William Hance (“Bill”) Lassiter, Jr., who was of counsel to Belcher Sykes Harrington, PLLC, passed away on Friday, June 21st in Franklin, Tennessee. He was 85 years old. Bill was born in his childhood home in Huntingdon, Tennessee, and graduated from Webb School, Vanderbilt University, and Vanderbilt Law School. Bill started his career with the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office in 1963 and then went on to spend decades in private practice in downtown Nashville. In 2015, he, along with John Belcher, Elizabeth Sykes, Curtis Harrington, and several other Nashville attorneys, founded the law firm of Farmer Purcell White & Lassiter, PLLC. In 2020 Farmer Purcell White & Lassiter changed its name to Belcher Sykes Harrington, PLLC and relocated its office to Brentwood, and shortly thereafter Bill became “of counsel” to the firm.
Although Bill slowed down in his final years, he never fully retired – he simply loved the practice of law too much and was too devoted to his clients. Bill’s trademark as a lawyer was his willingness to dive into thorny legal disputes and take on complicated legal issues. He found deep satisfaction in getting to know his clients and in helping them resolve their legal problems. Many of Bill’s friends became clients, and many of his clients became friends, as he helped them in different phases of their lives as they started families, opened businesses, bought property, and planned their estates. To the end of his life, Bill was involved with his clients and with the non-profit causes which were so important to him.
We at Belcher Sykes Harrington are indebted to Bill’s contributions to the firm, to his clients, and to the Nashville bar, and will endeavor to carry his work forward with the same enthusiasm and devotion to our clients.