Nashville, TN. - Tom Potter finds himself managing Burr & Forman's rapidly expanding Nashville office. Since the beginning of this year, the Birmingham-based law firm has more than doubled its attorney count in Music City. It's growth that is stretching Burr & Forman's existing office space (so much so that associates now share a conference room fit with a record player). Potter has led Burr & Forman since the firm's entry into Nashville several years ago. He spent the bulk of his legal career in New Orleans before returning to Music City in the mid-2000s. An avid sailor, Potter studied music when he was younger. Today, he admits, his musical talents are reserved for singing with the windows rolled up in the car. In the attached video, Potter describes his fondest sailing competition, which went through a blinding squall. Nashville Business Journal recently sat down with Potter for our "Boss" executive profile feature. Below are excerpts and extras from that interview. For more, be sure to check out our March 20 print edition.

Walk me through the recent expansion that's been going on at the firm.
It's one of those things you work for, and you're patient. It's almost like fishing. Since Jan. 1, we've more than doubled our size. … There are lots of different ways firms pursue growth. Some have the, "Build it and they will come" deal where you get the whole outsized portion of top-end office space to help lure people to fill it. That's not us. … I think that's a differentiator with us. We prefer to lead with the talent and not the overhead. These people are all onboard with that. … It's more important to have the right business environment than it is to have your allotted square feet of dark-wood paneling. What we've tried to do is be purposeful, to be patient and to let people know about us and what we're doing. We think once people get to know us and our objective to be a go-to firm throughout the Southeast, a mid-size firm rather than an international behemoth, with collaborative regional, one-firm philosophy.

To read the full profile on NBJ.com, subscribers can go here.

Additional Coverage

• Burr & Forman Rapidly Expanding Nashville Office (Tennessee Bar Association, TBA Today)

About Burr & Forman LLP
For over a century, Burr & Forman LLP's experienced legal team has served clients with local, national, and international interests in numerous industry and practice areas, ranging from commercial litigation and class actions to corporate transactions, including bankruptcy and restructurings. A Southeast regional firm with nearly 300 attorneys and nine offices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee, Burr & Forman attorneys draw from a diverse range of resources to help clients achieve their goals and address their complex legal needs. For more information, visit the firm's website at www.burr.com.