SAUL SOLOMON

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Over Saul’s 35-year career, he has held legal and management leadership roles in the private and public sectors, with law firms, businesses, and the City of Nashville. Saul began his career as an associate in a New York law firm, Seward & Kissel, representing investment banks engaged in corporate financing. In 1985, Saul moved to Nashville and became an assistant public defender. As an assistant PD, he appeared daily before Davidson County’s Criminal and General Sessions courts and tried both felony and misdemeanor cases.

In 1988, Saul shifted back to the private sector, working first for Equicor, a health care joint venture, and then Northern Telecom, a telecommunications manufacturing and service company. As in-house counsel in these companies, Saul worked primarily in the areas of corporate transactions, human resources and litigation management.

In 1993, Saul began his eighteen-year career with Bridgestone Americas. He started in the law department, working on corporate transactions and financings, as well as handling the legal work for the company’s major international subsidiaries in South America, Asia, and Africa. In 1997, Saul moved to the Human Resources department and became Vice President of Labor Relations responsible for Union contract management and negotiation, including “master” contract negotiations involving multiple tire and rubber product plants covering thousands of union employees.

In 2000, in the wake of the Ford-Firestone Explorer rollover crisis, Saul returned to the law department as General Counsel. He spent the next three years leading the company’s response to this challenge, which included six congressional hearings, hundreds of serious personal injury and class action cases, federal criminal and regulatory investigations, and a multi-state Attorney General action.

In 2007, Bridgestone acquired an Iowa-based retreading company, and Saul was asked to manage this $1Billion business as President of Bandag, Inc. and, ultimately, to integrate the business into Bridgestone’s truck tire business. This began Saul’s career as a business leader for Bridgestone, culminating in his leadership of Bridgestone’s commercial tire businesses and then leadership of the company’s Latin American operations. Saul was a member of Bridgestone’s seven-person Executive Committee, which is the key strategy and policy development arm of the Company.

In 2012, Saul returned to the public sector as Director of Law for the City of Nashville in the Dean administration. Nashville’s seasoned law department handles all federal and state lawsuits and claims and is responsible for all legal work generated by the City’s departments. In his capacity as Director of Law, Saul was a key advisor to the Mayor, the Finance Director, and the Deputy Mayor.

In January 2016, Saul joined the firm that now bears his name, where he puts his vast experience to work for businesses both small and large, a major university, and individuals.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

Originally from New York, Saul received a B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. (high honors) from the University of North Carolina. Saul is married and has three adult children. Saul is passionate about music and plays guitar and bass often and poorly. Saul is fluent in Spanish and has a love for Latin rock and roll, culture, and literature. Saul is the Treasurer of the Lost Boys Foundation, which is a support organization for Sudanese refugees in Nashville. Saul is also on the Board of Directors of the Nashville Bar Association and is a member of its Executive Committee.