Foley Opens Nashville Office with Addition of Three Corporate Partners

Firm launches second new office in less than one year, enhancing capabilities in its Health Care & Life Sciences and Manufacturing Sectors 

Foley & Lardner LLP announced today the opening of its newest office in Nashville, Tenn., with the addition of three corporate partners to support the firm’s growing Health Care & Life Sciences and Manufacturing Sectors. The location is Foley’s 27^th office worldwide and 24^th within the United States. 

New partners Jesse Neil, Brent Bowman, and Jon Gaston join the firm from Holland & Knight LLP. The group advises clients on a variety of regulatory, transactional, and tax issues. Additionally, two Foley litigation partners, Kevin Hyde and Lauren Loew, will work from Nashville to help establish and grow the office. 

“Nashville is a perfect fit for us. It’s a vibrant market marked by robust growth and a strong pipeline of corporate investment, particularly in health care, life sciences, manufacturing, energy, and infrastructure — industries that closely align with our firm’s strengths,” said Daljit Doogal, Foley Chairman and CEO. “We’re looking forward to expanding our presence in this opportunity-rich area, supporting more local clients, tapping into an impressive pipeline of elite legal talent, and building a solid foundation in the community.” 

Neil, Bowman, and Gaston bring a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to advising for-profit and nonprofit clients on formation and compliance matters. With deep experience in health care operations, public policy, tax-exempt law, and corporate transactions, they help clients such as health care systems, hospitals, providers, educational institutions, and trade associations navigate complex legal and strategic business decisions, including public hospital conversions, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, governance issues, joint ventures, and transactional endeavors. Bowman also regularly works with manufacturing clients. 

“Welcoming Jesse, Brent, and Jon to Foley gives us the strength we need to start making our mark in Nashville and provide local knowledge alongside the entirety of our platform. They are an incredibly talented team who bring extensive experience and energy that will provide the foundation for our ability to serve clients with operations in and interests across the Southeast as the office continues to grow,” said Doogal. “With Kevin and Lauren also joining the office, we’re able to provide clients holistic solutions with litigation support alongside our corporate capabilities — an ability that will only increase as the team expands.” 

The establishment of a Nashville office is another significant example of the firm’s strategic expansion into key markets, after opening offices in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2024 and Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2021. These office openings demonstrate Foley’s continued investment in being in the same markets as clients and strengthening the depth and breadth of the firm’s national and full-service offerings. 

“We’re thrilled to join Foley and contribute to its integrated approach to client service, work alongside such dedicated colleagues, and add to the culture of excellence that defines the firm,” said Neil, who will serve as the Nashville office managing partner. “It’s an exciting new chapter for Foley and for the three of us. We couldn’t be happier to be part of a firm that is clearly focused on the future.”  

Jesse Neil — Partner, Health Care Regulatory 

Neil is a seasoned health care attorney with a unique background in both health care operations and public policy. He counsels health care providers, senior management teams, and corporate boards through merger, acquisition, and restructuring processes, and helps health care clients adapt their governance and operational structures to meet state and federal laws. Neil also advises health care companies, investors, and lenders on avoiding and resolving compliance and regulatory issues related to the Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), False Claims Act (FCA), HIPAA, licensing, and more. 

Brent Bowman — Partner, Transactions 

Bowman advises clients on a wide range of strategic matters, including joint ventures, acquisitions, dispositions and securities offerings. He has experience representing health care systems and manufacturing companies in matters such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, divestitures, corporate governance, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) compliance, private and public securities offerings, venture capital financing, capital-raising transactions and general corporate law. 

Jon Gaston — Partner, Taxation 

Gaston advises public and private clients on a wide range of federal and state tax matters. Most notably he provides strategic counsel to public charities, private foundations, and various nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations spanning a broad range of issues, including the formation and maintenance of tax-exempt status, governance, international grantmaking, regulatory compliance, tax-exempt bond financing, state and local taxation, joint ventures, dissolutions, and unrelated business taxable income planning. Gaston also advises clients navigating tax controversy matters, representing them before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and state and local tax authorities in audits, administrative appeals, and tax litigation. 

Kevin Hyde — Partner, Labor & Employment 

Hyde is a member of Foley’s Manufacturing Sector and Automotive and Food & Beverage Industry Teams. He represents employers in a variety of human resources matters, including employment counseling, workplace safety, discrimination charges, harassment, retaliation, wage-hour, and management-union issues. 

Lauren Loew — Partner, Commercial Litigation* 

Loew is a member of Foley’s Manufacturing Sector, Automotive Industry Team, and Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) Team. She represents manufacturers and automotive companies in supply chain and product-related litigation and health care industry entities in commercial disputes, antitrust, and regulatory matters. 

*Loew is admitted to practice in Illinois and a Tennessee Bar Applicant practicing pending admission pursuant to Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 7, § 10.07. 

About Foley & Lardner LLP 

Foley & Lardner LLP is a preeminent law firm that stands at the nexus of the Energy, Health Care & Life Sciences, Innovative Technology, and Manufacturing Sectors. We look beyond the law to focus on the constantly evolving demands facing our clients and act as trusted business advisors to deliver creative, practical, and effective solutions. Our 1,100 lawyers across 27 offices worldwide partner on the full range of engagements from corporate counsel to intellectual property work and litigation support, providing our clients with a one-team solution to all their needs. For nearly two centuries, Foley has maintained its commitment to the highest level of innovative legal services and to the stewardship of our people, firm, clients, and the communities we serve.