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, and contract disputes. Her practice is devoted exclusively to civil litigation and practices at both the trial and appellate level. 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 graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Honors Psychology and a minor in Statistics from The University of Tennessee as part of the Chancellor’s Honors program. Mrs. Ellis went on to attend The University of Tennessee Winston 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. 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 Governor for the Tennessee Bar Association’s Young Lawyer’s Division; she also is a past-Chair of the TBA’s Law Office Technology/Management Section and Chair of the Knoxville Bar Association’s Law Office Tech Committee. In August 2024, she was appointed by Governor Bill Lee to the Tennessee Board of Appeals to hear appeals brought by preferred service employees for the State of Tennessee.

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. In 2023, Mrs. Ellis was invited to train and satisfactorily completed training under Barristers of the Inner Temple in London, UK to become an advocacy trainer / instructor.