Bass, Berry & Sims was recognized by Legal 500 in 2026 as a Tier 4 firm in the M&A/Corporate & Commercial: M&A: Middle-Market ($0-$250m) category. Legal 500 provides annual rankings and insights into the best law firms and lawyers from across the globe. It is a data-driven, AI-optimized research platform which benchmarks, informs and connects providers and users of legal services in over 100 countries worldwide.
In its research about the firm, Legal 500 concluded:
The corporate and securities and mergers and acquisitions team at Bass, Berry & Sims PLC is adept at handling various matters, often receiving mandates from clients in the tech and healthcare sector, with the firm boasting an impressive healthcare practice. The team is primarily located in Nashville with the practice under the joint leadership of; Michael Holley who frequently advises private equity firms in mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, Ryan Thomas who co-chairs the healthcare private equity practice and Angela Humphreys who leads the firm’s national healthcare practice. Also, active in the Nashville office, Tatajana Paterno, is a reference in the market for both public and privately traded companies handling transactions in the food and beverage, senior living and manufacturing sectors.
In the research process clients had the following feedback on the firm and attorneys:
- “Howard Lamar – has been my go-to guy for years if not decades. Trust him implicitly. Has great judgement and always does the right thing. A pragmatic problem solver. Very commercial.”
- “Ryan Thomas – shows extremely well; speaks from deep experience; offers an excellent balance of business guidance blended with legal guidance. John Fuller – always on top of the issues we are dealing with; responsive; thoughtful, business-oriented counsel. Plus, lowers the stress in the room when he’s involved.”
Legal 500 City Elite Rankings
In addition to the firm ranking, 21 attorneys were recognized in the Legal 500 City Elite categories for Nashville/Tennessee and Washington, D.C. The City Elite rankings aim to highlight key lawyers operating at regional players across business centers in the United States, emphasizing lawyers who are handling work at the top of the legal market in their respective cities.
In 2026, Legal 500 added the Nashville/Tennessee area for the first time as part of the City Elite program ranking in the Commercial Disputes and Corporate and M&A categories; the firm also had an attorney ranked in the Washington, D.C. White-Collar Crime category. The following attorneys are ranked in the City Elite for 2026:
Nashville/Tennessee
- Allison Wiseman Acker – Commercial Disputes, Tier 2
- Shayan Ahmed – Corporate & M&A, Tier 3
- Laura Brothers – Corporate & M&A, Tier 3
- Steele Clayton – Commercial Disputes, Tier 2
- Meredith Collins – Corporate & M&A, Tier 3
- Margaret Dodson – Commercial Disputes, Tier 3
- Lara Flatau – Corporate & M&A, Tier 3
- John Fuller – Corporate & M&A, Tier 2
- Jeremy Gunn – Commercial Disputes, Tier 3
- Scott Holley – Corporate & M&A, Tier 1
- Angela Humphreys – Corporate & M&A, Tier 2
- Britt Latham – Commercial Disputes, Tier 1
- Sarah Miller – Commercial Disputes, Tier 2
- Tatjana Paterno – Corporate & M&A, Tier 2
- Frank Pellegrino – Corporate & M&A, Tier 3
- Brant Phillips – Commercial Disputes, Tier 1
- Jon Stanley – Corporate & M&A, Tier 2
- Ryan Thomas – Corporate & M&A, Tier 1
- Kathryn Hannen Walker – Commercial Disputes, Tier 1
- Jessie Zeigler – Commercial Disputes, Tier 2
Washington, D.C.
- Lindsey Fetzer – White Collar Crime, Tier 2