M. Patrick O'Neal

Brent Hannafan is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Individuals and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Brent, who practices law in Nashville, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Brent is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Michael Johnson is a business and intellectual property attorney with Johnson Evans & Headrick PC in Nashville, Tennessee. He advises entrepreneurs, creative companies, and technology-driven businesses on commercial transactions, intellectual property strategy, and commercial disputes. His practice focuses on Commercial Litigation and Copyright Law, particularly where business operations intersect with intellectual property and creative industries. Michael represents startups, growth-stag...

Van East represents clients on matters involving closely held business entities, including formations, conversions, mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, as well as restructuring ownership and control. He has represented clients in purchasing and selling a variety of businesses, including home-building, real estate development, manufacturing, and restaurant entities. Van routinely organizes limited liability companies, corporations and partnerships for a variety of business purposes, includ...

Thor Urness practices complex business litigation, including bet-the-company cases, intellectual property litigation and related counseling. Thor has served as lead trial counsel in commercial litigation that yielded two of Tennessee’s largest jury verdicts, for $26.5 million and $18.8 million, both in favor of his clients. Thor’s practice is generally divided equally between matters in Tennessee and elsewhere.

William T. Ramsey is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Entertainment Law - Music. William T., who practices law in Nashville, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which William T. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Elizabeth Sauer advises investors, developers, managers, and owner-operators in large-scale, multi-state portfolio transactions, as well as single-asset deals. Clients value her insight and experience in a wide variety of real estate, finance and corporate transactions. REITs and other public and private companies benefit from her client-first approach in the purchase, sale, leaseback, development, management, leasing and financing of raw land and improved assets. She has significant transact...

David Stempel is a business transactions lawyer in the firm’s Nashville office. He has worked with clients in many different industries on mergers, acquisitions, sales, joint ventures, and capital raising transactions. He has significant experience in representing health care companies, including ambulatory surgery centers and home health companies, and helping those healthcare clients implement their growth and development strategies by structuring, negotiating and closing complex busi...

Jason I. Epstein is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law, Information Technology Law, Privacy and Data Security Law and Technology Law. Jason I., who practices law in Nashville, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jason I. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Mike Vetter is an AV-rated trial lawyer and a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 General Civil Mediator in Spicer Rudstrom’s Nashville office . He is the Chair of the firm’s Products Liability Group, and his practice is also concentrated in property and casualty litigation, construction litigation, insurance coverage, bad faith, auto and uninsured motorist litigation, and premises liability. Mike is licensed to practice in Tennessee, Kentucky, California, and Missouri. A cum laude gr...

Steve Braun advises hospitals, surgery centers and other health care providers in transactional, regulatory and operations matters. His transactional experience includes numerous acquisitions, dispositions and joint ventures of hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and insurance companies. Steve also has extensive experience involving mergers and acquisitions in a variety of industries; public and private offerings of equity and debt securities; and stock options and other equity compensation...