Joshua S. Bolian

Joshua S. Bolian is a Nashville commercial litigation lawyer who represents and counsels clients in complex business disputes. His work includes shareholder class actions under federal securities laws, fiduciary duty claims, fraud and other business torts, breach of contract matters, fraudulent transfer actions, constitutional claims, and challenges to administrative agency decisions. He also advises clients outside court on potential litigation and disputes that may affect the value of their investments.

Joshua earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and his A.B. from Harvard College. He is admitted to practice in Tennessee and New York. His legal education supports the research, analysis, and written advocacy required in sophisticated commercial disputes. His academic background, combined with experience across multiple levels of the federal judiciary, helps him evaluate complex legal questions involving securities, contracts, bankruptcy, constitutional law, and international legal doctrines.

Joshua has litigated cases at every level of the federal judiciary, from bankruptcy courts through the US Supreme Court. His matters have involved indentures, credit agreements, convertible notes, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, international comity, fraudulent transfers, and Takings Clause claims. Before returning to Nashville, he practiced for nearly a decade at a Washington, D.C. litigation firm and clerked for Judge Thomas L. Ambro of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Joshua S. Bolian has repeatedly been recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers. He also served for three years as a newsletter editor for the Commercial & Business Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation. His published work has addressed sovereign immunity, bond transactions, and False Claims Act developments. His background in federal litigation, appellate practice, and commercial disputes supports careful advocacy for clients facing significant business and investment-related legal issues.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Riley & Jacobson, PLC
• Member, Tennessee Bar Association
• Member, New York State Bar Association

Licensed State

• Tennessee
• New York

Education

• Yale Law School
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Harvard College
  A.B.

Awards & Badges