Tonya has consistently been recognized as a leading advisor by numerous publications and legal directories. Tonya was named to the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America list for Securities and Corporate Finance, one of only two attorneys in Tennessee to be listed. She is the top ranked female Corporate/M&A attorney in Tennessee (Chambers USA 2025) and is one of only three attorneys listed in Band 1 of Chambers USA Corporate/M&A in Tennessee (2025). Tonya is also ranked as a Top U.S. Dealmaker (Global M&A Network 2019), and was one of the Top 10 corporate finance attorneys under 40 in the United States (Law 360 2010). Recently Tonya and Baker Donelson won Cross-Border Deal of the Year (Over $1 billion) at the 24th Annual M&A Advisor Awards (November 2025).
Her peers say that "she is a tenacious negotiator" (Chambers USA 2016) and is "very well respected and very good at what she does" (Chambers USA 2019). Her clients say "Tonya is outstanding in her field and … a zealous advocate and outstanding at client service and representation. She is knowledgeable, timely, and provides excellent legal advice and legal products" (Chambers USA 2021). Her clients also laud her ability to "take very complex issues and reduce them down into straightforward concepts" (Chambers USA 2016) and state that she is "commercially astute" and "thoughtful, intelligent, hardworking, and experienced." (Chambers USA 2025).
She routinely represents Fortune 100 companies in capital finance transactions and board and corporate governance matters. Tonya has been a guest on Nasdaq's TradeTalks television program, been featured on Centerforce's Women Trailblazers podcast, and has been interviewed on securities and corporate finance topics by numerous publications, including Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. Tonya is also the author of the treatise "Tennessee Business and Commercial Law," published by LexisNexis.
In addition to her practice and serving as the Firm's Business Department chair for the last ten years, Tonya is currently serving her second term on the Firm's board of directors, having previously served on the Firm's board from 2013 to 2019. She is also on the Firm's Corporate Governance Committee and is former chair of the Firm's Audit Committee. Prior to chairing the Business Department, she led the Corporate/Securities Practice Group for eight years.
Corporate Finance and Securities/Corporate Governance: Tonya's experience in corporate finance and securities work includes representation of companies in public offerings (IPOs and secondary offerings) and private placements of debt and equity securities. She has assisted companies and acquirers in both the defense of and the instigation of public tender offers and hostile takeovers, exchange offers, and in Exchange Act compliance, including proxy statements and annual, quarterly, and current reports. Tonya also has advised public and private boards of directors on numerous fiduciary duties involving bet-the-company corporate governance matters, material events and business strategy. She has also served as counsel to special committees of boards of directors, and has served as an expert witness on litigation matters involving Tennessee corporate law.
Private Equity: Tonya has significant experience in the representation of private funds (offshore and domestic, including hedge funds and private equity funds), including planning and structuring strategies for funds and in their day-to-day operations and negotiation of investments in portfolio companies. Tonya represents numerous private funds in connection with securities compliance with public companies in their portfolios (e.g., Section 16 filings and Williams Act filings). She also represents institutional investors, including employee pension plans, in connection with investments in both private and hedge funds.
Business Transactions: Tonya's experience in the area of business transactions includes the representation of public and private foreign and U.S. companies in asset sales and purchases, mergers and securities purchases, and sales.