NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 03, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adding a veteran team of attorneys to support its roster of hospitality and retail clients, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP, announced today that William T. Cheek III, Robert D. Pinson, Olatayo O. “Tayo” Atanda, and Kimberly Faye have joined the firm’s Nashville office.
Waller’s multi-disciplinary hospitality team services restaurants, hotels, craft breweries, and distilleries on a variety of legal issues by providing advice and representation on day-to-day operational, regulatory and strategic matters. The addition of the team of attorneys will enable Waller to provide hospitality clients with a full-service experience. From the early planning and development stages, licensing, compliance or employment issues, to litigation, mergers and acquisitions, Waller has the depth and ability to provide exemplary service to hospitality clients.
“We are pleased to have Tennessee’s leading alcohol beverage law team join our firm,” said Marcus Crider, who leads Waller’s Retail and Hospitality industry team. “Will, Rob, Tayo and Kimberly enhance our multidisciplinary Retail & Hospitality industry team and expand the services we are able provide to the region’s growing restaurant, hotel, craft brewery and distillery businesses.”
William T. Cheek III has earned a reputation as the go-to attorney for alcoholic beverage law in the state of Tennessee. Cheek is the only Tennessee attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the category of Food and Beverage Law, and he authors the blog “Last Call,” which covers Tennessee alcohol, restaurant and hospitality news. Cheek has also been honored in the Nashville Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar” and the Nashville Post’s “In Charge” features. Cheek provides advice and counsel to hotels, restaurants, arts venues, night clubs, sports facilities and other retailers on licensing and regulatory compliance issues related to liquor, beer, dance, catering and special event licensing throughout Tennessee. Cheek is a founding member of the Alliance of Alcohol Industry Attorneys and Consultants and a member of the National Association of Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Attorneys, and the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators. In addition to his alcoholic beverage law practice, Cheek advises startup businesses and emerging companies across a wide range of industries. Serving as outside general counsel, he has played a critical role in the growth and success of prominent companies like Nashville-based Gigi’s Cupcakes, the largest cupcake chain in the country, and Kraft CPAs, one of Tennessee’s largest independent accounting firms. Cheek earned his J.D. in 1991 from Vanderbilt University Law School and his B.A. in 1986 from Columbia University.
Robert D. Pinson concentrates his alcoholic beverage legal practice on the manufacturing tier. He assists numerous distilleries, wineries and breweries across the United States with federal and state rules and regulations regarding advertising, marketing and commerce, and he works extensively with distilleries and breweries on licensing matters. Pinson has assisted with obtaining licenses for more than two-thirds of the distilleries in Tennessee, and he has licensed numerous distilleries, breweries and wineries in New York, California, Arkansas and Louisiana. Pinson formed the Tennessee Distillers’ Guild and assisted in the formation of the new Tennessee Whiskey Trail. In addition to his alcoholic beverage law practice, Rob represents clients across a wide range of industries with corporate matters and general business issues. He also has extensive experience assisting companies and individuals with complex federal and state tax issues. Pinson earned his J.D. in 2003 from the University of Tennessee College of Law and earned his B.A. in 1998 from Oberlin College. He also holds an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
Olatayo O. Atanda advises manufacturers, distributors and retailers of liquor, beer, and wine throughout the state of Tennessee. He played a key role in assisting more than 250 local and national grocery stores when legislation permitting the sale of wine in Tennessee grocery stores took effect in 2016. His experience includes beer, liquor, dance and catering licensing for restaurants, hotels, bars, clubs and resorts throughout Tennessee. Atanda also assists start-ups and emerging companies in LLC formation, reviewing and drafting and evaluating contracts, non-compete agreements and non-disclosure agreements. Atanda earned his J.D. in 2012 from the University of Tennessee College of Law and his B.A. in 2008 from Tennessee State University.
Kimberly Faye assists clients across each tier of the alcoholic beverage industry – manufacturing, distribution and retail sales. She counsels distilleries, wineries, breweries and importers with federal and state rules and regulations regarding the advertising, marketing and sale of alcoholic beverages. Faye also works extensively on regulatory compliance and licensing matters for restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, entertainment venues, resorts and airport-based retailers. Her experience includes drafting legislation, rules and regulations focused on the manufacture, distribution or sale of alcoholic beverages. Faye served for nearly five years as the senior judicial law clerk to the Honorable Frank G. Clement, Jr. of the Tennessee Court of Appeals. She earned her J.D. in 2015 from the Nashville School of Law and earned her B.S. in 2008 from Middle Tennessee State University.
About Waller
With more than 230 attorneys in Nashville and Memphis, Tenn., Birmingham, Ala., and Austin, Tex., Waller assists clients in complex transactional, regulatory and litigation matters. The firm has built a national reputation for its work in healthcare, financial services, retail and hospitality, and this experience extends to manufacturing, real estate, technology and other industries. For more information, please visit www.wallerlaw.com.