Paul Savage Davidson

Paul Davidson concentrates his practice on complex commercial litigation. He has successfully represented clients in federal and state courts, arbitrations and regulatory proceedings throughout the United States.

Based in Holland & Knight's Nashville office, Paul has extensive experience representing corporations, their officers and directors, and individuals in contract disputes, fraud cases, securities litigation, shareholder derivative actions, breach of fiduciary duty actions and other types of complex civil litigation.

His pro bono work has included representation of a death row inmate in state and federal post-conviction proceedings; successful representation of another death row inmate for violations of his constitutional rights in connection with his 18-year detention in solitary confinement; obtaining orders of protection for clients through the Nashville Aid Society; as well as advising nonprofit boards of directors, including those of the Salvation Army and Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, a botanical garden and art museum.

Recent Experience

• Selected by Tennessee's Attorney General to represent a number of nonprofit healthcare organizations in complex fraud and breach of fiduciary duty cases against two public healthcare companies that resulted in the recovery of nearly $90 million
• Achieved a 100 percent victory for a client in a shareholder's dissenter's rights case at trial and in argument before the Tennessee Supreme Court that resulted in establishing a new rule of law for business valuations in Tennessee
• Represented a law firm in arbitration in New York, resulting in a multimillion-dollar verdict
• Defended a Big Four accounting firm in securities class actions and related U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation and claims
• Represented bondholders in the municipal bankruptcies of Jefferson County, Alabama, and Detroit – the largest U.S. municipal bankruptcies ever filed – resulting in the recovery of billions of dollars
• Represented a group of dissident shareholders in a successful proxy fight, resulting in the removal of entrenched management and election of a new board of directors
• Represented a healthcare technology company in a breach of contract and fraudulent inducement action, resulting in the recovery of millions of dollars
• Representing a minority shareholder in a breach of fiduciary duty case involving the operation and sale of a chain of automobile dealerships and related businesses
• Defense of an estate in connection with the design and construction of a large condominium development in Florida
• Represented a special committee of the board of directors of a financial institution in an investigation of insider trading allegations