Leigh Walton

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 and Dispositions

- Corporate Finance

- Corporate Governance

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. She served two six-year terms on the ABA’s Corporate Laws Committee, where she co-chaired the Corporate Director’s Guidebook Task Force. Leigh was elected in 2019 to the American College of Governance Counsel, a professional and educational association of lawyers widely recognized for their achievements in corporate governance.

Joined Bass, Berry & Sims in 1979. Leigh is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University Law School teaching Healthcare Mergers and Acquisitions.

American Bar Association: Corporate Laws Committee (1997-2003; 2016-2022; Corporate Directors Guidebook Task Force, Co-Chair (2017); 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 (1992-present)

Nashville Bar Association, Board of Directors (2023-present)

American Bar Foundation: Fellow (2009-present)

JD, Vanderbilt Law School (1979) - Order of the Coif

BA, Randolph-Macon Woman's College (1973) - Phi Beta Kappa

Healthcare, Tennessee, Senior Statesperson (2022-2026); Healthcare, Tennessee, Band 1 (2007-2021)

Chambers USA

Client Service All-Stars (2022)

BTI

Nashville Securities Regulation “Lawyer of the Year” (2025, 2021, 2019); Nashville Securities/Capital Markets Law “Lawyer of the Year” (2025)

Best Lawyers®

Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Law; Health Care Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Securities/Capital Markets Law; Securities Regulation (1995-2025)

The Best Lawyers of America©

Notable Practitioner (2016-2023)

IFLR1000