William D. Massey has been practicing law for over thirty-one years, over twenty-eight of those years in the Memphis area. His area of expertise is in trial work for cases involving drug or murder charges. He has tried cases in Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Texas, in addition to throughout the state of Tennessee. He is a Certified Criminal Defense Specialist in Western Tennessee and he devotes 100% of his practice to litigation work. He also has been chosen on numerous occasions to speak at seminars in order to share his immense experience, particularly pertaining to advocacy related topics.
Published Works
- "Offer the Olive Branch, But Grip the Sword", October and December 2006, February 2007
- "The Heart of a Fighter", April, 2007
- "We Will Remember", June, 2007
- "A Collage from a Believer", August, 2007
Classes/Seminars
- "Suppression of Evidence After Berrios", National Bar Association, Ben F. Jones Chapter, 2007
- "The Gentle Wind of Words, Moving Jurors from Abstract to Experiential", National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Key West, FL, 2007
- "Getting It On The Table", Making the Case for Life Seminar X, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Southern Center for Human Rights, Las Vegas, NV, 2007
- "Qualifying and Defending Our Expert Witness", Bench Bar Seminar, Memphis Bar Association, San Destin, FL, 2007
- "The Team Approach to Death Penalty Defense", Loosening the Death Belt, Alabama Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Birmingham, AL, 2007
- "Opening Statement as Story Telling", Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2006
- "Themes Theory and Theater from Daringly Dangerous Minds", Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2006
- "Embracing Confessions: To Hug or To Squeeze", Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2005
- "Closing Argument: Taking the State's Case to the Dump in High Profile Cases", Betting on Justice V, Arkansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Little Rock, AR, 2004
- "Friends Don't Let Friends Waive Opening", Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2004
- "A Diner Menu Approach to Preparing for a Death Penalty Trial: How To Serve Desert with the Main Course and Cook a Little Hash", National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, San Antonio, TX, 2004
- "Cross My Heart, Hope to Die: The Pain of False Confessions", National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, New York City, NY, 2003
- "Wiggins & ABA Guidelines", Making the Cases for Life Seminar VI, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Southern Center for Human Rights, Memphis, TN, 2003
- Faculty and Senior Instructor, Tennessee Criminal Defense College, 1998 - Present
Honors and Awards
- Best Lawyers in America, 2008 - 2009
- Mid-South Super Lawyers, 2007 - 2008
- Recognized as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers, American Association for Justice
- Robert W. Ritchie Award for Outstanding Service to the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2004
- NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund's 22nd Annual Capital Punishment Training Conference, 2003
- Lionel Barrett, Jr., Award for Outstanding Work of Death Penalty Arena, 2001
- Special Congressional Recognition, United States House of Representatives for Invaluable and Outstanding Service to Community, 2001
- Who's Who, Executives and Businesses, Honored Professionals, 1999 - 2000
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, President, 2005 - 2006
- Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Executive Committee, 2001 - 2007
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Board of Directors, 2002 - 2008
- Tennessee Bar Association, Parliamentarian, 2003
- Tennessee Bar Association, Executive Committee, 2003 - 2004
- Tennessee Bar Association, Executive Committee, 2006 - 2007
- Memphis Bar Association, Criminal Law Section, President
