Tennessee Governor appoints alumnus Chancery Court judge

A University of Tennessee College of Law alumnus has received a judicial appointment to serve on the 30th Judicial District Chancery Court. 

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced on Friday his selection of Gadson William “Will” Perry to serve Shelby County. Perry will fill Chancellor Walter L. Evans’ vacancy, effective immediately.

In a news release issued by Lee’s office, the governor praised Perry as “highly qualified,” with valuable experience that he will use to “serve Tennessee with integrity.”

Perry, a partner in the Memphis office of Butler Snow LLP, specializes in complex commercial disputes that involve constitutional guarantees, contracts, real estate, and intellectual property. He has extensive litigation, arbitration, trial, and appellate experience and is a former judicial law clerk for the Honorable Bernice Bouie Donald of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

“I am thankful for the support of Gov. Lee and a tremendous community of mentors, colleagues, friends and family,” Perry said. “I look forward to serving Shelby County and my hometown in this new role.”

Perry, a 2011 graduate of the College of Law, was an editorial team member of Transactions: The Tennessee Journal of Business Law and chair of the moot court executive board. He competed on mock trial and moot court teams that won regional championships, was named “Best Oralist,” and his national moot court team finished second in the nation. He was awarded the McClung Medal and the Judge James M. Haynes Prize for his graduating class. 

He has earned several professional distinctions, including recognition as a Mid-South Rising Star in Business Litigation by Super Lawyers, as “Best of the Bar” by the Memphis Business Journal, and as “Top 40 Under 40” by both the Memphis Business Journal and the University of Tennessee. He currently serves on executive committees for the Memphis and Tennessee Bar Associations and has served as a member of the College of Law’s alumni council.