Ashleigh Karnell is a leading antitrust and complex litigation attorney who guides clients through merger clearance, high-stakes disputes and government investigations.
Ashleigh regularly advises on merger clearance and antitrust compliance in connection with proposed mergers and acquisitions, supporting both strategic buyers and private equity sponsors through the regulatory review process. Her experience includes preparing pre-merger notification filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR), coordinating with economic experts, and responding to government investigations. Ashleigh’s work spans industries including healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services, where she helps clients navigate regulatory hurdles and achieve efficient deal execution.
Ashleigh has extensive experience handling all phases of complex business litigation, from early case assessment and motion practice through discovery, dispositive briefing and trial. She has served as trial counsel in high-stakes commercial matters, bringing a disciplined litigation strategy, deep command of the record and a proven ability to distill complex legal and economic issues for judges and juries.
In addition to her client work, Ashleigh has been a driving force in the firm’s pro bono program. As one of the firm’s first pro bono fellows, she completed a six-month fellowship with the Tennessee Innocence Project and has played a leading role in securing life-changing outcomes for underserved clients. Most notably, she was instrumental in achieving the exoneration of a wrongfully convicted man who had spent 24 years in prison, an outcome that reflects her exceptional advocacy, legal acumen and commitment to justice.
Ashleigh earned her J.D. from Belmont University College of Law and her B.A. in communication and culture from Indiana University.