Our Team
Tory Lewis, J.D.
Attorney
Tory graduated first in her class from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2009. Following graduation, she worked as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable J. Leon Holmes on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (2009-11) and for the Honorable Lavenski Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (2011-12).
Tory entered private practice in 2012, where she pursued her passion for appellate advocacy and practiced with the Friday Firm until 2016, at which time Tory and her family answered the call to serve as missionaries in South America. She joined Taylor & Taylor Law Firm as a remote, part-time attorney in 2017 and she remains with her husband and their three children in South America, working, studying language, and developing cross-cultural relationships.
Our Team
Tory Lewis, J.D.
Attorney
Practice Areas
Appellate Advocacy
Entered into Practice
Arkansas 2009; United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit; United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas
Education
- Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., Founder’s Medalist (first in class), 2009.
- University of Arkansas, B.S.A. in Agricultural Business, summa cum laude, 2006.
Personal & Professional Passions
At a young age, Tory decided she wanted to be a lawyer so she could help people. Whether she was volunteering in a nursing home, mentoring underprivileged children, or hosting international students, she always found herself looking for ways to serve her community.
Tory explains, “I pursued a law degree because I thought it could provide unique opportunities to serve others – and it has! Through sound legal representation in difficult cases, I serve not only the interests of my clients, but also the community’s as a whole.”
Tory is particularly passionate about appellate advocacy and using the law to benefit her clients and the world around her. She also has a special fondness for legal research and writing, which she gained as a judicial law clerk and continues to exercise. In her words, “In my previous position, I enjoyed analyzing a set of facts and proposing whatever outcome the law allowed. Now, in my current position as an appellate attorney, I advocate for outcomes that are supported by the law and that further my clients’ interests.”
Publications
- Co-author of the Handling Appeals in Arkansas handbook, published by the Arkansas Bar Association (2015-present).
- Note, Managing Manure: Using Good Neighbor Agreements to Regulate Pollution from Agricultural Production, 61 VAND. L. REV. 1555 (2008).
Professional Associations & Affiliations
- Arkansas Bar Association
- Arkansas Lawyer Editorial Board
Professional Experience
Law Clerk, Honorable J. Leon Holmes, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (2009-11); Law Clerk, Honorable Lavenski Smith, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (2011-12); Litigation Associate, Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP (2012-2016); Attorney, Taylor & Taylor Law Firm, P.A. (2017-present).
Law School Honors & Leadership
Vanderbilt Law Review, Executive Editor; Appellate Advocacy Clinic; Moot Court Traveling Team Member; Moot Court Board; Order of the Coif (top ten percent in class); Harold Sterling Vanderbilt Scholar; Morgan Prize Winner for Excellence in Student Writing; Lightfoot Franklin & White Best Oralist