Amy M. Pepke

Office Information
Amy is immediate past chair of the firm’s Appellate and Written Advocacy Practice Group. A particular focus of her practice is representing hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, and insurance companies in civil litigation on local and national level. She is well-versed in MDL procedures, motion and appellate practice, having represented major companies in high-profile product liability MDL and consolidated case proceedings. Her most recent experience includes serving as MDL appellate trial counsel and lead motion coordinator for major medical device company in one the largest product liability litigations in history. Amy is a fellow of the American Bar Association, Litigation Counsel of America, Tennessee Bar Foundation and Memphis Bar Association. She is recognized by Best Lawyers in America® and Mid-South Super Lawyers®. In 2019 the Tennessee Supreme Court appointed Amy to the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners.
Biography – View PDF Bio
- Associations
- Bar Admissions
- Distinctions
- Education & Honors
- Experience
- In the News
- Papers, Presentations, & Publications
- Recent Blogs
Bar Admissions
- Tennessee, 1996
- U.S. District Courts
- Tennessee: Western, Middle
- U.S. Court of Appeals
- 6th Circuit
- 7th Circuit
- 11th Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
Distinctions
- Best Lawyers in America®
- Appellate Practice, 2021
- Commercial Litigation, 2012-2021
- Super Lawyers®
- Mid-South Super Lawyers, Civil Litigation: Defense, 2012-2020
- Top 50 Women: Mid-South Super Lawyers, 2013-2014
- Professor, Comparative Criminal Justice, British Studies Program, 1999-2000
- Adjunct Professor, University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Fellow, Tennessee Bar Foundation
- Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
- Fellow, Memphis Bar Association
- Delegate of Judge Julia Gibbons, Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference, 2010 More...
- Appointment, Standing Local Rules Committee W.D. Tennessee, Local Patent Rules
- Chair, 2012-2018
Education & Honors
- Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., 1996
- Order of the Coif
- Managing Editor, Vanderbilt Law Review
- Spring Hill College, B.A., International Business and International Relations, with honors, 1993
- Clerkship, Judge J. Julia S. Gibbons, Chief-Judge, U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee
Experience
- Pelvic Mesh Product Liability Litigation, including In re: Ethicon, Inc., Pelvic Repair Systems Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2327, United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia: Lead motion practice team, expert motions; appellate trial counsel.
- Hernia Mesh Product Liability Litigation including In re: Ethicon Physiomesh Flexible Composite Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2782, United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia: Lead motion practice, expert motions; appellate trial counsel.
- Propecia Product Liability Litigation, including In re: Propecia (Finasteride) Product Liability Litigation, MDL 2331, United States District Court of the Eastern District of New York: Motion team.
- Tylenol Product Liability Litigation, including In re: Tylenol (Acetaminophen) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2436, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania: Motion team.
- Herrera-Nevarez v. Ethicon Inc. et al., Case No. 17 C 3930, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division: Defense verdict on design defect, failure to warn and negligence claims; appellate trial counsel.
- Clabo v. Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc. et al., 2020 WL 7331496 (6th Cir. 2020): Obtained a ruling affirming summary judgment in a pelvic mesh suit on the basis of statute of repose.
- Obtained favorable resolution of multi-million dollar verdict in a pharmacy liability case for one of the nation’s largest pharmacies; appellate counsel.
- Obtained summary judgment for manufacturer of metalworking fluids in mass torts case involving over 200 plaintiffs with claims exceeding $100 million.
- Defense of mass tort case involving exposure to industrial chemicals in national venues including Madison County, Illinois, and Wayne County, Michigan. More...
- Prosecution and defense of commercial cases involving business disputes, unfair competition and breach of contract.
- Prosecution and defense of commercial cases involving claims for patent infringement, antitrust and Lanham Act violations.
- Member of Deferred Prosecution Federal Monitor Team for a medical device company.
- Internal Corporate Investigations and Compliance Reviews.
- Advice and services involving creation, review and negotiation of broad range of commercial sourcing and procurement contracts, with an emphasis on healthcare regulatory and compliance issues.
- Representation of hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, and insurance companies in civil litigation on local and national level.
- Represented Plaintiffs in two separate class actions against major credit card processors alleging violations of Tennessee Consumer Protection Act and breach of contract, achieving nationwide multi-million dollar recoveries for class members.
In the News
- J&J Prevails In Tenn. Woman's Pelvic Mesh Suit At 6th Circ. - Law360
- 86 Butler Snow Attorneys Listed in 2020 Mid-South Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars
- 198 Butler Snow Attorneys Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2021
- 93 Butler Snow Attorneys Listed in 2019 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
- Butler Snow Attorney Amy M. Pepke Appointed to Serve on Tennessee Board of Law Examiners
- 173 Butler Snow Attorneys Named in Best Lawyers® 2020, 19 Named “Lawyer of the Year”
- 106 Butler Snow Attorneys Listed in 2017 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
- 147 Butler Snow Attorneys Named in Best Lawyers®, 18 Named “Lawyer of the Year”
- 102 Butler Snow Attorneys List in 2015 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars More...
- Butler Snow Attorney Amy M. Pepke Elected Fellow of Tennessee Bar Foundation
- 117 Butler Snow Attorneys Listed in 2013 Mid-South Super Lawyers®
Papers, Presentations, & Publications
- Event Chair and Panelist, “The Changing Landscape of Patent Law: Impact of Patent Cases from the 2016-2017 Supreme Court Term on Patent Litigation and Practice,” The Patent Subcommittee of the Standing Local Rules Committee and the Memphis Bar Association CLE Conference, June 29, 2017.
- Presenter and Panelist, "The Common Rule: History and Proposed Revisions" and "IRB Reporting: A Litigation Perspective," Research Training Conference, September 28, 2016.
- Author, "B2B Litigation Avoidance in the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industry," Pro Te: Solutio, Vol. 8 No. 1, May 2015.
- Author, “In the Line of Fire,” Pro Te: Solutio, Vol. 5, No. 2, May 2012.
- Author, "Haunting Prose: Ghostwriting and Transparency in Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Publications," Medical Device Compliance Solutions, Spring 2012.
- Author, "2012 – In The Line of Fire," Medical Device Compliance Solutions, Spring 2012.
- Author, "Ghostwriting and Transparency in Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Publications," Pro Te: Solutio, Vol. 4 No. 4, 3-9, November 2011.
- Author, "Successfully Navigating the Appeals Process: Appellate Procedure from A to Z," National Business Institute, August 28, 2009.
- Author, "Avoiding Discovery Pitfalls," 2009 FBA Summer Practice Seminar, June 3, 2009. More...
- Author, "Making Your Case: The Art of Appellate Advocacy," FBA in conjunction with the University of Memphis, Nov. 7, 2008.
- Author, "In-House Counsel & The Internal Investigation: What Have You Got to Lose?" Pro Te: Solutio, July 2008.
- Author, "Prove It: Finding the Middle Ground in Tennessee’s Evolving Summary Judgment Standard," Tennessee Bar Journal, July 2007. (Cover Article Feature)
- Author, "Paralegal Ethics," Memphis, TN, 2006.
- Author, "Tennessee Class Action Law," Nashville, TN, 2005.
- Author, "The Brady Bill: Surviving the Tenth Amendment," 48 Vand. L. Rev. 1803, November 1995.
- Author, "Economic and Social Development in Venezuela," Journal of Global Affairs, Volume VI, 1992.
- Presenter and Panelist, Federal Bar Association Seminars 2007 & 2008; included over 13 Federal Judge panelists and attended by over 150 attorneys.
- Author, "In-House Counsel and Internal Investigation - What Have You Got to Lose?" Pro Te: Solutio, Vol. 1 No. 3, July 2008.