Exhibit 8.1
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| | | | Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz | | | | |
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MARTIN LIPTON HERBERT M. WACHTELL BERNARD W. NUSSBAUM LAWRENCE B. PEDOWITZ PAUL VIZCARRONDO, JR. PETER C. HEIN HAROLD S. NOVIKOFF KENNETH B. FORREST MEYER G. KOPLOW THEODORE N. MIRVIS EDWARD D. HERLIHY DANIEL A. NEFF ERIC M. ROTH ANDREW R. BROWNSTEIN MICHAEL H. BYOWITZ PAUL K. ROWE MARC WOLINSKY DAVID GRUENSTEIN STEPHEN G. GELLMAN STEVEN A. ROSENBLUM | | STEPHANIE J. SELIGMAN JOHN F. SAVARESE SCOTT K. CHARLES DAVID S. NEILL JODI J. SCHWARTZ ADAM O. EMMERICH GEORGE T. CONWAY III RALPH M. LEVENE RICHARD G. MASON MICHAEL J. SEGAL DAVID M. SILK ROBIN PANOVKA DAVID A. KATZ ILENE KNABLE GOTTS DAVID M. MURPHY JEFFREY M. WINTNER TREVOR S. NORWITZ BEN M. GERMANA ANDREW J. NUSSBAUM RACHELLE SILVERBERG | | 51 WEST 52ND STREET NEW YORK, N.Y. 10019-6150 TELEPHONE: (212) 403-1000 FACSIMILE: (212) 403-2000 ------ GEORGE A. KATZ (1965-1989) JAMES H. FOGELSON (1967-1991) ------ OF COUNSEL | | DAVID C. BRYAN STEVEN A. COHEN DEBORAH L. PAUL DAVID C. KARP RICHARD K. KIM JOSHUA R. CAMMAKER MARK GORDON JOSEPH D. LARSON LAWRENCE S. MAKOW JEANNEMARIE O’BRIEN WAYNE M. CARLIN STEPHEN R. DiPRIMA NICHOLAS G. DEMMO IGOR KIRMAN JONATHAN M. MOSES T. EIKO STANGE DAVID A. SCHWARTZ JOHN F. LYNCH WILLIAM SAVITT ERIC M. ROSOF | | MARTIN J.E. ARMS GREGORY E. OSTLING DAVID B. ANDERS ADAM J. SHAPIRO NELSON O. FITTS JEREMY L. GOLDSTEIN JOSHUA M. HOLMES DAVID E. SHAPIRO DAMIAN G. DIDDEN ANTE VUCIC IAN BOCZKO MATTHEW M. GUEST DAVID E. KAHAN DAVID K. LAM BENJAMIN M. ROTH JOSHUA A. FELTMAN ELAINE P. GOLIN EMIL A. KLEINHAUS KARESSA L. CAIN |
| | | WILLIAM T. ALLEN PETER C. CANELLOS DAVID M. EINHORN THEODORE GEWERTZ RICHARD D. KATCHER THEODORE A. LEVINE DOUGLAS K. MAYER ROBERT B. MAZUR PHILIP MINDLIN ROBERT M. MORGENTHAU | | ERIC S. ROBINSON PATRICIA A. ROBINSON* LEONARD M. ROSEN MICHAEL W. SCHWARTZ ELLIOTT V. STEIN WARREN R. STERN PATRICIA A. VLAHAKIS J. BRYAN WHITWORTH AMY R. WOLF | | |
| | | * ADMITTED IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ------ COUNSEL | | |
| | | DAVID M. ADLERSTEIN MICHELE J. ALEXANDER LOUIS J. BARASH DIANNA CHEN ANDREW J.H. CHEUNG PAMELA EHRENKRANZ KATHRYN GETTLES-ATWA | | PAULA N. GORDON NANCY B. GREENBAUM MAURA R. GROSSMAN MARK A. KOENIG J. AUSTIN LYONS AMANDA N. PERSAUD JEFFREY A. WATIKER | | |
August 7, 2012
Trustmark Corporation
248 East Capitol Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39201
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Reference is made to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 (as amended or supplemented through the date hereof, the “Registration Statement”) of Trustmark Corporation, a Mississippi corporation (“Trustmark”), including the proxy statement/prospectus forming a part thereof, relating to the proposed merger of BancTrust Financial Group, Inc., an Alabama corporation, with and into Trustmark, with Trustmark as the surviving corporation.
We have participated in the preparation of the discussion set forth in the section entitled “MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER” in the Registration Statement. In our opinion, such discussion of those consequences, insofar as it summarizes United States federal income tax law, and subject to the qualifications, exceptions, assumptions and limitations described therein, is accurate in all material respects.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, and to the references therein to us. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
