, in Economics from Louisiana State University in 2004.
  
  
• Nicholas A. Rew, Corporate, represents investor-owned and tax-exempt hospitals and health systems, specialty physician practices, dental support organizations and healthcare investors in mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, dispositions and other transactional matters. In addition, Rew provides counsel to public and private corporations with respect to registered offerings of debt and equity securities, and he assists publicly traded companies with periodic reporting required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Rew earned his J.D. in 2009 from Vanderbilt University Law School and graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in 2006 from the University of Arkansas.
  
  
• Blake D. Roth, Finance and Restructuring, advises indenture trustees, secured lenders, unsecured creditors, official creditors, court-appointed receivers and other banking and financial institutions in matters related to distressed debt, bankruptcy litigation and commercial litigation. His experience includes claims litigation and the prosecution of fraudulent transfer actions. Additionally, he has represented secured lenders in all aspects of chapter 7, 11, and 13 bankruptcy proceedings. Roth graduated cum laude in 2009 from the Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University and earned his B.A., magna cum laude, in 2005 from the University of Tennessee.
  
  
• Ashleigh VanLandingham, Corporate, assists healthcare providers, manufacturers and clients in other industries in strategic acquisitions and joint ventures as well as divestitures. A significant portion of her practice entails representing specialty physician practices in sales to strategic acquirors and private equity firms, advising healthcare providers in joint ventures with physicians, and assisting investor-owned health systems in strategic acquisitions and dispositions. She also provides counsel on securities-related matters, including public and private offerings of securities, SEC compliance, registered offerings of securities, periodic reporting requirements and broker-dealer registration requirements. VanLandingham graduated magna cum laude in 2009 from the Indiana University School of Law and earned her B.S. in 2005 from the University of Kentucky.
  
  
• Andrew A. Warth, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, represents both individuals and corporate entities in complex litigation, internal and government investigations and government enforcement actions. He has successfully defended healthcare clients in False Claims Act matters, represented energy companies and manufacturers in environmental litigation, defended healthcare providers in high-profile malpractice lawsuits and represented financial institutions in bet-the-company litigation. Throughout his career, Warth has also represented individual business owners and executives in litigation arising out of their businesses, as well as to individuals facing investigation by the U.S. Government and state agencies. Warth served as a Law Clerk to the Hon. Aleta A. Trauger in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee from 2008 to 2011. He graduated Order of the Coif in 2006 from Vanderbilt University Law School and earned his B.A. in 2002 from Northwestern University.
  
  
• David P. Wright, Real Estate, represents commercial landlords, tenants, and real estate developers primarily in the healthcare industry. His experience involves a wide range of complex transactions including the leasing, acquisition, disposition, financing and development of hospitals, medical office buildings and outpatient facilities. He also advises clients on the regulatory issues involved in healthcare real estate transactions. Wright graduated cum laude in 2002 from the University of Tennessee College of Law and earned his B.B.A., magna cum laude, in 1999 from the University of Mississippi.
  
  

About Waller
With more than 225 attorneys in Austin, Birmingham, Memphis and Nashville, Waller assists clients in complex transactional, regulatory and litigation matters. The firm has built a national reputation for its work in healthcare, financial services, retail and hospitality, and has extensive experience in manufacturing, real estate, technology and other industries. For more information, please visit www.wallerlaw.com.