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William S. Painter

Attorney

William S. Painter has an extensive history of leadership service with Baker Donelson, previously serving as the Firm's Chief Strategic Officer, the Chief Innovation Officer, chair of the Technology Committee, and as the managing shareholder of the Jackson office.

Featured Experience


Advised a national e-commerce company in the health care sector with respect to health care regulatory issues and related contract issues which arose out of its e-commerce business model.

2016

Represented a large shareholder of a fuel supply company on the sale of the company to a venture capital investor, negotiating and drafting the waterfall agreement between the shareholder and his venture capital co-investors with respect to the sale of their respective interests in the company, and negotiating the employment and investment agreements with the acquiring company.

2012

Advised a software development company in the employment field with respect to its corporate and business issues, including its licensing agreements, financing arrangements, corporate structure and shareholder relationships.

2016

Professional Biography


Mr. Painter concentrates his practice in the areas of corporate, tax and health care restructuring. His experience includes corporate, employee benefits and deferred compensation, federal, state and local taxation, securities, and trusts and estates.

Mr. Painter has an extensive history of leadership service with Baker Donelson, previously serving as the Firm's Chief Innovation Officer, the Chief Strategic Officer, chair of the Technology Committee, and as the managing shareholder of the Jackson office. In his most recent role as the Chief Innovation Officer, Mr. Painter was responsible for the Firm's information technology, legal project management, pricing, knowledge management, eDiscovery, litigation support, research, and its non-traditional subsidiaries, including the consulting affiliate LegalShift.

  • Advised a national e-commerce company in the health care sector with respect to health care regulatory issues and related contract issues which arose out of its e-commerce business model.

  • Represented a large shareholder of a fuel supply company on the sale of the company to a venture capital investor, negotiating and drafting the waterfall agreement between the shareholder and his venture capital co-investors with respect to the sale of their respective interests in the company, and negotiating the employment and investment agreements with the acquiring company.

  • Advised a software development company in the employment field with respect to its corporate and business issues, including its licensing agreements, financing arrangements, corporate structure and shareholder relationships.

  • Represented a Mississippi limited liability company on a series of transactions intended to provide a liquidity channel for certain existing members, including reviewing the existing Operating Agreement; drafting an Amended and Restated Company Agreement addressing membership voting rights, membership approval authority, restrictions on the transfer of membership interests, and other matters to bring the Agreement in line with the current Mississippi limited liability company statutes and eliminate provisions that are no longer applicable; drafting the liquidity offer disclosure agreement; and drafting all member resolutions and a voting ballot authorizing the transactions, and the Amended and Restated Operating Agreement.

  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Tax Law since 1993; Corporate Law since 2006; Health Care Law since 2008; Mergers and Acquisitions since 2012
  • Named the Best Lawyers® 2025 Mergers and Acquisitions "Lawyer of the Year" in Jackson-MS; 2019 and 2016 Corporate Law "Lawyer of the Year" in Jackson-MS; 2013 Health Care Law "Lawyer of the Year" in Jackson-MS; 2010 Tax Law "Lawyer of the Year" in Jackson-MS
  • Listed in Chambers USA as a leading Corporate/Commercial lawyer in Mississippi since 2003
  • Named an Outstanding Healthcare Transaction Lawyer by Nightingale's Healthcare News (2006)
  • Fellow – American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
  • Fellow – American College of Tax Counsel
  • Former Chair – Mississippi Secretary of State's Task Force on Business Law Reform, which revised in their entirety Mississippi's statutes governing for-profit and not-for-profit corporations and limited partnerships (1986)
  • Former Chair – Secretary of State's Business Law Advisory Group, which has the ongoing responsibility of improving the state's business laws (1987 – 1996)
  • Selected to Mid-South Super Lawyers since 2006; listed among the top 50 attorneys in Mississippi (2006 – 2011, 2013, 2021)
  • Member – American, Mississippi and Capital Area Bar Associations

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