Will Perry (’11)

Category: Alumni Promise | Awards

2021 Alumni Promise Award Winner

Will Perry is one of many graduates who have gone on from UT to accomplish great things.

In 2021, Perry received a judicial appointment from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to serve on the 30th Judicial District Chancery Court. Prior to his appointment, Perry served as partner at the law firm Butler Snow LLP, specializing in complex commercial disputes that involve federal and state constitutions, contracts, real estate, and intellectual property. A former law clerk for Judge Bernice Bouie Donald of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, he has extensive litigation, arbitration, trial, and appellate experience. Perry also has taught legal writing at the University of Memphis Law School, where he was named the 2021 Mentor of the Year.

A 2011 graduate of the College of Law, Perry was a member of Transactions: The Tennessee Journal of Business Law and chair of the Moot Court Executive Board. Perry also competed on mock trial and moot court teams that won regional championships, winning the Best Oral Advocate award. 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.

Perry has earned several professional distinctions, including recognition as a Mid-South Rising Star in Business Litigation by Super Lawyers® and as Top 40 Under 40 by both the Memphis Business Journal and UT. He serves on executive committees for the Memphis and Tennessee Bar Associations and is a graduate of Leadership Memphis and the Tennessee Bar Association’s Leadership Law program. Perry frequently returns to UT to speak to classes, connect students with job opportunities, and serve on the College of Law’s Alumni Council. In 2019, he delivered the keynote address for first-year orientation at the College of Law.