Faculty Profile: Leslie Gattas

Leslie M. Gattas was born in Memphis, Tennessee on July 1, 1966. She is a graduate of St. Agnes Academy in 1984 and received her Bachelor of Science undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University in 1988. She received her law degree from the Cecil C. Humphrey's School of Law, University of Memphis, Class of 1991. She was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 1991. She is also admitted to the Mississippi Bar as well as the Arkansas Bar.

Upon graduation, Leslie served as a law clerk to the Honorable D. J. Alissandratos of the Thirtieth Judicial District at Memphis. She has been a member of the Memphis Bar Association since 1991, serving as a member of the Board of Directors as well as Secretary/Treasurer, Vice-President and President of the Young Lawyers' Division and Chair of the Public Service Committee. She is a member of the Association of Women Attorneys, having served as recording secretary. She also has served as an Associate and Barrister member in the American Inn of Court. Leslie is the 1998 recipient of the Midsouth Women in Business Award, the 2004 recipient of "One of the Fifty Women Who Make A Difference" award presented by Women's Magazine and the 2004 recipient of the Sam A. Myar, Jr. Memorial Award presented by the Memphis Bar Association for outstanding service to the legal profession and the community, and a 2005 recipient of the "Top 40 Under 40" Award presented by the Memphis Business Journal.

Leslie is a Fellow in the Memphis Bar Foundation and a member of the prestigious Lawyer's Journal club. She has been named a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, an organization of leading practitioners in the field of family law who are chosen for their high level of knowledge, skill and integrity. She is presently on the Board of Memphis Area Legal Services which provides legal representation at no charge to low income individuals and families facing critical legal issues. Leslie is also a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, of which the membership is by invitation only, after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality. Leslie has been appointed by the Supreme Court of Tennessee to serve on the Alternate Dispute Resolution Commission which administers the procedure for training and approving mediators in the State of Tennessee.

In addition to her law practice, she has served on the Board of the Commission on Missing and Exploited Children. She has also served on the Board of Trustees of St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic, Inc., as well as serving as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees for three (3) years, as she is a proud alumna of St. Agnes Academy.

In her spare time, Leslie enjoys yoga and spending time with her two (2) sons, Carter (age 23) and Mac (age 20).