Ed Lanquist helps companies build, protect, and enforce the intellectual property (IP) that drives their value. His practice spans patent, trademark, and copyright litigation; IP counseling; trademark prosecution; and technology law – giving clients an advisor who can secure their rights and defend them in court.

For more than 30 years, he has prosecuted more than 150 patent applications and more than 1,400 trademark registrations and litigated more than 170 IP cases. That combination is the difference for clients: because he knows how patents and trademarks are built, he knows where they break under attack – and how to attack an opponent.

Before joining Baker Donelson, Ed co-founded a full-service IP and technology law firm in Tennessee. Over his career, he has designed IP protection programs for more than 40 companies, built trade secret protection plans, and led IP due diligence on numerous corporate transactions.

Clients rely on Ed not just to protect their IP, but to make it pay. He counsels clients on how to structure their portfolios and weigh the economic stakes of protection and enforcement, and he has delivered numerous patent studies – including freedom-to-operate, noninfringement, and invalidity opinions – along with more than 2,000 trademark use and registration opinions.

Ed is at the forefront of how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping IP law. He advises clients on the IP questions AI now forces them to confront who owns AI-generated inventions and content, how to protect proprietary models and training data as trade secrets, the discoverability and privilege risks of AI prompts and outputs, and the rapidly developing law of secondary and contributory liability as it extends to AI tools. He teaches AI for Lawyers at the Nashville School of Law, was invited to author the Tennessee section of the Chambers Artificial Intelligence 2026 guide and speaks and writes nationally on the convergence of AI and IP. Clients turn to him not for theory, but for practical guidance on building IP strategies that hold up as the technology – and the law around it – keeps moving.

Ed also lends his experience pro bono, helping non-profit organizations protect their trademarks.

Curtis S. Harrington is a founding partner of Belcher Sykes Harrington, PLLC, he focuses on assisting alcoholic beverage/hospitality and cannabis industry members both inside and outside of the state of Tennessee, which he has been doing for over 17 years. Curtis represents beverage alcohol manufacturers such distilleries, breweries, and wineries, as well as beverage alcohol retailers such as bars, restaurants, liquor stores, hoteliers, airports, stadiums, and arenas. Curtis has served as General Counsel for the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Tennessee since 2010 and serves as counsel to the Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association.

Ryan A. T. Mercurio’s practice focuses on alcoholic beverage law and the full spectrum of practice areas that come along with it, including business formation, commercial contracts, distribution agreements, hospitality law, and civil litigation. He provides practical counsel to clients and excels at balancing the competitive demands of business with the governmental restrictions of closely regulated industries. His previous career experience as a sommelier allows him to communicate as kin to industry members and translate complex and esoteric legal issues into readily understandable concepts.

Before joining the firm, Ryan served as counsel to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission where he represented the agency in administrative hearings, pursued investigations of tied-house violations, and led direct-to-consumer wine shipping enforcement.

He received his B.S. in Agriculture from the University of California, Davis, and his J.D. as a member of the fourth graduating class of Belmont University College of Law.

Sean Marhsall co-founded BPH Hospitality in 2023, Broadway Management in 2025 and currently serves as President overseeing and directing a staff of around 200. Sean is also the Chief Operating Officer, Principal, and General Counsel of Big Plan Holdings, a diversified family office based in Nashville with investments spanning real estate, entertainment, sports, and hospitality.

He brings a strong blend of legal and business expertise, having previously worked with Nashville’s largest owner of Honky Tonks and entertainment venues, focusing on operations, revenue growth, and risk management. He also served as in-house counsel for the NHL’s Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena, handling contracts, litigation, intellectual property, and capital improvement projects. Earlier in his career, Sean practiced law and worked in real estate finance in South Florida, with roles at Grandbridge Real Estate Capital and as a Prosecutor.

He holds three degrees from the University of Florida and is licensed to practice law in Florida and Tennessee. Sean is the Former Chairman of the Downtown Nashville DISTRICT. He lives in Brentwood with his wife, Taylor, and their three children.