Faculty Profile: Samantha Ellis

Samantha I. Ellis’s practice encompasses a variety of civil litigation matters, including wrongful death, products liability, personal injury cases, insurance litigation, employment, student conduct cases, and contract disputes. Her practice is devoted exclusively to civil litigation. She is currently admitted to practice in the State of Tennessee and in the United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Tennessee. Mrs. Ellis practices at both the trial and appellate level, and she has worked on briefs to the Tennessee Court of Appeals and the Tennessee Supreme Court.

 Mrs. Ellis grew up in Illinois, Oregon and Arizona before coming to Knoxville, Tennessee in 2007. She attended the University of Tennessee as part of the Chancellor’s Honors program. While completing her undergraduate degree, she was the President of The University of Tennessee Creative Writing Club and completed an honors thesis in Psychology that was later published. In 2014, she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Honors Psychology and a minor in Statistics.

 Upon receiving her B.A. degree in Psychology, Mrs. Ellis enrolled at the University of Tennessee College of Law. During this time, she served as an Articles & Acquisition Editor for the Tennessee Law Review and participated in the College of Law’s Advocacy and Expungement clinics. She graduated magna cum laude with a concentration in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution. Prior to joining RDJS as an attorney, Mrs. Ellis worked for the firm as a law clerk for two years.

Mrs. Ellis works with her community through several legal organizations. She has been appointed to serve on the Long Range Planning Committee and as the East Tennessee Continuing Legal Education Chair for the Tennessee Bar Association’s Young Lawyer’s Division; she also serves as the Chair of the TBA’s Law Office Technology/Management Section, is a member of the Knoxville Bar Association’s Law Office Tech Committee, and as a member of the Hamilton Burnett Chapter of the American Inns of Court. 

In addition to helping prepare several continuing legal education seminars, Mrs. Ellis has spoken at various seminars, including Laying the Foundation: How to Use Your Engagement Letter to Set the Tone for Your Representation and Other Ethical Concerns; From the Trenches: Lessons Learned on Sustaining and Growing a Small Law Firm; and Renewing Civility: A Panel Discussion On Civility. To further her own trial skills, Mrs. Ellis has attended the American Inns of Court National Advocacy Trial Program and the American Board of Trial Advocates National Trial College.