Charles W. Bone is the founder and chairman of Bone McAllester Norton PLLC. He serves as a classic “Trusted Advisor” to clients seeking advice on corporate and litigation issues, especially for “big deals” or “bet the company” matters.  His experience covers many industries and many areas of law, including business formation, mergers and acquisitions, capital creation, joint ventures, financial institutions, media law and government relations.

He was County Attorney for Sumner County, Tennessee, for over 20 years, and has served in leadership positions for both public and private companies and financial institutions.  He has personally represented hundreds of banks throughout the country during his career, and served as Counsel to the Independent Bankers of Tennessee. He frequently advises boards and committees on corporate governance matters. 

Charles has been recognized by the Nashville Business Journal's "Best of the Bar," most recently in 2009. He has written articles for legal publications and has lectured at educational seminars on legal ethics, business law, and financial institution topics. In 2006, Charles spoke at the Tennessee Bar Association's Annual Diversity Summit, focusing on recruitment, hiring and retention solutions for minorities at Tennessee law firms. Following this presentation, he was invited to speak the Association of the Bar of the City of New York's event, "Finding a Voice for Women of Color at Law Firms: Unique Challenges and Collaborative Solutions," as well as the Leadership Academy for Women of Color Attorneys, in Atlanta.

He has worked in Democratic political activities for many years, and has advised and assisted Democrats at every level of politics.  Since 1976, he was active in every campaign for former Vice President Al Gore,  and worked extensively in the efforts of Gore/Lieberman 2000.  

Charles serves in leadership roles for many civic and charitable organizations.  He is on the board of directors of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, and recently, at the invitation of Mayor Karl Dean and the Middle Tennessee Mayor's Caucus, coordinated the formation of the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee.  The Alliance is  composed of public and private sector volunteers whose mission is to develop a plan for funding public transit in Middle Tennessee.  In August 2009, Governor Bredesen appointed Charles to a six year term on the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.  He is also a member of Nashville's Agenda and an alumnus of Leadership Nashville.

A longtime contributor to Nashville's nonprofit community, he currently serves on the board of directors of Salvus, Inc., an initiative he helped found with a local physician to provide quality healthcare to uninsured individuals.  Additionally, he is on the board of directors of  Cumberland Region Tomorrow, a nonprofit focused on the expansive growth of Middle Tennessee in recent years.  Charles is Chair of the 2010 Campaign for Equal Justice, the annual fundraising drive of the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands.   

Charles received his Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University in 1967 and his Juris Doctor from the University Of Tennessee College of Law in 1970. He is married to Baylor Bone, owner of Baylor Bone Interiors with locations in Nashville and Hendersonville. He has two children, Charles Robert Bone, an attorney and member of the law firm, and Baylor Bone Swindell, also an attorney and lobbyist with the Windrow Group in Nashville. He has five grandchildren, Margaret McKay Bone, Anne Carlen Bone, Simmons Louise Bone, Brady Bone Swindell, and Charles Henry Bone.

He has been an avid runner for many years. The highlight of his running career was when he completed the first Country Music Marathon, in 2000, with both of his children. Since then, he has completed half marathons in 15 different states across the country.

In 2002, Charles founded Bone McAllester Norton PLLC, a full-service law firm with offices in Nashville and Sumner County, Tennessee, after leading the Nashville offices of two regional law firms.