Robert J. "Rob" Hazard

Tom Trent has experience in all areas of real estate transactions, including industrial development and economic incentives, leasing, corporate, joint venture, partnership and limited liability company law, and tax-exempt finance. Tom represents clients regionally and nationally, including major manufacturing companies, corporate users of commercial real estate, institutional investors, developers and lenders, and a number of foreign corporations. With more than 30 years of experience in real...

M. Reid Estes, Jr. is the Practice Group Chair for the South Region Labor & Employment Practice. He has nearly 40 years of experience as a trial lawyer and has served as trial counsel for numerous Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the restaurant, hospitality, retail, manufacturing, construction, health care, and other industry sectors, and during his career has handled nearly every conceivable type of case from tort claims, to theft of trade secret, covenant and contract breach, commer...

Aubrey B. Harwell III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Aubrey B., 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 Aubrey B. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Leader of the firm’s Government Compliance & Investigations group, Chris Sabis recognizes that merely “responding” to governmental inquiries, enforcement actions, and litigation is often insufficient to protect his clients’ interests. Rather, he understands that efficient resolutions and positive outcomes in such matters are products of thoughtful and proactive approaches and the ability to take the initiative in addressing the concerns and issues that draw regulat...

James Looper serves as Co-Managing Partner for our Nashville office. He is currently licensed in Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. In addition to being licensed in a number of states, James handles complex litigation as a part of the National Trial Counsel team across the country. James’ practice is centered on medical-related issues, complex litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and health care, and he has had numerous jury trials in multiple states. Prior to attending law school...

Hart is rated by Mid-South Super Lawyers® for his work in Environmental Litigation. He focuses his practice on environmental remediation, defense of environmental enforcement actions, environmental permitting, environmental litigation, and general litigation. He has represented clients before numerous environmental administrative agencies and successfully represented clients in both jury and bench trials in several different Tennessee courts.

Dewey Branstetter has represented a broad range of individuals and entities, but his practice concentrates on utility and municipal issues; employment matters, including employee benefits issues; and complex litigation. Mr. Branstetter has extensive experience advising and representing utility districts, municipalities, and utility related entities such as Tennessee 811. He recently appeared before the Utility Management Review Board and successfully defended against the first ratepayer petit...

Leslie Goff Sanders is the Managing Partner of Barton’s Nashville office. She assists employers in all areas of labor and employment law, with a particular focus on day-to-day counseling, litigation, trade secrets and non-competition, and executive compensation. Leslie's philosophy is to understand the client’s business, not just the employment laws. By understanding the nature of her client’s business and their goals, she can better advise them on how to successfully naviga...

Emily Bowman represents financial institutions, including banks and insurance companies, and corporate clients in a variety of commercial and real estate lending and other real estate transactional matters. Emily also regularly issues legal opinions in connection with multi-state projects and as local counsel for transactions originated outside of Tennessee secured by real property located within the State. Her commercial and real estate lending practice includes representation of lenders and...

Jim focuses his practice on representing public and private sector clients in complex matters involving zoning, condemnation, economic incentives, elections, telecommunications, municipal law, environmental law and commercial real estate. He assists clients in landfill development, obtaining economic incentives from state and local governments, locating cell towers, condemnations, election challenges, rezonings, annexation disputes and procurement challenges. Jim practiced for 18 years in the...