Charles A. Trost focuses his mediation skills on tax, probate and trust matters.  Through his extensive experience in those fields  he has learned that through mediation and negotiation, it is possible to truly meet the needs of parties and families by generating options that can be more  helpful to them than extensive litigation, particularly at the outset of a case.  Mr. Trost has  experience negotiating tax incentives and legislation for various industries and companies moving to or relocating in Tennessee. This experience includes industrial siting and government relations in tax and economic development issues. Mr. Trost is  a Rule 31 Listed Mediator in the field of General Civil Mediation. He holds a law license in both Tennessee and Alabama.   Charlie Trost is a long-time partner at Waller Lansden. Mr. Trost is recognized for his work in the area of tax law, as well as trusts and estates, in The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward White Inc.), as well as Business Tennessee's list of the "Top 101 Lawyers in Tennessee."

During his career, Mr. Trost has served as lead counsel on many significant reported tax cases, including:

• General Care Corporation v. Olsen, 705 S.W.2d 642 (Tenn. 1986)
• Newsweek, Inc. v. Celauro, 789 S.W.2d 247 (Tenn. 1990)
• Southern Living, Inc. v. Celauro, 789 S.W.2d 251 (Tenn. 1990)
• Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P. v. Huddleston, 795 S.W.2d 669 (Tenn. 1990)
• Union Carbide Corp. v. Huddleston, 854 S.W.2d 87 (Tenn. 1993)
• Louis Dreyfus Corp. v. Huddleston, 868 S.W.2d 649 (Tenn.App.1993)
• Eastman Chemical Company v. Chumley, 151 S.W.3d 503 (Tenn. 2004)  The decision was one of only three state tax decisions issued by the Tennessee Supreme Court in the past decade.

He also has been involved in numerous tax disputes that have been favorably resolved at the administrative level or by the Chancery Court. He has written extensively on tax matters, notably Hartman & Trost, Federal Limitations on State and Local Taxation 2d., which he edited and revised.

Mr. Trost received his B.A. from Vanderbilt University in 1960 and his J.D. from the University of Alabama in 1963.  In 1974, he received an LL.M in Taxation from New York University.  He has served as an adjunct faculty member of the University of Tennessee College of Law and Vanderbilt Law School.   

Prior to working for Waller Lansden, he was a Professor of Law at the University of Alabama.  He was also a partner of the late Bill Leech from 1964 - 1974 in Columbia, Tennessee, before Bill Leech became the State Attorney General.  While in Columbia, he served as chair of the Maury County Bar Association. 

Mr. Trost is a fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.   He is the  Treasurer and Executive Committee Member, National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws as well as a Uniform Law Commissioner for Tennessee.    He is a member of the  Board of Directors of the Paul Hartman State and Local Tax Forum since 1994, the State and Local Tax Committee of the Tax Section of the American Bar Association, the America Law Institute and American Tax Policy Institute.   He presently serves on the  Tax Section of the Tennessee Bar Association, and was former chair of the Tax Committee and Probate Committee of the Nashville Bar Association.

His civic activities include serving as board member for the Community Foundation of Middle Tennesee, the Land Trust for Tennessee, the Development Board of the University of Tennessee Agriculture Institute, and the Metropolitan Emloyee Benefit Board for Davidson County.

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