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MEET
OUR ATTORNEYS Thomas V. White OF COUNSEL:
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Loyola University, B.A., 1969 Tom's practice deals primarily with land use and construction issues. He appears frequently in state and federal courts, as well as before state and local boards that handle land use issues, such as the Metropolitan Nashville Planning Commission and the Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals. He represents clients on land use legislation in the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County. Tom was listed in the magazine Business Tennessee as one of the 101 best attorneys in the state of Tennessee. He was named in the business magazine Nashville Post as one of the 100 most powerful people in Nashville. He is listed in Who's Who in American Law. Tom is admitted to practice in Tennessee and in the U. S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U. S. Supreme Court. He has served two three-year terms as a member of the board of directors of the Nashville Bar Association and was president of that association in 1996. He is also a past president of the Young Lawyers Club. He remains involved in activities of the Nashville and Tennessee Bar Associations. He holds an "AV" rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
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Western Kentucky University, B.S.
Accounting, 1970 John's practice is primarily commercial real estate. He is currently on leave from Tune, Entrekin & White while serving as a Managing Director of the Nashville office for Duke Realty Corporation (NYSE: DRE). The Nashville portfolio consists of 4.5 million square feet of Industrial Space and 1 million square feet of Class A Office Space in Nashville. John's expertise is in development, construction, leasing, sales, dispositions and acquisitions. While practicing full time with Tune, Entrekin & White, John's practice was focused on estate planning, probate, wills and trusts, as well as real estate. He represented executors and trustees in probate court, prepared estate and inheritance tax returns, and represented clients before the Internal Revenue Service. His practice also involved representing large and small closely held businesses, particularly in the areas of real estate, tax planning, estate planning, business formation, and succession planning. He was named in the business magazine Nashville Post as one of the 100 most powerful people in Nashville. He holds an "AV" rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He is a member of the American, Tennessee, and Nashville Bar Associations, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is admitted to practice in Tennessee and in the following federal courts: the U. S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U. S. Tax Court.
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Middle Tennessee State University,
B.A., 1967 Tom practices exclusively in the area of commercial real estate law. He represents clients in all aspects of real estate development and works closely with real estate developers. He advises clients concerning the structuring of real estate transactions and assists in the formation of entities to engage in real estate development. Tom is a member of the Nashville and Tennessee Bar Associations. He is admitted to practice in Tennessee. He holds an "AV" rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
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Auburn University, B.A., 1977 Before joining the firm in 1990, Peter served as an Assistant District Attorney in Chattanooga for four years and an Assistant United States Attorney in Jacksonville and then Nashville for six years. While serving as an Assistant U. S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, he was the lead prosecutor for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Since joining this firm in 1990, Peter's practice has been focused on criminal defense work, with an emphasis on federal criminal defense. He has been recognized by several organizations for his excellence in the practice of criminal law. He holds an "AV" rating from Martindale-Hubbell and was listed in its Bar Register of Preeminent Attorneys under the "Criminal Trial Practice" section. He is also listed in Best Lawyers in America and has been twice recognized by the business magazine Business Nashville as one of "Nashville's Best Lawyers." He is a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation and a Master in the Harry Phillips Inn of Court, an organization dedicated to the advancement of legal ethics. Peter is a member of the Tennessee and Nashville Bar Associations. He is admitted to practice in Tennessee and in all the following federal courts: the U. S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Tennessee, the Western District of Kentucky, and the Middle District of Florida, the U. S. Courts of Appeals for the Sixth and Eleventh Circuits, and the U. S. Supreme Court.
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Colorado College, B.A., 1979 Hugh has a diverse transaction-based business practice focused on commercial and residential development real estate transactions. He represents a number of residential lot developers, home builders, and commercial real estate developers and assists them in negotiating purchase and sale contracts, business entity formation, tax planning, loan transactions and closings. He also has experience in IRC Section 1031 tax deferred exchanges and can assist clients by arranging for the services of a special purpose escrow agent for 1031 exchanges. Hugh also provides services for financial institution clients on real estate and asset-based lending transactions. Another significant part of Hugh's practice involves income and estate tax planning, preparation of wills and trusts, and probate estate administration. Hugh also does general business transactional work including mergers and acquisitions, choice of business entity, and general corporate, partnership, and limited liability formation and administration work. Hugh is a member of the Nashville Bar Association and is admitted to practice in Tennessee and in the U. S. Tax Court and various federal courts in Tennessee. He has an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Hugh is married and has three sons and one daughter. Among his outside interests are golf, guitar and live music.
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Vanderbilt University, B.E., 1957 Ben H. Cantrell, a member of the Order of the Coif at the University of Tennessee College of Law, retired from the Tennessee Court of Appeals on September 1, 2003, after more than thirty years as a trial and appellate judge. He also taught a class in Remedies at the Nashville School of Law for more than twenty-five years. This extensive background in litigation and civil remedies has led Ben to concentrate his practice in the areas of civil appeals and the mediation or arbitration of civil disputes. Ben is certified as a general civil mediator by the Tennessee Supreme Court's Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission. He is on the mediation panel for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee and the Worker's Compensation Panel of the Tennessee Supreme Court. Ben has lectured on judicial writing, family practice, and administrative law. His articles on various subjects appear in The Tennessee Law Review and the University of Memphis Law Review. He is a member of the Nashville and Tennessee Bar Associations, a fellow of the Nashville and Tennessee Bar Foundations, a member of the Board of the Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society, a member of The Harry Phillips American Inns of Court, and a trustee of Bethel College in McKenzie, Tennessee.
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Davidson College, B.A., 1969 John has a diverse practice involving government relations and regulatory work, as well as litigation in state and federal courts. He represents clients on issues that involve compliance with local, state and federal environmental laws and rules. He appears frequently before state and local environmental boards and in state and federal courts on issues involving compliance with statutes and rules governing water, air, solid waste, and hazardous waste. John assists clients with the registration of their trademarks and copyrights in the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U. S. Copyright Office, respectively. He also represents clients in trademark and copyright infringement matters, which often involve litigation in federal courts. John represents the firm's clients in other areas of litigation in state and federal court. He has handled cases under several federal statutes, including the Civil Rights Act, the Medicare statute, the Cable Piracy statute, and the Fair Labor Standards Act. He has represented clients in state court matters involving covenants not to compete, contract disputes, annexation disputes, easement and road disputes, defamation, and other business torts. Another area of John's practice involves the representation of health care organizations at the state legislature and before state regulatory boards. He has drafted legislation for those clients and lobbied it successfully to passage by the Tennessee General Assembly. In 2003 John was certified by the Tennessee Supreme Court's Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission as a mediator in the field of General Civil Mediation. John has contributed numerous articles to legal journals. He was honored by the Tennessee Bar Association in 2003 with the Justice Joseph W. Henry Award, presented annually to the author of the year's best article in the Tennessee Bar Journal. In 2005 he served as editor-in-chief of the Nashville Bar Journal. John is a member of the American, Tennessee, and Nashville Bar Associations and is a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation. He is admitted to practice in Tennessee and in all the following federal courts: the U. S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Tennessee, the U. S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Sixth, and Federal Circuits, and the U. S. Supreme Court. He holds an "AV" rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
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University of South Carolina, B.S.
Accounting, 1982 Lesa's practice is primarily concentrated in estate planning and probate work, including the drafting of wills, trusts and estate tax planning documents. She represents executors and trustees in the administration of estates and trusts in local probate courts. Her clients include both individual and corporate fiduciaries. She prepares income tax returns and estate and inheritance tax returns for executors and trustees. She has handled a number of conservatorship cases and will and trust construction cases in local probate courts. She also practices tax law and represents individual and small business clients in various tax matters before the Internal Revenue Service. She forms tax exempt organizations, non-profit and for profit corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships, and works with many small business owners in drafting general corporate and real estate legal documentation. Lesa has practiced law with Tune, Entrekin & White since 1990. Prior to joining the firm, she practiced law and was a shareholder with Nelley & Hartley, P.C. in Nashville (1987-1990) and worked as a tax associate with Price Waterhouse, a national accounting firm, in its Nashville office (1985-1987). She became a Certified Public Accountant in 1988. She has served as Treasurer of the Nashville Bar Association and as Treasurer, Director and Vice Chairman of Nashville Pro Bono, Inc. She is a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation, a member of the AICPA and the Nashville Bar Association, and a frequent speaker at CLE seminars on estate planning and probate topics in Nashville. She holds an "AV" rating from Martindale-Hubbell. |
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Birmingham-Southern College, B.A., 1981 Joe's practice is focused primarily on commercial litigation, bankruptcy, and creditors' rights. His bankruptcy practice includes both consumer bankruptcy and small business bankruptcy matters. He represents creditors, debtors, creditors' committees, third parties interested in purchasing bankruptcy estate assets, and other parties with an interest in bankruptcy and commercial matters. Joe is certified as a specialist in Business Bankruptcy by the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization. Joe also handles general corporate matters for a wide variety of clients. He is admitted to practice in Tennessee and in the U. S. District Courts for the Western, Middle, and Eastern Districts of Tennessee. He is a member of the Nashville Bar Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute.
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Washington University, B.A., 1987 Todd's practice involves primarily commercial litigation, with a concentration in construction law. He frequently appears before arbitration panels and in state and federal courts on behalf of the firm's clients in complex cases. He has vast experience in residential construction matters and represents some of the largest homebuilders in the nation, as well as custom homebuilders and homeowners. In the area of commercial construction, his clientele is evenly divided among general contractors, subcontractors, and owners. He represents and advises these clients on a wide range of issues, including contract drafting, construction defects, delay and inefficiency claims, lien laws, and warranty matters. Todd's practice also includes other areas of commercial litigation, including landlord-tenant disputes, stockholder disputes, commercial contract disputes, and intellectual property disputes. Todd provides all his clients with sound, frank advice at the onset of his representation and aggressive advocacy once the client chooses to litigate or arbitrate the dispute. Todd is a leader in the legal profession. In 2002 the Tennessee Bar Association appointed him to chair a special committee whose task is to recommend a wholesale revision of Tennessee's lien laws. In 2003 Todd was appointed legal counsel for the Middle Tennessee State University Construction Management Advisory Board. He joined with several other construction attorneys across the state in 2003 to form the Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel. Todd is very active in bar activities. In 2003 he became a member of the inaugural class of the Leadership Law Program of the Tennessee Bar Association. He has served a three-year term on the board of directors of the Nashville Bar Association and is a Past President of the Young Lawyers Division of the Nashville Bar Association. He is also a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation. Todd is admitted to practice in Tennessee and in the U. S. Supreme Court, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the U. S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Tennessee, and the U. S. District Court for the District of Nebraska.
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East Tennessee State University, B.A.,
1988 Shawn practices in the areas of real estate development and land use law, government relations, commercial law, and litigation throughout Middle Tennessee. He represents numerous clients before governmental regulatory boards and commissions. He routinely lectures on legal issues related to land use and development, including the laws pertaining to planning, zoning, subdivisions, roads, easements, and boundary disputes. Prior to joining the firm in 2002, Shawn served as the Assistant Director for Urban Development with Nashville's Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency responsible for administering the inner-city economic revitalization programs of the agency. Before his tenure at M.D.H.A., he was a city planner for the Metropolitan Planning Commission of Nashville/Davidson County responsible for reviewing and making public recommendations on zoning and subdivision applications. Shawn brings over 15 years of experience in urban growth planning and economic development to the law firm. Shawn is a member of the American Institute of Certified (Land) Planners, Nashville and Tennessee Bar Associations, Urban Land Institute, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and is a board member of the DISTRICT, Downtown Nashville. He is admitted to practice in Tennessee and the U. S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
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Miami University (OH), B.A., 1998 Chad's practice involves a variety of civil litigation areas. Prior to joining Tune, Entrekin & White in 2003, Chad practiced insurance defense litigation focusing on premises liability, personal injury, products liability and construction defect cases. At Tune, Entrekin & White, Chad's practice has broadened to include other areas of commercial litigation, including contract, warranty, construction and landlord-tenant disputes. In addition to his litigation practice, Chad represents and advises clients in matters including contract drafting and negotiation, home owners' association formation, restrictive covenant preparation and enforcement, horizontal property regime formation, lien law and enforcement. Chad pursues representation of every client, whether an individual or one of the nation's largest homebuilders, in the most direct, efficient and cost effective manner available to achieve the desired outcome in the best interests of the client. Chad is admitted to practice in Tennessee and in the U. S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. He is a member of the Tennessee and Nashville Bar Associations.
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University of Michigan, B.A., 2003 Steve's practice encompasses a variety of general civil litigation matters and transactional work. Much of his practice involves construction litigation, contract disputes, and real property issues. Steve also assists his clients with their general business needs, such as entity formation, contract drafting, and deed drafting. Steve is a member of the Tennessee and Nashville Bar Associations. He is admitted to practice in Tennessee and in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.
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Vanderbilt University, B.A., 1966 John has a broad background in health care law and regulation. In his previous position as General Counsel for the Tennessee Department of Health, he advised the Commissioner and other Department officials regarding the statutes and rules affecting all programs administered by the Department, including health and environmental programs, as well as the State Medicaid Program. He also served as a prosecutor before all health-related boards in the Department. His duties also included oversight of the Tennessee Medical Malpractice Review Board, as well as responsibility for departmental implementation of the Tennessee Administrative Procedures Act. John has experience in the health care facilities field. He co-authored the rules promulgated by the Licensing Board for Health Care Facilities regarding Trauma Care Centers and Perinatal Care Facilities. John's environmental experience includes co-authoring the hazardous waste management rules promulgated by the Tennessee Solid Waste Disposal Control Board. Since entering private practice, he has served as counsel to the Tennessee Professional Assistance Program, which provides drug and alcohol counseling and assistance to members of several health care professions. He serves on the board of the Health Care Section of the Tennessee Bar Association and on the Construction General Permit Task Force of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. He advises clients on specific strategies to stay in compliance with health and environmental laws and rules and represents clients before state health and environmental boards. He has recently begun representing the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries in Tennessee. John is admitted to practice in Tennessee and in the U. S. Supreme Court, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U. S. Court of Military Appeals.
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