News & Knowledge

Forman Watkins attorneys and summer clerks recently conducted our second pro se law clinic at the Eudora Welty Library through our partnership with the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP). The July clinic allowed our team of 10 attorneys and 5 law clerks to assist with 26 individual matters, providing legal advice to those who qualified for legal assistance through MVLP. In 2017 alone, Forman Watkins attorneys have assisted with 48 individual matters through our partnership with MVLP.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently affirmed the dismissal of one of the firm’s clients, ruling that the district court properly dismissed plaintiffs’ public and private nuisance claims. This ruling is a tremendous win for defendants who face claims by plaintiffs attempting to avoid a state’s workers’ compensation exclusivity provisions by pleading them as environmental claims.

On May 25, 2017, Forman Watkins’ Win Gault and Peyton Smith obtained summary judgment in the matter of Osborne et al. v. Intermedia Outdoors Holdings, et al. before the Honorable Lamar Pickard of the Copiah County Circuit Court. Plaintiffs claimed the defendants misappropriated their likeness in connection with a hunting television show filmed in Alaska.

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is proud to announce Jennifer Studebaker was selected as a “Woman of Influence” for Mass Tort/Class Actions in the Spring 2017 Edition of Best Lawyers Women in the Law. This edition is produced in collaboration with the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law and highlights all women lawyers recognized in the 23rd Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©

Byron Kitchens argued before the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, seeking dismissal of a corporate Third Party Defendant. In the case, a non-resident alleged occupational and non-occupational exposure to asbestos.

Tim Gray and Michelle Roy of our New Orleans office represent a client, a minor, who fled from Guatemala to the United States with her family in 2015 to escape gang violence and political persecution. The firm sought permanent status for this client as a “Special Juvenile Immigrant” and as a member of a persecuted class entitled to asylum. The firm accepted this pro bono representation through a program sponsored by the Catholic Charities which matches volunteer lawyers with undocumented juvenile children in Louisiana. The firm continues to represent other undocumented minors through this program.

Forman Watkins Partner, Alison O’Neal McMinn, was recently selected as one of Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 50 Under 40 for 2017. This recognition is one of Mississippi’s most prestigious awards and 2017 brings about its 24th consecutive year. Top 50 Under 40 recognizes the state’s 50 up-and-coming business leaders under the age of 40. The key to the program’s success is that individuals are nominated by friends or business associates who best know their professional and civic involvement.

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is proud to celebrate three decades in Downtown Jackson, and we are even prouder to reaffirm our commitment to Mississippi’s capital city by revitalizing and transforming the top three floors of the Regions Building, the tallest building in Downtown Jackson. We are driven by the new energy and businesses that are coming here. Now it’s your turn to add to the creative energy, and we want you to bring your passion and submit your original works to the Forman Watkins & Krutz Photography Contest. Photograph entries from around Mississippi are welcome and will be eligible to win first, second, and third place prizes in both the Amateur and Professional categories.

Thank you to our lawyers for donating their knowledge and time to assist our local community through a law clinic created by our partnership with the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project – see the full story by reading below or click here to view the news story & video. Our Pro Bono initiative for 2017 allows us to partner with various projects like MVLP throughout our local communities and keeps us committed to helping others with their legal needs. As quoted from The Clarion Ledger: You may be able to be your own attorney on some cases without someone referring to you as a fool for representing yourself. However, would you know the type cases you may be able to represent yourself on? On Thursday, a group of lawyers from the law firm of Forman Watkins & Kurtz, and some Mississippi College School of Law students, joined with the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project to provide an answer during a free legal clinic at the Eudora Welty Library in downtown Jackson. These are the cases individuals might be able to represent themselves: Uncontested divorce Simple wills Uncontested adoption matters Guardianship Name change Conservatorship Child support contempt Guardianship Birth certificate correction Expungement of misdemeanor criminal record Stephanie Luckett of Canton came to the legal clinic to get instructions on the steps to file an uncontested divorce case. About 15 people signed up for the free legal clinic Thursday. Such clinics are conducted throughout the state during the year. “I’m trying to get help; […]

On April 11, 2017, Judge Elizabeth Erny Foote granted summary judgment for a Forman Watkins client in a personal injury action pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.