Leaders Learn Here: Mary Wagner, Confirmed Tennessee Supreme Court Justice

When Judge Mary Wagner decided to go to law school, she chose the University of Memphis for a combination of factors.

“It offered a practical education in the real practice of law,” Wagner said. “And the cost was very reasonable — it was a good value for the money. Also, I’m a third-generation alum of the law school.”

Both of her parents and a grandfather attended the UofM.

During law school, she wasn’t sure what kind of law she wanted to practice, but she was inspired by her professors and their passion for their students.

“They wanted to teach us to be good lawyers,” Wagner said. “And I grew to love legal writing through law school. It really shaped a large part of my career.”

Wagner graduated from law school in 2009 and said the opportunity to clerk for a then-Circuit Court Judge Robert Childers opened her eyes to a judge’s work, though she eventually went into private practice doing general civil litigation at Rice, Amundsen & Caperton.

In 2016, she was appointed to a seat on the circuit court even though she hadn’t planned to be a judge prior to law school. She discovered she enjoyed the work.

“Being a judge means being an advocate for the law, which is something I enjoy, really digging for the legal answer and not advocating for one side or the other,” said Wagner, who is serving on the circuit court bench until September, when she will assume her new role as a Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court.

“The University of Memphis Law School is a tremendous asset to Memphis, especially to the Memphis legal community. There’s opportunity for dialogue about various legal issues and an opportunity to work with students. We don’t just educate them, we learn from them.”