Greenberg Traurig is opening an office in Nashville, having hired Julie McPeak, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance commissioner.

McPeak has stepped down from her government job to open the Greenberg office, which will be the firm's 41st worldwide.

Julie McPeak Julie McPeak

McPeak will be a partner in the firm's insurance and regulatory practice, which is co-chaired by partners Fred Karlinsky and Thomas Bond. She was first appointed commissioner by former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam in 2011 and was reappointed by the current governor, Bill Lee, in January. McPeak announced in May that she would step down June 14.

She is considered a leading expert on insurance matters and served as co-counsel on Kentucky Association of Health Plans v. Miller, an insurance case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Before being named commissioner, McPeak worked as counsel at Burr & Forman for nearly three years. From 2000 to 2007, she was an attorney, general counsel and then executive director of the Kentucky Office of Insurance. She is also the immediate past president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

“Greenberg Traurig's reputation as a well-managed global law firm, its existing relationships in Nashville, and the strength of its insurance regulatory and transactions practice were all factors in my decision to rejoin the private sector and specifically to join this firm,” McPeak said in a statement.

Greenberg said opening a Nashville office is a key step in expanding the firm's entertainment practice, which is led by firm partner Joel Katz, who has clients in the city's music industry.

“Nashville is a dynamic market with an infrastructure that attracts this type of quality professional, and our new office will serve as an important asset to many of our firm's clients across a wide range of sectors,” the firm said in a statement.

The Nashville office is Greenberg's third office launch this year. In May, the firm announced it will open an office in Milan with longtime partner Santa Maria Studio Legale in July. And in February, it opened a Minneapolis outpost with a trio of attorneys from DLA Piper.

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