Bass, Berry & Sims PLC Elects Todd Rolapp Managing Partner

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Bass, Berry & Sims PLC today announced the election of Todd Rolapp as the new managing partner of the firm, effective January 1, 2013. Rolapp will succeed Keith Simmons, who announced late last year that he would relinquish his position as managing partner at the end of 2012, following 17 years of service.  

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Rolapp assumes the reins at Bass, Berry & Sims during a period of strong growth for the Nashville-based firm, including growth in its regional market as well as a recently opened office in Washington, DC. Rolapp, 45, currently serves as the chair of the Corporate and Securities Practice and heads the firm's Executive Compensation Group.

"I am honored to have been selected to serve my partners in this capacity, and I am grateful to Keith for providing me with such an extraordinary head start," said Rolapp.

"Under Keith's leadership, we have successfully and strategically enhanced our position as one of the Southeast's leading full-service firms with nationally recognized practices in a variety of areas including healthcare, real estate capital markets, securities litigation, compliance and government investigations and corporate monitoring and regulatory audits," Rolapp added.

As practice group leader, Rolapp has spearheaded one of the nation's most respected corporate and securities groups.  Over the last several years, the group has participated in hundreds of capital markets transactions representing issuers, investors and underwriters.  The firm represents more than 40 public companies and is at the forefront on issues affecting public companies, including corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and shareholder activism.

"Todd has consistently provided superior leadership since his arrival at Bass, Berry & Sims in 1996, and he has the unstinted confidence of his partners and colleagues," said Simmons. "In order to serve clients in a world that's now faster, more highly regulated, and increasingly complex, our firm has grown significantly over the past years in both size and capabilities. Under Todd's able stewardship, we will continue to meet the challenges of the future."

Rolapp has been named one of the leading corporate lawyers in Tennessee by Chambers USA every year since 2005 and has been listed in Best Lawyers® since 2006.  He also was named the 2012 Nashville Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers®. He previously served as a member of the Advisory Board of TheCorporateCounsel.net, a leading voice on issues relating to securities regulation and corporate governance practice. He received a law degree from Duke University School of Law and an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University.

Simmons, who will remain a member in the firm, currently serves as chair of the board of directors of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation. He is also chair-elect of Lex Mundi, the world's leading association of independent law firms.

About Bass, Berry & Sims

With more than 200 attorneys representing numerous publicly-traded companies and Fortune 500 businesses, Bass, Berry & Sims PLC has been involved in some of the largest and most significant business transactions and litigation matters in the country. For more information, visit www.bassberry.com.

SOURCE Bass, Berry & Sims PLC