Waller Expands Corporate Practice

NASHVILLE, TN--(Marketwired - Dec 8, 2014) - Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP, a leading provider of legal services to the healthcare, financial services, retail and hospitality industries, has bolstered its corporate practice group with the addition of seven attorneys, and expanded its reach with the relocation of a partner from its Nashville office. In Nashville, Richard Hills joins Waller as a partner and Ashleigh VanLandingham, Ryan Franklin, Zachary Hinkle, and Andrew Garrett join the firm as associates. In addition, David Head, a Waller alum who spent almost two years as general counsel at SpecialtyCare, has returned as a partner in Nashville. In Austin, David Garcia joins the firm as an associate while Waller partner Christopher Phillips moves to the firm's Austin office from Nashville. Taken altogether these additions greatly expand the reach and depth of Waller's already robust corporate practice group.

"At Waller, we believe we are well positioned as one of the nation's leading corporate practice law firms and these new hires only deepen our bench and strengthen our capabilities," said Waller chairman Matt Burnstein. 

Richard Hills has spent nearly twenty years providing financial institutions and their directors and officers with effective legal guidance and strategic planning advice. He plays a critical role in helping financial services clients who are growing through mergers and acquisitions, stock and debt offerings and other capital raising activities. He also assists financial institutions with corporate formations and restructurings, recapitalizations, corporate governance, and a host of complex regulatory issues. Hills also has extensive experience representing financial institutions, and their officers and directors, in examinations, investigations and enforcement proceedings before federal and state financial institution regulatory agencies. Prior to joining Waller in 2014, Hills was a partner in the Financial Institutions Team of Womble Carlyle's Capital Markets Business Group in Atlanta. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law in 1996 and received his B.A. from Davidson College in 1992.

Previously a partner at Waller's Nashville office, Christopher Phillips represents national and international buyers and sellers in the acquisition, disposition, financing and operation of payment processing and financial technology companies. In addition, Philips works with healthcare industry clients on a variety of matters including the sale and purchase of hospitals, health systems and related healthcare service providers. He earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2003 and received his B.A., cum laude, from Sewanee -- The University of the South in 1996.

"Chris and Richard are integral to our work with financial services clients," said Waller partner Marlee Mitchell, who works extensively with community and regional banks and trust companies. "Chris is well known for his experience with payment processing and financial technology companies, and we are very excited to add to our financial services industry team Richard's nearly twenty years of experience representing banks and bank holding companies."

David Head acts as a trusted advisor to healthcare companies for strategic transactions including in the development, syndication, acquisition and divestiture of healthcare facilities, as well as in joint ventures with other providers of healthcare services, including physicians and physician groups. Additionally, Head advises companies, particularly in the healthcare industry, in connection with securities offerings, corporate governance matters, reorganizations and partnership/LLC law issues. His transactional experience also includes life sciences, healthcare information technology, ambulatory surgery centers and diagnostic imaging centers.

Ashleigh VanLandingham assists healthcare providers, manufacturers and other businesses in strategic acquisitions and joint ventures as well as divestitures. She also provides counsel on securities-related matters, including public and private offerings of securities, SEC compliance, periodic reporting requirements and broker-dealer registration requirements. Prior to joining Waller, she gained experience in the Washington, D.C. office of Akin Gump and with Bose McKinney & Evans, LLP in Indianapolis. She earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Indiana University School of Law in 2009 and received her B.S. from the University of Kentucky in Communications in 2005.

David Garcia assists clients in the acquisition, development and formation of healthcare facilities. He also represents physicians in practice acquisitions and divestitures. In the financial services industry, he advises payment processing and financial technology companies in acquisitions, dispositions, financing and operational matters. Garcia was previously an associate in the Austin office of Jackson Walker. He earned his J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law in 2010 and an M.B.A. from Texas Evening MBA Program in 2005. He received his B.B.A. from The University of Texas, Business Honors Program in International Business in 1998.

Andrew Garrett advises clients on all aspects of mergers, acquisitions, securities and corporate governance. Garrett represents clients in the healthcare, life sciences and biotechnology industries. Garrett earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2010 and his B.A. from Dartmouth College in 2007.

Zachary Hinkle works with healthcare and financial services clients in strategic acquisitions. Hinkle earned his J.D., cum laude, from Duke University School of Law in 2012 and received a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Tennessee in 2009. Before joining Waller, he spent two years as Law Clerk to the Honorable Curtis Collier, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Ryan Franklin represents companies in healthcare and other industries in general corporate and business matters, including venture capital financing, entity formation and mergers and acquisitions. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2014 and received his B.S., magna cum laude, from the University of Tennessee in Business Administration in 2011.

About Waller

Waller is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee with offices in Birmingham, Alabama, Austin, Texas, and Memphis, Tennessee. With approximately 200 attorneys, Waller helps clients navigate a diverse range of complex transactional, regulatory and litigation issues across myriad industries. Founded in 1905, Waller has client relationships spanning decades. For more information, please visit www.wallerlaw.com.