Rachel C. Nelley

Attorney at Law

rachel@rcnelley.com  |  p 615.490.8012  |  f 615.673.4434

P.O. Box 41667  |  Nashville, TN 37204

Rachel holds an AV Preeminent® peer-review rating from Martindale-Hubbelll®.  Prior to joining the firm, she was a member of Farris Bobango, PLC from 2013-2018, was a solo practitioner from 2007-2013 and was an equity member of the firm of Bone McAllester Norton, PLLC from 2002-2007.  Before going into private practice, she served as General Counsel and Executive Director of a local non-profit corporation and was formerly Assistant General Counsel for the Tennessee Department of Health, where she litigated licensure and disciplinary matters before the State’s health related boards, including the Board of Medical Examiners, Board of Osteopathic Physicians and the Board of Nursing, and served as advisory counsel for various other health related boards within the Department. Rachel also served as Assistant General Counsel for the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, TennCare Division, and as a compliance officer for the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, TennCare Division.  During law school, Rachel served as law clerk for the Honorable Muriel Robinson, Judge of the Fourth Circuit Court for Davidson County, Tennessee (Summer, 1997).

Rachel is admitted to practice in the Tennessee state courts, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.  She has served as the Middle Tennessee Delegate for the Tennessee Bar Association’s Estate Planning and Probate Section Executive Council and is a former Co-Chair of the Professionalism Committee of the Young Lawyers Division of the Nashville Bar Association. Her professional memberships have also included the American Health Lawyers Association and the Young Health Care Leaders Division of the Nashville Health Care Council.  She has served as presenter and moderator of numerous continuing legal education seminars for the Nashville Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and National Business Institute. In 2009, she served as an instructor for a continuing education course for dentists, hygienists and dental assistants licensed by the Tennessee Board of Dentistry that was sponsored by the Tennessee Dental Association (“TDA”) as part of the organization’s 61st Annual Dental Health Workshop.  

From 2008-2010, she served as a board member of the American Cancer Society, Nashville Chapter, and community team member and State Lead for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (“ACS CAN”). In addition, from 2006-2009, she served as board member and general counsel for Health Assist Tennessee, a local nonprofit organization devoted to helping Tennesseans overcome barriers to healthcare.

Practice Areas

Estates and Trusts
Business Formation and Counseling
Probate and Estate Administration
Conservatorships and Guardianships
Legitimation Cases
Civil Litigation

Representative Clients

Ben Tankard
Stewart Enterprises, Inc.
Mount Olivet Funeral Home & Cemetery
Monte Vista Burial Park
Highland Memorial Park, Funerals and Cremations
Highland South Memorial Park Funerals and Cremations
Highland West Memorial Park, Funerals And Cremations
Oak Hill Memorial Park, Funerals & Cremations
Roselawn Memorial Park
Roselawn Memorial Gardens
Cole & Garrett Funeral Home And Cremation Services
Neptune Society
Foundation Partners Group
Carter-Trent Funeral Home
Hillcrest Memorial Gardens
Sunset Memorial Gardens
Wilson County Memorial Park
Universal Fire & Casualty Ins. Co.
Conard Logistics, Inc.
The Daisy Chain, LLC
C & S Harley Davidson of Nashville