Van East has been with the firm since beginning his practice in 1987. His practice focuses primarily on matters involving closely-held business entities, including formations, conversions, mergers, acquisitions and dispositions of those entities, as well as restructuring the ownership and control of those entities.

Mr. East routinely organizes limited liability companies, corporations and partnerships for a variety of business purposes, and he routinely prepares buy-sell, employment and noncompetition agreements for unique circumstances. On numerous occasions, he has accomplished the resolution of disputes among business owners and the successful and amicable separation and transfer of their ownership interests.

Mr. East’s practice also includes commercial real estate and other business transactions. He has represented clients in purchasing, financing, leasing and selling commercial properties, such as shopping centers, office buildings, restaurant buildings and vacant land. He has also represented clients in purchasing and selling a variety of businesses, such as homebuilding and real estate development businesses, manufacturing businesses and restaurant businesses.

Mr. East is a native Mississippian. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi (B.A., magna cum laude, 1984) with majors in English and History, and his law degree from Vanderbilt University (J.D., 1987). Mr. East is listed in the Best Lawyers in America and is a member of the Nashville, Tennessee and American Bar Associations, a past president of the Young Lawyers Division of the Nashville Bar Association and a fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation. He has been active in a number of other civic or volunteer organizations.

Mr. East served on the Tennessee Bar Association committee which drafted the Tennessee Revised Limited Liability Company Act, as well as other committees which drafted legislation concerning Tennessee’s business entities statutes and which prepared the Tennessee Bar Association report on third party closing opinions. He is a former chair of the Business Law Section of The Tennessee Bar Association and is a current member of the Executive Council of the Business Law Section of the Tennessee Bar Association.

Mr. East enjoys running and swimming, and he is an avid water skier and barefooter.