People in the News

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.”

BARBARA ROBBINS RETURNS AS LEGAL MARKET SPECIALIST WITH BANKTENNESSEE

Since retiring in 2018, Barbara Robbins is returning to BankTennessee as legal market specialist. Robbins originally started working at BankTennessee in 1999 and served as senior vice president and branch manager of the Downtown Memphis office while managing the bank’s legal market specialty division. "Our 15-year partnership with the Memphis Bar Association and long history of serving the legal community gives us a recognizable level of experience. As a leading, locally-owned provider to many of the area legal professionals, we provide the specialized accounts and services that attorneys need,” said BankTennesee President and CEO Jim Rout.

BASS, BERRY & SIMS WELCOMES THREE MEMPHIS ATTORNEYS TO THE FIRM

Michelle Chatfield brings more than 20 years of legal experience, most recently managing her own private practice focused on commercial real estate matters for regional businesses. She also served in in-house counsel roles at two publicly traded companies: Equity Inns, Inc. and AutoZone. Chatfield earned a law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (1994) and a B.S. from the University of Tennessee (1991). Nicole T. Milani joins as an associate and will counsel developers, landlord tenants and businesses and investors related to commercial real estate and debt financing transactions (as will Chatfield). Milani earned a law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (2020) and a B.A. from Rhodes College (2014). Alex Agee joins the firm’s litigation practice as an associate to represent clients in complex litigation, contract disputes and business torts, as well as government investigations and related civil and criminal proceedings. Agee earned a law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (2020) and a B.A. from Vanderbilt University (2017).

BUTLER SNOW ATTORNEY ANDRE B. MATHIS NAMED TO THE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL ON LEGAL DIVERSITY 2021 CLASS OF FELLOWS

Butler Snow LLP attorney Andre B. Mathis has been selected as a member of the 2021 Class of Fellows, which is a landmark program created by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) to identify, train and advance the next generation of leaders in the legal profession. A member of Butler Snow’s Commercial Litigation and Labor and Employment groups, Mathis is one of 418 new Fellows selected to participate in the career development program for diverse mid-career attorneys. “We are extremely proud to have Andre represent Butler Snow in the 2021 Class of Fellows,” said Christopher R. Maddux, chair of Butler Snow. “The LCLD Fellows program provides a one-of-a-kind leadership development experience for participants that will benefit Andre and the firm as he continues to progress in his already impressive career.” As a 2021 Fellow, Mathis will participate in a year-long, in-depth program focused on relationship building and leadership training and will receive extensive contact with LCLD’s prestigious members and teachers. In addition to the exclusive leadership and professional-development curriculum, Mathis will also receive access to a virtual event series, which will provide opportunities for small-group interaction and relationship building. Mathis is the fifth Butler Snow attorney to participate in the program. Attorneys Tray Hairston, Gadson William (Will) Perry, Ashley N. Wicks and Kathleen Ingram Carrington are also Fellows of LCLD. LCLD is a growing organization of more than 350 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who are committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive legal profession. The LCLD Fellows Program, which has trained nearly 2,000 mid-career attorneys in its 10-year history, is one of LCLD’s most important initiatives.

Ari Sauer has been with Siskind Susser PC since 2006 and has years of experience representing corporate and individual clients across all areas of immigration law. Ari has served on the Board of Governors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and is a past Chair of the AILA Midsouth Chapter. Ari regularly speaks about immigration law for AILA and the Federal Bar Association and has contributed a number of articles on immigration publications. Elissa Taub has been with Siskind Susser PC since 2007 and has years of experience specializing in physician immigration. Elissa also represents clients in the sports, entertainment and fashion industries. Elissa has authored several articles, spoken on panels related to physician and business immigration, and is regularly invited by clients to present on immigration matters. She also is a member of The Florida Bar and co-author of The Physician Immigration Handbook with Greg Siskind. Founding Partner Greg Siskind and Managing Partner Lynn Susser are excited to recognize the hard work and dedication both Elissa and Ari have shown to Siskind Susser. Ari Sauer and Elissa Taub have both garnered national reputations as thought leaders in key areas of immigration law. Ari is known for taking on some of the most complex cases in our practice area such as when he fought for a "national interest waiver” for a client in a case that has become one of those immigration lawyers across the country rely on as they handle similar matters. And he's also known as a leading expert on immigration issues relating to children. Elissa Taub is known to every lawyer in the country who works on physician immigration matters. That's not surprising given she is the author of the leading treatise on the subject and works with health care employers in all 50 states. She's also known for her experience handling matters for artists and athletes and has handled cases for many clients who have enhanced the culture of the United States,” Siskind said. “Elissa, an expert in physician immigration, has managed our healthcare practice for a number of years. Through creative marketing and excellent client service skills she has led the growth of this practice group. Under her stewardship, the lawyers and paralegals on Elissa"s team have also become subject matter experts in the complicated field of physician immigration. Ari’s practice focuses on small businesses and family immigration. He has a loyal following of family run businesses that depend on his expertise to guide them through the complications of a system that was designed for large companies. Internally, we depend on Ari to know the answers, or at least where to find them, to the most complex questions that run the gambit from I-9 compliance to child citizenship and everything in between,” Susser said.

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