Amy Worrell Sterling - Memphis, TN

Overview

Awards and Honors

Education

• Legal Education

  • University of Memphis School of Law, Memphis, Tennessee, 2006
    J.D.
    Honors: cum laude
    Honors: Board Member, University of Memphis Law Alumni Board of Directors
    Honors: Dean's Award for Academic Excellence in Legal Methods
    Honors: Best Oral Advocate
    Honors: Dean's Distinguished Service Award
    Honors: Named in Who's Who Among Law Students
    Law Review: University of Memphis Law Review, Senior Notes and Comments Editor

• Non Legal Education

  • Belmont University, 1999
    B.B.A.
    Honors: cum laude

Current Employment Position(s)

• Shareholder

Past Positions

• Tate Lazarini Brady & Davis, PLC, Associate, 2007
• Honorable Diane K. Vescovo, Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, Judicial Law Clerk, 2006 - 2007
• Bass Berry + Sims PLC, Senior Attorney, 2007 - 2018

Pro Bono Activities

• Board of Directors, University of Memphis Law Alumni, 2007 - 2010
• Board of Directors, Young Lawyers Division of the Memphis Bar Association, 2008 - 2009
• Board of Trustees, St. John’s United Methodist Church, 2019 - Present
• Council, St. John's United Methodist Church, 2016 - 2018
• Board of Directors, Central Gardens Association, 2017 - 2023

Representative Cases

• Represented Morgan Keegan, as a part of a team, in the defense of more than 300 customer-initiated arbitrations in the wake of the failure of a family of mutual funds
  • Court: FINRA Dispute Resolution System
• Successfully defended LPL Financial in a FINRA arbitration final hearing, resulting in the arbitration panel denying the claimants’ $5.8 million claim
  • Court: FINRA Dispute Resolution System
  • Year: 2017
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of client St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co., resulting in dismissal of a $20 million insurance coverage claim brought against St. Paul
  • Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
  • Year: 2019
• Negotiated favorable settlement for client in a real estate purchase agreement dispute after filing a summary judgment motion on behalf of the client
  • Court: Chancery Court of Shelby County, Tennessee for the Thirtieth Judicial District at Memphis
  • Year: 2022
• Successfully defended a medical practice in a non-jury federal trial, in which a former shareholder sought more than $1 million for breach of contract and other claims
  • Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
  • Year: 2023
• Obtained a $3.647 million jury verdict in favor of a public utility client in an insurance coverage case filed against a global property insurance company
  • Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
  • Year: 2024

Published Works

Articles

• Co-author, The Lingering Question after Oxford Health: Determination of Class Arbitrability, ABA Commercial & Business Litigation News (April 2014)
  
• Author, Professional Responsibility—Doe vs. Doe: Free Speech Violated by Requiring Confidentiality of Attorney Misconduct Allegations (2005), 35 U. Mem. L. Rev. 951
  
• Co-author, Second Circuit Provides a Clear Definition of "Customer" for Purposes of Mandatory FINRA Arbitration, Bass, Berry & Sims Client Alert, Broker-Dealer & Financial Products (August 2014)
  
• Author, 2015 FINRA and SEC Priorities Identify Regulators' Focus Areas, Bass, Berry & Sims Client Alert, Broker-Dealer & Financial Products (February 2015)
  
• Co-author, Beware Loss of Registration by Agents Who Have Failed to Pay Tennessee's Professional Privilege Tax, Bass, Berry & Sims Client Alert, Broker-Dealer & Financial Products (November 2015)
  
• Co-speaker and Moderator, FINRA Arbitrator Panel Selection: Practical Considerations, ABA Litigation Section Roundtable (October 2016)

Bar Admissions

• Tennessee, 2006
• U.S. District Court Western District of Tennessee
• U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit

Other Affiliations

• Tennessee Bar Association
• Memphis Bar Association
• Leo Bearman, Sr. American Inn of Court, 2020 - Present (Master, Executive Committee Program Chair)
• Standing Local Rules Committee, United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, 2024 - Present
• Membership Committee, Memphis Bar Association, 2023 - Present