Faculty Profile: Keith Simmons

Keith Simmons is a Member with Bass Berry & Sims in Nashville. From 1995 through 2012, Keith Simmons served as Bass, Berry & Sims' Managing Partner. During his tenure, Bass, Berry & Sims opened an office in Memphis, a strategic move that increased the firm's presence in Tennessee and increased its practice capabilities. In 2012, Keith also oversaw the addition of the Washington, D.C. office, the first Bass, Berry & Sims office outside the state of Tennessee, which allowed clients increased access to the regulatory bodies that govern their businesses. Under his leadership, the firm grew from 90 attorneys to 221 attorneys. 

Prior to accepting the role of Managing Partner, Keith had a successful law practice focused on public finance. He was instrumental in notable financing transactions across the state of Tennessee in some of the smallest communities in the state to the largest, including the financing of LP Field, the home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans and the financing of Bridgestone Arena, a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Nashville, and home to the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League.

Keith is a native Kentuckian. He spent two years in the United States Air Force as a missile launch officer. He is active in community affairs, both locally and nationally. For the last six years Keith has served on the Board of Directors of Lex Mundi, the world's leading association of independent law firms, and from 2012 to 2013 served as Chair of the Board of Lex Mundi and helped lead the organization through a strategic planning process and a rebranding initiative. Currently, Keith serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Nashville Public Library and Vice-Chair of Cumberland Region Tomorrow. Keith also has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Nashville Public Library Foundation, the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation, and the Board of Directors of the Urban Libraries Council, an association of public libraries serving urban communities across the United States and Canada.  He is a member of the Nashville and Tennessee (Tennessee Bar Foundation) Bar Associations.  He received his J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School, M.S. from South Dakota State University, and his B.S. from the University of Kentucky.