Ben Schrader is a former federal prosecutor, an accomplished litigator, and an experienced trial attorney. He counsels clients in responding to government investigations, conducting internal investigations, and navigating other complex civil and criminal defense matters.
Before joining Bass, Berry, & Sims, Ben served as Chief of the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. In that role, Ben supervised all of the Office’s criminal prosecutions, including matters involving financial and healthcare fraud, money laundering and asset forfeiture, and public corruption. Prior to serving as Criminal Chief, Ben served as Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime Section, where he supervised racketeering and other complex conspiracy cases. Ben also served for several years as the Office’s chief national security prosecutor, where he investigated and prosecuted terrorism and other “major incident” cases, including the 2020 Christmas Day Bombing in downtown Nashville. Over his nearly 15-year career with the U.S. Department of Justice, which included more than four years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Ben served as lead government counsel in dozens of federal jury trials and in approximately 40 bench trials.
During his time as a prosecutor with the Justice Department, Ben received the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service and the Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney.
As a prosecutor, Ben worked closely with federal and state agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. With a reputation for exceptional leadership and the ability to advise clients navigating government inquiries, Ben offers unique insight into risk mitigation strategies based on his deep knowledge of assembling investigations and trying complex cases.
Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Justice, Ben clerked for the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Ben earned his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School, where he served as Notes Development Editor on the Vanderbilt Law Review. He received a B.A. in history from Yale University.
Ben is also an Adjunct Professor in the Master of Legal Studies program at Vanderbilt University Law School, where he teaches Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, and Introduction to U.S. Law, and in the Juris Doctor program at Belmont University College of Law, where he teaches Trial Advocacy.