Overview

Chase Cole is a corporate attorney in Holland & Knight's Nashville office. Business and community leaders have turned to Mr. Cole for advice and counsel throughout his distinguished legal career. Matching the entrepreneurial drive and commitment of clients in both the public and private sectors, he is known and respected for his creativity, insight and ability to get things done. Mr. Cole has extensive experience in securities and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions with excellent board and management communication skills and an entrepreneurial focus.

Senior leadership and boards of directors in a wide range of industries — such as healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, sports and entertainment, food and beverage — seek Mr. Cole's counsel on  corporate governance and compliance with regulatory and listing requirements. He also represents these companies in M&A, divestitures, securities offerings, board and committee work and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting.

In addition, Mr. Cole has plenty of experience serving as a point person for “outsourced general counsel” service to both public and private companies that find him to be a trusted advisor who can knowledgably coordinate the resources of Holland & Knight's full-service practice. Mr. Cole is also a member of the firm's Opinions Steering Committee, which oversees the preparation of third-party legal opinions and is responsible for approving them prior to issuance by the firm.

Another aspect of his experience is mediating private company governance and ownership disputes and deadlocks, often in his role as corporate general counsel. His focus on this area of practice is unique in the Middle Tennessee market place.

Chambers USA described Mr. Cole as "a leading figure in the market ... famed for his work in public offerings."

Credentials

Education
  • Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D.
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, A.B.
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • Tennessee
Memberships
  • American Bar Foundation (ABA), Fellow
  • Nashville Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee Annual Campaign, Chair, 2002
  • ABA Section of Business Law Spring Meeting, Host Committee, Co-Chair, 2005
  • Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Fundraising Co-Chair, 2022; Local Organizing Committee, 1997; Chairman, 1995-1997
  • Music City Baseball, Finance Advisory Committee
  • BriteHeart, Founder and Chairman, 2017-Present
  • Nashville Sports Council, Founding Chair, 1992; Director, 1992-Present
  • Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA), Board of Commissioners, 1996-2011, Chair, 1999-2011
  • Tennessee Performing Arts Center Management Corporation, Board of Directors, 2004-2010; Chair, 2008-2009
  • Leadership Nashville, Alumni Association, 1999-Present
  • Nashville Wine Auction, L’Ete du Vin, Co-Chair, 2022; Board Chair, 2016
  • Nashville Sous Commanderie of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin de Bourgogne, Founder and Cellerier, 2021-Present
  • Mayor Bill Purcell's Transition Team, 1999
  • Nashville Women's Political Caucus, Committee of Men Who Believe in Women, Chair, 2001
  • Belcourt Theatre Capital Campaign, Chair, 1999-2002; Belcourt YES!, Founding Chair, 1999-2001
  • Nashville Symphony Association, Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Annual Fundraising Campaign, Chair, 2001-2002; Human Resources Committee, 2004-2005
Honors & Awards
  • The Legal 500, M&A Powerlist Series: USA, 2023, 2024
  • Attorney for Justice, Tennessee Supreme Court, Access to Justice Commission, 2022
  • Chambers USA – America's Leading Lawyers for Business guide, Senior Statesman, Corporate/M&A, 2003-2023
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Corporate Law, 2006-2024; Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2007-2024
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Nashville Corporate Law Lawyer of the Year, 2019, 2023, 2024
  • Mid-South Super Lawyers magazine, Securities and Corporate Finance, 2006-2020
  • Best of the Bar, Corporate Securities, Nashville Business Journal, 2018-2023
  • In Charge, Legal, Nashville Post, 2019-2022
  • Spirit of SIBF Award, Society of International Business Fellows (SIBF), 2014
  • Outstanding Volunteer of the Year for the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, 1992, 1993, 1999

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