Bass, Berry & Sims attorney John L. Fuller was named an Emerging Leader in the Legal Advisor category by The M&A Advisor for 2021. John was among more than 75 individuals nationwide recognized for their noteworthy business accomplishments and service to the community.

The recipients of the Annual Emerging Leaders Awards are all young professionals who have reached a significant level of success in mergers and acquisitions, turnaround and financing while still under the age of 40. John was one of only 22 legal advisors honored in 2021 and the only legal advisor from Tennessee included in this year’s list.

“While this past year definitely had its share of challenges, John demonstrated agility, great leadership and a commitment to client service. We join The M&A Advisor in recognizing John for all of his contributions to our firm, the larger legal industry and our community,” said Kevin Douglas, chair of the Corporate & Securities Practice Group at Bass, Berry & Sims.

Since the beginning of his legal career, established public and private companies to emerging start-ups have turned to John to help them navigate complex corporate transactions, including representing investors and venture fund and private equity backed companies in joint ventures, strategic investments, mergers and acquisitions, and other strategic organizational and financing transactions. He has counseled private equity and venture capital investment funds and their portfolio companies on more than $2 billion in mergers and acquisitions and venture capital financing transactions. He represents a broad range of clients including multinational manufacturers, restaurant and food service, healthcare, technology and sports and media.

During the past year, John helped spearhead the firm’s COVID-19 response team. As developments related to the pandemic unfolded, he helped firm clients sort through CARES Act and other government issued guidance and more to provide clients with practical, pragmatic counsel. He was instrumental in advising on guidance with respect to the ever evolving Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Throughout the pandemic, John served as pillar within our firm and continues to be a vital member of the firm’s Corporate & Securities Practice.

This is the 12th year The M&A Advisor has recognized Emerging Leaders; it created the program to honor the significant contributions of accomplished, future leaders in a robust industry of dealmakers, promote mentorship and professional development of these individuals, and celebrate their accomplishments and contributions to progress in the industry. The recipients are recognized among four categories – legal advisor, service professional, dealmaker, and marketing. A full list of the 2021 Emerging Leaders winners can be found here.

“As an organization, we have always believed that our awards programs stand as an oasis for inspiration and celebration of achievement. Over the past 18 months, we have witnessed notable contributions from these emerging leaders in the face of tremendous economic turmoil and uncertainty. Truly, the Emerging Leader Awardees we are honoring this year are the best and the brightest. They are the future of the M&A, finance, and turnaround industry,” said Roger Aguinaldo, founder and CEO of The M&A Advisor.

About the Bass, Berry & Sims Corporate & Securities Practice

Public and private companies of all sizes across a variety of industries turn to Bass, Berry & Sims for counsel on a wide range of corporate matters, including mergers, acquisitions and dispositions; capital markets transactions; special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and de-SPAC transactions; executive compensation issues; corporate governance; ESG matters; and shareholder activism. We serve as primary corporate and securities counsel to numerous public companies and have counseled on more than 150 deals ranging in size from $20 million to more than $15 billion over the past two years. Click here to learn more about the Corporate & Securities Practice at Bass, Berry & Sims.