Butler Snow LLP is pleased to announce that former Tennessee Chancellor Gadson William (Will) Perry has rejoined the firm in its Memphis office and will practice with the Commercial Litigation and Appellate practice groups. Perry will also focus his practice on alternative dispute resolution.
“We are delighted to welcome Will back to Butler Snow,” said Christopher R. Maddux, chair of Butler Snow. “His time spent serving as Chancellor will greatly benefit our clients and practices in navigating complex legal matters.”
Perry served on the Chancery Court for the Thirtieth Judicial District of Tennessee, which covers Memphis and Shelby County, from June 2021 to September 2022. Appointed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to finish the term of a retired Chancellor, he became, at age 38, the youngest African American judge and second youngest judge in Tennessee’s largest county. Perry presided over a civil docket of more than 2,000 business, governmental, tax, divorce and child custody cases, reviewed civil service and state agency appeals and mediated commercial cases referred by other judges.
Prior to his judicial appointment, Perry spent a decade at Butler Snow, representing businesses and governmental entities in litigation, arbitration and mediation in more than a dozen states. Perry is a highly skilled and experienced trial and appellate lawyer, having tried bench and jury trials in federal and state courts and argued before federal and state courts of appeals. He is a former judicial law clerk for Judge Bernice Bouie Donald of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Perry has received multiple professional honors, including being named Best of the Bar and Top 40 Under 40 by the Memphis Business Journal, and has been named a Mid-South Rising Star in Business Litigation by Super Lawyers® six times. He currently serves on the governing boards of the Tennessee and Memphis Bar Associations and is a Barrister in the Leo Bearman, Sr. American Inn of Court.
A Memphis native and former middle school English teacher, Perry is an honors graduate of Craigmont High School and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wake Forest University. Perry earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he was a staff editor of Transactions: The Tennessee Journal of Business Law and Chair of the Moot Court Executive Board. He was awarded the McClung Medal and the Judge James M. Haynes Prize for his graduating class.
Butler Snow’s Commercial Litigation practice group possesses experience across a breadth of commercial disputes, including business and shareholder disputes, real estate and oil and gas litigation, insurance claims and coverage, director and officer liability and failed financial institution litigation, breach of contract, breach of warranty, consumer protection, unfair competition, UCC and sales litigation, administrative bid protests, RICO, securities and bankruptcy cases, as well as related class actions. Led by some of the firm’s most experienced trial lawyers, who have gained regional and national reputations for successfully handling complex commercial litigation, the well-seasoned group is prepared to handle negotiations, settlements, and alternative dispute resolution to reach the best client outcomes.
Butler Snow’s appellate lawyers add critical value to achieving ultimate success in litigation through their specialized written and oral advocacy skills, in addition to their case strategy and management capabilities. The team has made appearances before the United States Supreme Court, 11 of the 13 United States Courts of Appeal, several State Supreme Courts and other intermediate appellate courts.
