Nashville, Tenn., (January 22, 2026) – Bass, Berry & Sims is pleased to announce that Rachel S. Byrd has joined the firm’s nationally ranked Healthcare Industry Group. Byrd advises healthcare companies, private equity and strategic investors, and physician practices on transactions and regulatory compliance. She will be based in the firm’s Nashville office.
Byrd is the latest addition to Bass, Berry & Sims’ growing Healthcare Industry Group. Since October, the firm has added five experienced healthcare associates, including three associates in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office and one each in Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee.
“Rachel is a trusted adviser to private equity firms and strategic acquirors across the full lifecycle of their investments in companies, from structuring and negotiating the initial transaction, to ensuring post-closing compliance and orchestrating the eventual exit,” said Angela Humphreys, chair of the Healthcare Practice Group and co-chair of the Healthcare Private Equity Team. “With our recent additions, Bass, Berry & Sims continues to expand our national healthcare practice to serve our clients with a deep bench of attorneys who provide transactional, regulatory compliance and government enforcement expertise.”
Prior to joining Bass, Berry & Sims, Byrd was a partner at McDermott Will & Schulte in the healthcare group. Byrd is a member of the American Health Law Association. Byrd earned a law degree from Duke University School of Law (2015), a Master of Arts from Duke University (2015), and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2011).
“Bass, Berry & Sims is a national leader in healthcare law and advising private equity firms, and my practice is focused on the interactions between those two industries, so I am thrilled to join the talented teams that serve these companies and investors,” Byrd said.
Three new associates further expand healthcare group
Bass, Berry & Sims also is pleased to announce the hiring of three new associates to expand its healthcare industry team: Laura E. Macherelli and Ellen Pasquale in Washington, D.C. and Kendra Lyons Steele in Memphis. In October, healthcare associates Gunnar T. Jurgensen (Nashville) and Jordan Ross (Washington, D.C.) also joined the firm, as announced previously.
Applying her experience working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Macherelli advises healthcare, life sciences, and pharmaceutical firms on navigating regulatory frameworks to ensure compliance with licensing, reporting, and operational requirements across diverse business models, including online, mail order, compounding, and traditional healthcare providers. Prior to joining Bass, Berry & Sims, she was an associate at BakerHostetler in Washington, D.C. Macherelli previously served as regulatory counsel at the FDA, Center for Tobacco Products and as a corporate compliance fellow at Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. She earned a law degree from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (2019), a Master of Public Health from George Washington University, Milken Institute School of Public Health (2016) and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland, College Park (2011).
Pasquale represents companies and individuals with government-facing civil investigations, independent investigations, and civil litigation brought under various federal and state regulations. She assists life sciences clients in navigating enforcement and compliance under the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations. Prior to joining Bass, Berry & Sims, Pasquale was an associate at Sidley Austin LLP working with life sciences and healthcare clients. She earned a law degree from Vanderbilt Law School (2023) and a Bachelor of Arts from American University (2018).
Steele provides healthcare regulatory and transactional counsel as it relates to mergers, acquisitions, compliance and operational matters. She advises clients on compliance with the Stark Law (including Self-Referral Disclosure Protocols), Anti-Kickback Statute, HIPAA, and corporate practice of medicine laws. Steele earned a law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (2017) and a Bachelor of Arts from Rhodes College (2014).
With these new additions, Bass, Berry & Sims’ Healthcare Industry Group has grown to more than 300 attorneys across its footprint. Earlier this week, Law360 named the firm’s Healthcare Industry Group as a Practice Group of the Year for 2025, one of five healthcare practices to earn that recognition.
About Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
Bass, Berry & Sims is an independent, nationally recognized law firm dedicated to helping clients go confidently through complex legal challenges. We deliver high-caliber counsel and exceptional service to leading middle market companies across industry sectors, with particular focus in the healthcare and private equity industries. For over a century, our team has partnered with clients across the country on sophisticated transactions, significant litigation and investigations, and international regulatory matters. We collaborate seamlessly with deep experience across practice areas, industries, and geographies to provide innovative, business-focused solutions that create measurable value. For more information, please visit www.bassberry.com.