Nashville Business Attorney and CPA
What you've built,
structured to last.
Counsel for the build, the run, and the handoff.
By Knight Lancaster, JD, CPA · Last reviewed May 2026
One advisor for the legal and the tax.
A closely held company is usually the largest single asset on its owner's balance sheet. It is also the asset most often left unconsidered until a sale, a partner dispute, or an unsolicited offer forces the conversation. We do the unhurried work in advance. Entity formation aligned to the actual tax position. Contracts written for the people who will live under them. A succession plan that reads in the founder's voice. A sale or transfer that moves the business out cleanly.
Most owners of a $2M to $50M Tennessee business end up working with two or three advisors. A business attorney for the documents. A CPA for the returns. Sometimes an estate planner. Each does real work. The decisions in the gap between them are where the money is.
Knight Lancaster is a Tennessee attorney and a licensed CPA. The sister firm, The Lancaster CPA Firm, prepares the corporate returns, the K-1s, and the filings that come out of the legal work. The documents and the returns are read together because the same hand drafts both. Knight earned his JD and MBA from Belmont, his accounting degree from the University of Tennessee, and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Attorney-CPAs.
Most pages on this site are about a service. This page is about who runs the room when you sit down.
What we draft.
Mergers & acquisitions
The price is the headline. The structure is the check.
Sell-side and buy-side work in the $2M to $50M+ range. Letter of intent, working capital peg, escrow, holdbacks, and the after-tax mechanics that decide what actually lands the day after closing.
Read more →Succession & buy-sell
When the next owner is family, partner, or no one yet.
Buy-sell agreements that cover the six triggers and are funded the day they are signed. Family-transfer plans that combine annual gifting, valuation discounts, and the operating agreement that governs the kid coming in.
Read more →Entity formation
Aligned to the tax position, not the form filer's preference.
LLC, S-corp, C-corp, partnership. Operating agreements, bylaws, the bank resolutions, and the §83(b) elections that have to be filed in thirty days.
Commercial contracts
Paper that holds under a Tennessee court's reading.
Master service agreements, NDAs, vendor and distribution agreements, employment, severance, non-compete. Drafted to the reasonable-scope test that Tennessee judges actually apply.
"The price is the headline. The structure is the check."
The will of the company.
The buy-sell agreement is the document that tells the company who owns it next, what the price is, and where the money comes from. It is the most commonly drafted-from-a-form, signed-and-forgotten document in business law. It is also the document that carries the company through the first death, disability, or divorce that hits one of the owners.
A buy-sell with no funding is an IOU. An IOU does not pay anyone. We draft buy-sells that cover all six triggers, set a valuation method that does not go stale, and coordinate the funding, life insurance, disability insurance, seller financing, sinking fund, with the actual policies and the actual loan documents.
The conversations owners actually have.
What an owner says
"We do not need a lawyer in the office every day. We need one in the room every week."
What the engagement looks like
A fractional general counsel retainer covers contract review, vendor disputes, employment hygiene, board minutes, and the standing weekly call. Flat fee where the scope is defined.
What an owner says
"The buy-sell was signed years ago and nobody has read it since."
What the engagement looks like
We re-draft buy-sells that cover all six triggers, set a defensible valuation method, and coordinate the funding, the life insurance, the disability insurance, the seller financing, with the actual policy and loan documents.
What an owner says
"If the deal closes in March, what happens on the personal return?"
What the engagement looks like
The proceeds need a home before the wire lands. SLAT, GRAT, IDGT, dynasty trust, or simply a revocable trust naming the right beneficiary. The 2026 federal estate-tax exemption sunset is a live planning issue for any owner whose business is worth more than seven million on closing day.
Every business decision has a money side. The entity you choose changes the income tax bill on every distribution. The way a buy-sell is funded changes whether a departing partner is paid in cash or a promise. The structure of a sale changes whether the after-tax check is what you wanted or several hundred thousand dollars short. As a CPA, Knight sees the money side and the legal side at the same time, so the document he writes is the one the company can live under and the one that does not need to be re-litigated when the wire lands or the founder steps back. Tennessee bar admitted, dually licensed as a Certified Public Accountant, recognized in Best Lawyers in America.
The legal and the tax, read as one document.
Business law, answered.
What does a business attorney do?
A business attorney drafts the legal documents that govern an operating company. Formation paper, the operating or shareholder agreement, the contracts the company signs, the buy-sell that controls the equity at death or departure, and the documents on a sale or acquisition. A business attorney who is also a CPA reads each of those documents against the tax return that will follow it, which tends to produce a tighter document and a smaller tax surprise.
How much does a business lawyer cost in Nashville?
The cost depends on the scope. We work on a flat-fee basis where the scope is defined and predictable. Entity formation, operating agreements, buy-sells, contracts, gifting documentation, and bundled fractional general counsel retainers. Hourly billing is used for work that cannot be scoped up front, with a clear estimate. Hourly rates for Nashville business attorneys typically run in the $250 to $500 range. We quote a specific dollar amount after the first conversation.
When should I hire a business attorney?
Three moments are the most common. Forming a new entity. Signing or negotiating a contract whose terms could matter. Selling, buying, or transferring an interest in the company. The fourth is the standing engagement, a fractional general counsel retainer for owners who do not need a lawyer in the office every day but who need a lawyer in the room every week.
Can one attorney handle my business law and my tax work?
Yes. Knight is a Tennessee-licensed attorney and a licensed CPA. The Lancaster CPA Firm prepares the corporate, partnership, and trust tax returns that result from the legal work. Most Tennessee owners who are planning a sale or a family transfer end up using one firm for the legal documents and the returns that follow them, because the savings, and the privilege protection on the strategy conversations, both run through the dual credential.
Do you offer flat-fee business legal work?
Yes, where the scope is defined. Entity formation, operating agreements, buy-sells, contracts, gifting documentation, and fractional general counsel retainers are commonly flat-fee. M&A and contested transitions are typically hourly with a clear estimate.
What makes Lancaster Law different from a Nashville big-law firm?
Big-law has the bench depth and the prestige. Lancaster has the dual credential, the direct-access engagement model, and the integrated tax and estate work under one roof. Knight worked at Bone McAllester Norton (now Spencer Fane) before founding the firm, so the transactional muscle is real. The price point and the relationship are different.
Reviewed by Knight Lancaster, JD, CPA, MBA
Knight Lancaster is the founder of Lancaster Law, P.C. and The Lancaster CPA Firm, P.C. in Nashville, Tennessee. He is one of a small number of attorneys in Tennessee who is also a licensed CPA, giving him a dual perspective on business law, tax, and the estate planning that follows from both. Knight has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch (Corporate Law), in 2023 and 2024, and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Attorney-CPAs. He earned his JD and MBA from Belmont University (the first graduate of Belmont's joint JD/MBA program) and a BS in Accounting from the University of Tennessee. Before founding Lancaster Law, Knight practiced at Bone McAllester Norton (now Spencer Fane).
Read Knight's full bio|Book My Planning Call
This article is for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice specific to your situation, contact Lancaster Law directly.
Tennessee Bar
Practicing since 2019
Triple credential
JD · CPA · MBA
Peer-reviewed
Best Lawyers, Ones to Watch, 2023 + 2024
National board
American Academy of Attorney-CPAs, Director
Business counsel across Tennessee.
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