News & Knowledge

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is proud to announce that 20 of our staff employees have achieved their LTC4 Certification. On February 27, FormanWatkins hosted a special luncheon at the Capital Club in Jackson to recognize these employees. The honorees were treated to a delectable buffet followed by a game that was enjoyed by all. Speeches recognizing their accomplishments were given by the Firm’s COO, Robby Gathings, and HR Director, Mandi Murphy.

On March 11, 2020, New Orleans attorneys Charles Abbott and Melissa Fuller guest lectured a Toxic Torts Class at LSU Law School, the second in a series of classes taught by FormanWatkins’s attorneys this semester.

With COVID-19 reaching pandemic status and the total number of cases in the United States surging, it has become critical that employers have a response strategy.  Any response strategy to COVID-19 should consider the current and developing labor and employment laws implicated by the COVID-19 crisis along with the concerns that could arise outside the employment context, including potential tort and contract liability.

Win Gault and Spencer Ritchie completed a successful jury trial for an international oil field supply company in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. The plaintiff claimed almost $10 million for property damage to its business and clean-up costs resulting from a spill of hydrochloric acid.

Clients and Friends,

As we monitor, assess, and respond to rapidly-evolving developments related to the spread of COVID-19, the safety and health of FormanWatkins employees, their families, and our communities is our most important objective. This is an unprecedented time filled with unique challenges. To meet these challenges, the Firm has taken a number of actions to protect the safety of our team while ensuring continued service to our clients.

FormanWatkins is proud to recognize and honor International Women’s Day.

FormanWatkins attorneys Ruth Maron, Joshua Metcalf, and Nick Giallourakis worked with attorneys from Bullivant Houser Bailey to obtain summary judgment in a King County, Washington living mesothelioma case on February 28, 2020. 

FormanWatkins released its 2019 Pro Bono & Civic Engagement Report today. The Firm’s pro bono efforts are led by our Pro Bono Committee, whose members include: Alison McMinn, Courtney Hunt, Erin Latuso, Julian Miller, Margaret McLaughlin, Mimi Arthur, Mitch McGuffey, Nicole Diesa, and Vernon McFarland.

Congratulations to all finishers of the 2020 Mississippi Blues Marathon, especially the FormanWatkins relay team (Simine Reed, Mitch McGuffey, Patrick Fields, and Ruth Maron) and FormanWatkins runners of the half marathon, 10k, and 5k.

In another win for our forest products team, on February 21, 2020, FormanWatkins won summary judgment on all counts on behalf of a dimensional lumber manufacturer in a case involving a plaintiff’s alleged childhood exposure to softwood dust in his father’s hobby woodshop.