Faculty Profile: Mary Tullis

Born and raised in Memphis, Mary Wu Tullis attended Vanderbilt University as an undergraduate.  After graduating in 2009 with cum laude honors, Tullis attended the University of Alabama School of Law. Not only was she attracted by their extensive efforts to enroll out-of-state students, but she also felt she would receive exceptional instruction at great value. Moreover, she was intrigued by Alabama's smaller class size as she anticipated it would foster a more intimate learning environment. Throughout law school, she developed extensive mentor relationships with diverse professors, got involved with the National Asian Pacific Bar Association, and served as notes editor and managing board member for the Alabama Law Review. She remains involved in NAPABA, serving as co-chair of the Social and Networking Subcommittee of the Young Lawyers Network since 2016.

Upon graduation from law school, Tullis joined Baker Donelson's Memphis office where she has a diverse litigation and counseling practice, handling contractual disputes, tax liability litigation, product liability litigation, and labor and employment issues for financial institutions, health care entities, insurance companies, and businesses. She also frequently counsels clients through contract negotiations and advises on risk exposure.

She has received many accolades, including being nominated by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland to sit on the Memphis Minority Business Development Oversight Commission, a group designed to monitor the city's commitment to creating opportunities for diverse contractors, as well as being named president of the Young Lawyers Division of the Memphis Bar Association. She has been named a Rising Star by Mid-South Super Lawyers every year since 2016 as well as to the Best Lawyers in America "Ones to Watch" in Commercial Litigation, Banking and Finance Litigation, and Litigation and Controversy - Tax.  She was a finalist in the Memphis Business Journal's Best of the Bar in 2020 and named to its Top 40 Under 40 list in 2021. 

Tullis is a member of the American Bar Association; Tennessee Bar Association; Memphis Bar Association; National Asian Pacific American Bar Association; and Tennessee Asian Pacific American Bar Association.