Writer: Max Crampton-Thomas
2 min read May 2021 — Based in Tennessee and Kentucky, Batson Nolan is a law firm that was founded in 1860 and is an established presence in the market. Managing Partner Mark Nolan spoke with Invest: about the firm’s differentiators, its key areas of growth and what makes Nashville attractive for both businesses and people.
What differentiates Batson Nolan from other firms in the region?
One of the biggest factors is how long we’ve been in the market. The firm has been in continuous existence since 1860. We are in the Top 25 largest firms in the Nashville area, and some of those at the top are major multinational firms that have 200 lawyers. We all do similar things, but we are different because we are a medium-sized firm, we are well established and we know a wide range of people across different industries.
In what practices are you seeing the greatest growth?
Probably the biggest growth area is in real estate. One would think that people would not be considering buying or selling homes, businesses or commercial sites. However, it has been a tremendous area for us. We’re thinking about adding additional people just to meet the demand in that segment. One area that is about to change is the demand for estate and financial planning because of the change in the federal administration and potential changes in corporate tax, capital gains and those types of things as a result. Even if you’re already in business or already have estate planning, this will be a key time to review those personal and financial decisions. Those are two big areas that have not really been affected by the pandemic, but certainly will be by changing economic factors.
What makes Nashville attractive as an investment destination?
Nashville is growing. Businesses are coming in and building their headquarters in Nashville because Tennessee does not have a state income tax. That makes it attractive from both a business and a personal standpoint if you are a CEO or a highly-compensated employee. Nashville is attracting a lot of investment from companies like Amazon, which has its Operations Center of Excellence here. Oracle has announced that they are coming to Downtown Nashville. That will represent a $1.2 billion investment. I think people are coming because it is a growing city and because there are many advantages for businesses. There are about a million people in Nashville, and there are all these surrounding counties like Montgomery County that are in close proximity to Nashville. This allows firms to put their headquarters in major cities, and to build factories in the surrounding counties. There is also room to grow; we have the infrastructure and are favorable even for factories and manufacturing.
How are the courts progressing through the pandemic?
Because of the pandemic, there have been a lot of changes made about how the courts operate because we now have the technology to accommodate these changes. Although courts are going back to having in-court hearings and trials, I don’t think the new video element will ever go away, which is a good thing. Before, if you had a trial, you needed to have everybody in the same room. Now, a witness who can appear before the court from any location. The technology is now in place. I don’t think it will go away completely, but we will get back to in-person trials.
What is your outlook for the sector after the pandemic?
I think the outlook is good. A lot of the firms that have been based in the core of Downtown Nashville are relocating to the suburbs because it is easier to serve their clients and employees from those locations. That is one thing that will continue to change; not everybody will be based Downtown because they can meet through video conferencing with anybody no matter the location. Law firms now know they can still get work out the door while cutting down their physical footprint.
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