Nashville, Tenn., (January 7, 2026) – Bass, Berry & Sims is pleased to announce it promoted 11 attorneys across various practices effective January 1, 2026. Of the 11 attorneys, eight were promoted to member: Stefanie Chamberlain, Chelsea L. Harrison, Tyler Huseman, Bryan L. Jepson, Marisa Rouse, Ben Tarpley, Shelby Thomas, and David R. Venturella; and three to counsel: Nathan F. Brown, Ashleigh Karnell, and Hannah Webber. Ten of the newly promoted attorneys are in the Nashville office; Rouse is in Memphis, Tennessee.
"Congratulations to these eleven newly promoted attorneys. Their leadership, dedication, and exceptional contributions have strengthened our firm and delivered tremendous value to our clients," said Todd Rolapp, managing partner of Bass, Berry & Sims. "Each of these individuals exemplifies the commitment to excellence and client service that defines Bass, Berry & Sims. We are proud to celebrate this milestone and look forward to the continued impact they will make as leaders in our profession."
Nathan F. Brown was
promoted to Counsel. He focuses his practice on representing
clients in investigations and related litigation, and government
actions, particularly involving the Controlled Substances Act;
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; False Claims Act; Anti-Kickback
Statute; and Stark Law. In addition, Brown assists corporate
clients with internal compliance assessments and internal
investigations regarding regulatory compliance matters,
particularly in healthcare, pharmacy, and government contracting.
Prior to joining Bass, Berry & Sims, Brown was an associate at
Browne George Ross O'Brien Annaguey & Ellis LLP and Paul
Hastings LLP. He earned a law degree from the University of
Southern California Gould School of Law (2017), a Master of Arts
from American Military University (2014), and a Bachelor of Science
from the United States Air Force Academy (2007). Prior to attending
law school, Brown served as an intelligence officer for the U.S.
Air Force and the Hawaii Air National Guard.
Stefanie Chamberlain
was promoted to Member. She assists real estate owners, developers,
public companies, and private-equity-backed businesses in a wide
range of financing transactions, including acquisition and
construction loans, agency and CMBS facilities, syndicated credit
facilities, and asset-based financings. Chamberlain also advises
private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on credit
facilities in connection with acquisitions, refinancings,
recapitalizations, and ongoing financing needs. She earned a law
degree from Emory University School of Law (2017), and a Master of
Arts (2014) and a Bachelor of Arts (2012) from the University of
South Carolina.
Chelsea L. Harrison
was promoted to Member. She advises clients across a wide range of
industries on complex intellectual property matters, helping them
protect and manage the value of their IP assets. Her practice spans
a broad variety of transactions, including mergers and
acquisitions, licensing and services agreements, and strategic
collaborations. Harrison regularly partners with clients to draft,
review, and negotiate commercial and technology agreements, and to
navigate issues involving intellectual property ownership,
development, commercialization, and protection. She earned a law
degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law (2017) and a
Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University (2014).
Tyler Huseman was
promoted to Member. He counsels public companies, private
equity–backed companies, and other privately held businesses
on a broad range of corporate and securities law matters. His
practice includes mergers and acquisitions, capital markets
transactions, ongoing securities regulation, and compliance and
shareholder activism defense. Huseman regularly advises clients on
complex transactional, governance, and disclosure issues, including
matters involving the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, and the rules and regulations of the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission and stock exchanges. He earned a
law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law (2017) and
a Bachelor of Science from the University of Georgia (2014).
Bryan L. Jepson was
promoted to Member. He counsels individuals and families on tax and
estate planning matters collaborating with clients to develop and
implement business succession plans and gifting strategies that
minimize federal gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax
liabilities. Jepson advises clients in the formation, funding, and
administration of trusts, including spousal lifetime access trusts,
dynasty trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, irrevocable life
insurance trusts, various types of charitable trusts, and domestic
asset protection trusts. In addition, he works with clients to
establish base estate plans including wills, revocable trusts, and
powers of attorney. Prior to joining Bass, Berry & Sims,
Jepson's practice focused on U.S. federal income tax. Most
recently, he served as tax counsel for a large international
conglomerate where he structured various multi-billion dollar
domestic and international transactions. Jepson earned a Master of
Laws in Taxation from New York University School of Law (2010), a
law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law (2009), and a
Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas
(2002).
Ashleigh Karnell was
promoted to Counsel. She is a leading antitrust and complex
litigation attorney who guides clients through merger clearance,
high-stakes disputes, and government investigations. Karnell
regularly advises on merger clearance and antitrust compliance in
connection with proposed mergers and acquisitions, supporting both
strategic buyers and private equity sponsors through the regulatory
review process. She also has extensive experience handling all
phases of complex business litigation and has served as trial
counsel in high-stakes commercial matters. Karnell earned a law
degree from Belmont University College of Law (2017) and a Bachelor
of Arts from Indiana University (2014).
Marisa Rouse was
promoted to Member. She assists clients with commercial real estate
and debt financing transactions. Her practice primarily involves
representing developers, investors, and owners in the acquisition,
financing, disposition, and leasing of real property. In addition,
Rouse represents borrowers and lenders in financing transactions,
including acquisition and construction loans, term loan facilities,
asset based secured financings, and revolving credit facilities.
She earned a law degree from the Washington University School of
Law (2017) and a Bachelor of Arts from DePauw University
(2012).
Ben Tarpley was
promoted to Member. He assists private equity sponsors and their
portfolio companies and other public and private strategic
acquirers and investors with complex business transactions,
including mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, divestitures,
recapitalizations, and similar matters. Tarpley's experience
spans a variety of industries, having assisted clients in the
healthcare, business services, group purchasing, manufacturing, and
sports and entertainment spaces. He earned a law degree from the
University of Tennessee College of Law (2017) and a Bachelor of
Science from the University of Tennessee (2014).
Shelby Thomas was
promoted to Member. She assists clients with commercial real estate
transactions and financing matters across a variety of industries.
Her practice primarily involves representing developers, investors,
and owners in the acquisition, financing, disposition, and leasing
of real property. She counsels clients related to mortgage,
mezzanine and construction financings. Thomas additionally
negotiates and drafts office leases, retail leases, subleases, and
amendments for landlords and tenants. Prior to joining Bass, Berry
& Sims, she was an associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver
& Jacobson LLP in Washington, D.C. Thomas earned a law degree
from American University Washington College of Law (2017) and a
Bachelor of Arts from Wake Forest University (2013).
David R. Venturella
was promoted to Member. He advises publicly traded and privately
held companies, as well as private equity firms, in a wide variety
of matters and across a broad range of industries, including
healthcare, technology, restaurant and foodservice, and
hospitality. Venturella's practice broadly focuses on mergers
and acquisitions, corporate governance matters, securities
transactions, and joint venture formation transactions. He earned a
law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law (2017)
and a Bachelor of Arts from East Tennessee State University
(2013).
Hannah E. Webber was
promoted to Counsel. She focuses on representing clients in
healthcare-related litigation and investigations, as well as in
other business disputes. Webber advises healthcare providers in
litigation under the False Claims Act, internal compliance
investigations, and fraud investigations by the Department of
Justice and other government agencies. In particular, Webber
frequently advises clients on matters involving compliance with the
Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law. In addition, she counsels
healthcare providers and other clients in various disputes,
including for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and
other torts. Webber earned a law degree from Vanderbilt Law School
(2017) and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill (2014).
About Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
Bass, Berry & Sims is a national law firm with more than 350 attorneys dedicated to delivering exceptional service to numerous publicly traded companies and Fortune 500 businesses in significant litigation and investigations, complex business transactions, and international regulatory matters. For more than 100 years, our people have served as true partners to clients, working seamlessly across substantive practice disciplines, industries and geographies to deliver highly-effective legal advice and innovative, business-focused solutions. For more information, visit www.bassberry.com.