AMBER FLOYD The Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA) has announced the addition of Amber Floyd as its new General Counsel, effective April 5. Floyd will be responsible for overseeing Airport Authority legal matters including litigation, legal advice, claims, leasing and contracts and risk management. She will report to MSCAA President and CEO Scott Brockman. Floyd has been employed by the City of Memphis since 2019, most recently serving as Deputy City Attorney. Before joining the City of Memphis, she worked for more than eight years as a senior associate for Wyatt, Tarrant and Combs LLC in Memphis.
“Amber has a wealth of legal experience in both the private and public sectors,” said Brockman. “Her experience, achievements and community involvement make her an ideal addition to our leadership team.” Floyd earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Memphis, where she graduated with summa cum laude honors. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. Floyd is a member of the Memphis Bar Association and the Tennessee Bar Association, as well as the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission. She also serves on the board of directors for the Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association. Floyd was named one of the American Bar Association’s “On the Rise-Top 40 Young Lawyers” in 2017 and was the recipient of the National Bar Association’s Ben F. Jones Chapter’s President Award in 2020.
FAMILY OF ATTORNEY JAMES S. GILLILAND GIVES $500,000 ENDOWMENT GIFT TO UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS LEGAL CLINIC PROGRAM The former University of Memphis Legal Clinic is proud to announce that it is now the “James S. Gilliland Legal Clinic” and the recipient of a very generous $500,000 endowment gift from the family of nationally known Memphis attorney, James S. Gilliland. Jim Gilliland, who passed away in 2020, began his civilian legal career at the Memphis firm now known as Glankler Brown, PLLC, where he became a named partner. He remained with the firm for 30 years before being called to public service as the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While actively engaged in law practice and after his retirement, he was a powerful force for access to justice and community building through his work on the boards of both local and
national nonprofit entities and in particular, his dedication to the development of the health law certificate program at the University of Memphis School of Law. His family made this extraordinary gift in honor of Mr. Gilliland’s exceptional commitment to our system of justice and to the education of a new generation of law students. As Law School Dean Kate Schaffzin expressed it, “The Gilliland family’s generosity will strengthen the Law School as a vehicle for social change and broaden the gateways to public service for students who will transform the world for the better. We are deeply grateful for the family’s commitment to propagating Jim’s values of equity, inclusion and justice.”
35
