With more than 40 years of practice, Leigh Walton has advised a wide variety of public companies in the areas of corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions and securities offerings.

Leigh has helped develop the national corporate governance practice at Bass, Berry & Sims. She is known for her ability to blend mergers and acquisitions, securities and regulatory law in furnishing practical advice to companies primarily in the healthcare industry. She works with clients on:

• Mergers, Acquisitions & Dispositions – Leading acquisitions, coordinating spinoffs and financing transactions.
• Corporate Finance – Coordinating public debt and equity, private placements of securities and private equity investments for issuers, underwriters, sellers and purchasers.
• Corporate Governance – Advising boards, directors, officers and other executives on governance, SEC disclosure, regulatory and operational concerns; developing innovative responses to the rapidly evolving regulatory landscapes.

Leigh is a past chair of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section Mergers & Acquisitions Committee, which has more than 5,000 members in 40 countries on five continents. Leigh served two six-year terms on the ABA’s Corporate Laws Committee, where she co-chaired the Corporate Director’s Guidebook Task Force. The Corporate Laws Committee is responsible for the development of the Model Business Corporation Act used as the governing corporate law in 36 states and other jurisdictions.

Leigh was elected in September 2019 to the American College of Corporate Governance Counsel, a professional and educational association of lawyers widely recognized for their achievements in corporate governance. She is one of 120 Fellows from North America and one of only a half-dozen from the South.

Leigh is an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School, where she teaches a course on Healthcare Mergers and Acquisitions. Leigh is a frequent presenter at national corporate governance and securities regulation programs, including the ABA’s Annual Mergers and Acquisitions Institute. She has been recognized by countless leading industry outlets, including Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America©, BTI and IFLR 1000. In 2022, she co-chaired the annual campaign for the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. She is a member of Women Corporate Directors, whose members sit on boards of directors of public companies, and the International Women’s Forum.  She also serves on the board of Nashville’s independent film organization, the Belcourt Theatre, and is a member of the YWCA Nashville Fulcrum Society.

Memberships

American Bar Association — Corporate Laws Committee (1997-2003; 2016-present; Co-Chair Corporate Directors Guidebook Task Force, 2017-present); Mergers & Acquisitions Committee (1986-present; Chair, 2009-2012); Women in Mergers & Acquisitions Task Force, Co-Chair (2015-2016)

American College of Governance Counsel (2019-present)

American Health Law Association (AHLA) (1992-present)

Tennessee and Nashville Bar Associations

Nashville Health Care Council — Board of Directors (2008-2010)

Metropolitan Nashville Convention Center Authority (2016-2020)

Belcourt Theatre — Board of Directors (2016-present)

YWCA Nashville Fulcrum Society (2015-present); YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee – Academy of Women of Achievement (2015)

Accolades

Chambers USA — Healthcare, Tennessee, Senior Statesperson (2022-2023); Healthcare, Tennessee, Band 1 (2007-2021)

Chambers USA — Corporate/M&A, Tennessee, Band 1 (2003-2006)

BTI Client Service All-Stars (2022)

Best Lawyers® — Nashville Securities Regulation “Lawyer of the Year” (2021, 2019)

The Best Lawyers of America© — Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Law; Health Care Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Securities/Capital Markets Law; Securities Regulation (1995-2024)

Lawdragon 500 Hall of Fame (2020)

IFLR1000 — Notable Practitioner (2016-2022)

The International Who’s Who of Corporate Governance Lawyers (2005-2014)

The International Who’s Who of Merger & Acquisition Lawyers (2009-2014)

Who’s Who Legal — Corporate: Corporate Governance (2018-2021); Corporate: Mergers & Acquisitions (2018-2021)

Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2005-2022), Lawdragon 500 Dealmakers

Lawdragon Legend (2017) (10 consecutive years’ recognition)

Mid-South Super Lawyers (2006-2022)

Top 100 Tennessee Super Lawyers (2011-2012, 2016)

Top 50 Women Mid-South Super Lawyers (2011-2014, 2016)

The Diversity Journal’s “Women Worth Watching” (2015)

Nashville Business Journal — Power 100 (2015-2017)

Nashville Medical News “InCharge Healthcare” (2012-2021)

Nashville Post “In Charge” — Legal Sector (2012-2016)

American Bar Foundation — Fellow (2009-present)

Phi Beta Kappa (1972)