William L. "Bill" Harbison

William L. "Bill" Harbison


Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, PLC

Recognized since 2001

Nashville, Tennessee

Practice Areas

Bet-the-Company Litigation

Commercial Litigation

Elder Law

Litigation - Trusts and Estates

Trusts and Estates

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Litigation - Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2019 - Elder Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2018 - Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2017 - Bet-the-Company Litigation Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2015 - Litigation - Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2014 - Bet-the-Company Litigation Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2013 - Litigation - Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2011 - Trusts and Estates
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Bill Harbison is a member of Sherrard & Roe and works primarily in the areas of corporate law and trusts and estates. He also handles litigation in those same practice categories. Mr. Harbison is a 1980 graduate of Harvard Law School, cum laude. He received his bachelor's degree with highest honors in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1977. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Mr. Harbison is listed in The Best Lawyers of America. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and the Nashville Bar Association, and served as President of the Nashville Bar Association in 1999. He was Secretary of the Tennessee Bar Association from 2002 to 2004 and is currently serving as general counsel to the Tennessee Bar Association. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, the Tennessee Bar Foundation and the Nashville Bar Foundation. He was president of the Nashville Bar Foundation in 2002 through 2006. He is a member of the Nashville Estate Planning Council, and served as President of that organization in 1988-1989. Mr. Harbison recently was selected by the Tennessee Supreme Court to serve on the Board of Professional Responsibility Advisory Committee. He is a hearing panel member for the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility. He has published several articles in the Tennessee Bar Journal, and is a frequent lecturer for the Tennessee and Nashville Bar Associations. He received the Joseph W. Henry award for outstanding legal writing from the Tennessee Bar Association in 1985. Mr. Harbison is also active in several community and civic organizations. From 1994 to 1998, Mr. Harbison was a member of the Nashville Metropolitan Planning Commission.

  • Woodward/White “The Best Lawyers In America” (Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation & Trusts and Estates) 2008-2010
  • Business Tennessee Magazine "150 Best Lawyers" 2010
  • The Best of the U.S., LLC (Trusts and Estates, Tax Law and Commercial Litigation)2006-2008
  • Nashville Business Journal's "Best of The Bar" 2008-2009
  • The Chambers USA Guide (Litigation: General Commercial) 2006-2007
  • Mid-South Super Lawyers (Estate Planning & Probate) 2006-2008
  • The Best Attorneys Network - Commercial/Business Litigation & Wills 2007-2008
  • Tennessee Bar Foundation, Fellow, 2004-Present
  • Tennessee Bar Journal “Pro Bono Honor Roll” 2001-2002

Contact & Links
Location
  • 1600 West End Avenue, Suite 1750
    Nashville, TN 37203
Education
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A., with highest honors, graduated 1977
  • Harvard University, J.D., cum laude, graduated 1980
Bar Admissions
  • Tennessee, Tennessee Bar Association, 1980
Affiliations
  • American Bar Association - Member
  • American Bar Foundation - Fellow
  • American College of Trust and Estate Counsel - Fellow
  • Board of Professional Responsibility Advisory Committee - Board Member selected by the Tennessee Supreme Court
  • Nashville Bar Association - Member
  • Nashville Bar Association - Past President
  • Nashville Bar Foundation - Fellow
  • Nashville Bar Foundation - Past President (2002-2006)
  • Nashville Estate Planning Council - Member and Past President
  • Nashville Metropolitan Planning Commission - Past Member
  • Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison - Member, Management Committee
  • Tennessee and Nashville Bar Associations - Lecturer
  • Tennessee Bar Association - Member
  • Tennessee Bar Association - Past President
  • Tennessee Bar Association - Former General Counsel
  • Tennessee Bar Foundation - Fellow
  • Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility - Hearing Panel Member
  • Tennessee Supreme Court Board of Law Examiners - Member
Court Admissions
  • Supreme Court of the United States

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Litigation - Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2019 - Elder Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2018 - Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2017 - Bet-the-Company Litigation Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2015 - Litigation - Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2014 - Bet-the-Company Litigation Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2013 - Litigation - Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2011 - Trusts and Estates
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Nashville (2024)
  • Trusts and Estates, Nashville (2024)
  • Elder Law, Nashville (2019)
  • Trusts and Estates, Nashville (2018)
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation, Nashville (2017)
  • Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Nashville (2015)
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation, Nashville (2014)
  • Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Nashville (2013)
  • Trusts and Estates, Nashville (2011)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 for work in:
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Elder Law
  • Litigation - Trusts and Estates
  • Trusts and Estates
Special Focus:
  • Appellate
  • Breach of Contract
  • Civil Litigation
  • Commercial Disputes
  • Complex Litigation
  • Estate Planning
  • Fiduciary Duties
  • Litigation
  • Trusts and Estates
Awards:
  • ACLU Bill of Rights Award (2015)

  • Attorney at Law Magazine “Attorney of the Month” (December 2015)

  • Benchmark Litigation “Litigation Star” (2013 – 2024)

  • Business TN Magazine “150 Best Lawyers” (2010)

  • Chambers USA, Litigation (2006 – 2024)

  • Chambers USA High Net Worth Guide, Private Wealth Law (2022 – 2024)

  • Martindale-Hubbell, AV Preeminent ® Peer Review Rated

  • Nashville Bar Association John C. Tune Public Service Award (2017)

  • Nashville Business Journal “Best of The Bar” (2008 – 2009, 2011 – 2015)

  • Nashville Scene “Nashvillian of the Year” (2015)

  • Nashville School of Law Faculty & Community Service Honoree (2024)

  • Super Lawyers, Estate and Trust Litigation, Business Litigation (2006 – 2024)

  • Super Lawyers “Top 50: Nashville Super Lawyers” (2012 – 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021- 2024)

  • Super Lawyers “Top 100: Tennessee Super Lawyers” (2006 – 2014, 2019, 2021 – 2024)

  • Tennessee Bar Association Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Award (2012)

  • Tennessee Bar Association Joseph W. Henry Award (1985)

  • Tennessee Supreme Court Attorneys for Justice Honor Roll (2015 – 2017, 2020 – 2023)

  • The Best Attorneys Network, Commercial/Business Litigation and Wills (2007 – 2008)

  • The Best of the U.S. LLC, Trusts and Estates, Tax Law and Commercial Litigation (2006 – 2008)

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President's Perspective: Last Lines


Tennessee Bar Journal

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This Mentor Relationship Withstood the Test of Time


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Competition Can Be Beneficial, But Also Corrosive


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Contempt Case Helped Develop Due Process Concept


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Access to Justice Is Part of ‘Thinking Like a Lawyer’


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Evolving Legal Markets


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A Speech on Appreciation


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A Speech on Tolerance


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President's Perspective: Generation Gaps


Tennessee Bar Journal

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Publicly and Privately, Lawyers Champion Justice for Others


Tennessee Bar Journal

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