Edward L. Stanton III is a Partner with Butler Snow LLP and of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group Leader.  His practice focuses primarily on government investigations, civil fraud cases, commercial litigation, white collar and civil rights matters.  He has extensive civil and criminal litigation experience in trial and appellate courts throughout the country. Prior to joining Butler Snow, Stanton was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee in 2010.  His nomination was confirmed by unanimous consent of the United States Senate and he served in this capacity until 2017.

 

As U.S. Attorney, Stanton launched a number of highly successful initiatives including innovative reentry programs, a Multi-Agency Gang Task Force and Civil Rights Unit.  The Civil Rights Unit, which received national acclaim for its efforts in combatting sex trafficking, was highly successful with prosecuting public corruption, color of law, hate crimes, fair housing, damage to religious property and other civil rights related cases.  The Western District of Tennessee was one of the first to be chosen as a Phase I Pilot District for the Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam) program. The ACTeam worked with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, Immigration and customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Labor to identify, investigate and prosecute human trafficking crimes.  

 

Before serving as U.S. Attorney, Stanton was Senior Counsel for FedEx and also served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Memphis.  He received his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Memphis.