Announcements

November 28, 2023

Twenty-one FormanWatkins Attorneys Honored as 2023 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is pleased to announce the inclusion of  21 attorneys in the 2023 edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars list by Thomson Reuters. Attorneys from Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee are covered within the Mid-South rankings (with no more than five percent of the lawyers in Mississippi selected). Super Lawyer selections are made using a patented multi-phase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. Rising Stars qualify as 40 years old or younger, or in practice for 10 years or less. Congratulations to the following attorneys on their selection to this year’s lists! 2023 Mid-South Super Lawyers: Mary Clift Abdalla*, Tanya Ellis, Win Gault, Nick Giallourakis, Brian Hannula, Fred Krutz, Mitch McGuffey, Alison McMinn**, Joshua Metcalf**, Daniel Mulholland*, Spencer Ritchie*, Jennifer Studebaker, Trey Watkins, and WG Watkins 2023 Mid-South Rising Stars:  Autumn Breeden, Patrick Fields, Joel Fyke,  Sam Kapoor, Chelsea Lewis, Vernon McFarland and Peyton Smith *First-time honorees as Super Lawyers ** Top 50 Mississippi Mid-South Super Lawyers

November 2, 2023

Forman Watkins & Krutz Ranked Nationally and Regionally by Best Law Firms® in 2024

The Firm has been recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms®, ranked by Best Lawyers®, nationally in 1 practice area and regionally in 9 practice areas for three firm offices. Firms included in the 2024 Best Law Firms® list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. The transparent, collaborative research process employs qualitative and quantitative data from peer and client reviews that is supported by proprietary algorithmic technology to produce a tiered system of industry-led rankings of the top 4% of the industry. Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP received a national ranking for its work in Mass Tort Litigation and Class Actions Defense and regional recognition in the following Practice Areas: Jackson  Commercial Litigation Litigation – Environmental Litigation – Insurance Litigation – Labor & Employment Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants Product Liability Litigation – Defendants New Orleans Commercial Litigation Litigation – Environmental Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants Product Liability Litigation – Defendants Houston Arbitration Commercial Litigation Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants Natural Resources Law Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

September 22, 2023

FormanWatkins Named One of Best Places to Work by New Orleans CityBusiness

FormanWatkins is pleased to announce its selection by New Orleans CityBusiness as one of the 2023 Best Places to Work. Of the 82 companies who made the list, FormanWatkins was one of 8 law firms featured. The New Orleans office previously earned the distinction in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Voted on by employees, the firm values this honor each year as it speaks to the vitality of the firm’s culture. To participate in Best Places to Work, companies submit extensive nomination forms disclosing workforce data such as salaries, benefits, retention levels, and employee advancement. Employees of the nominated companies are then anonymously surveyed to measure workplace culture. All companies chosen are honored at an awards event where the top three large and small companies are announced. The list is then published in the year-end issue of New Orleans CityBusiness magazine. See the full list here.

September 14, 2023

FormanWatkins Attorneys Participate in 2023 National Asbestos Litigation Conference

Peyton Smith, a Partner in the FormanWatkins Jackson office, and Nicole Diesa, a Partner in the firm’s New Jersey office, participated in Perrin Conferences’ National Asbestos Litigation Conference Sept. 12-13 in Charleston, South Carolina. Peyton served as a featured panelist and spoke on Risk Assessment in Asbestos Litigation. The panel’s insights on risk included discussion on access and personal relationships, tolling agreements and the implementation of the latest tools and technology. Nicole served as Moderator for The Insurer Perspective panel, which dove into topics including carrier views on trial activity in new jurisdictions, perspectives on emerging high-risk jurisdictions, and the collaboration and communication among insurers, insureds and counsel in the tripartite relationship. The conference program included both national and jurisdictional asbestos litigation updates and offered attendees the opportunity to attend numerous informative and dynamic panel discussions, presentations, and demonstrations on a variety of topics related to asbestos litigation. Speakers and attendees included many of the nation’s premiere plaintiff and defense attorneys, judges, and insurance professionals.

September 6, 2023

Firm Welcomes Two Associates

Forman, Watkins & Krutz is pleased to welcome Autumn Breeden to the firm’s Jackson office and Michael Morton to the New Orleans office. Autumn joins the firm as an Associate. She began practicing in 2017, defending toxic tort, talc, asbestos, professional liability, personal injury, construction defect, and trucking cases in Mississippi and Louisiana. She also served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Michael P. Mills of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Mississippi and her B.S. in Psychology with a Minor in Industrial Engineering, cum laude, from Clemson University. Michael served as a FormanWatkins summer associate in both 2021 and 2022, assisting the firm’s attorneys in various matters. He graduated from Tulane University Law School. While in law school, Michael served on the Tulane Law Review and participated in Moot Court competition. Prior to pursuing a career in litigation, Michael was a process engineer with Shaw Industries, Inc.

August 31, 2023

Friends of Children’s Hospital Board of Directors Appoints Mary Clift Abdalla as Chairman-Elect

FormanWatkins Partner Mary Clift Abdalla has been appointed Chairman-Elect to the Friends of Children’s Hospital’s Board of Directors. Friends of Children’s Hospital is a nonprofit organization created to benefit the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The Board works together to promote fundraising events and reach new donors to help meet the extraordinary needs of caring for Mississippi’s sick and injured children. Contributions have purchased state-of-the-art equipment, built facilities, and provided services for all pediatric patients. Abdalla has been an active member of the Board for the past four years and the firm proudly served as a participant and host site for the organization’s 2023 Over the Edge fundraiser.  

August 21, 2023

45 FormanWatkins Attorneys Recognized as Best Lawyers® Award Recipients

We are pleased to announce that 45 FormanWatkins attorneys have been recognized in the 2024 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.  Of those 45 attorneys, 16 were recognized as Ones to Watch, a list which recognizes associates and other lawyers who are earlier in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States.   Best Lawyers has published its list for more than three decades, earning the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise, and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing. Attorneys selected to The Best Lawyers in America: Charles Abbott: Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants Mary Clift Abdalla: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants Michael Abraham: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants Pete Andarsio: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants Mimi Arthur: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants Mike Baker: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants Jake Banks: Commercial […]

July 18, 2023

Abbott and Gray Selected as 2023 Leadership in Law Honorees

Congratulations to FormanWatkins Partners Charles Abbott and Tim Gray who were recently recognized by New Orleans CityBusiness as 2023 Leadership in Law honorees. For 19 years, the publication has recognized area professionals in the field of law for their career and community accomplishments. To see the full list of honorees, click here.  Charles joined the firm in 2017 as a partner and has served as lead counsel or co-counsel on cases in very diverse practice areas. He routinely serves as lead counsel/co-counsel on significant, high-dollar commercial, contractual, business interruption, tort, admiralty/maritime, products liability, construction, and toxic tort cases pending in both federal and state courts throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. He is Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent® Peer Rated, a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and has been selected to The Best Lawyers in America® in Commercial Litigation and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions (Defendants), a Louisiana SuperLawyer since 2014, and as a Top Lawyer for Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions by New Orleans Magazine. He is a CityBusiness “Leadership in Law” Hall of Fame Honoree. Tim has served as national trial counsel to several defendants in toxic tort litigation and has tried cases in several states in that capacity. He also represents parties in commercial disputes in Louisiana and Mississippi ranging from straightforward breach of contract actions to more complex matters involving multiple parties. Tim’s commercial practice has included representation of a real estate investment trust in acquisitions, dispositions and financings, as well as representation of local Louisiana individuals and companies […]

June 27, 2023

New Orleans Office Awarded Third Top Workplace Honor

The Forman Watkins & Krutz New Orleans office has been awarded a Top Workplaces honor for 2023 by The Times-Picayune and The New Orleans Advocate. Top Workplaces are determined solely by employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered through Energage LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization including alignment, execution, and connection. Only 80 out of nearly 1,000 companies in the Greater New Orleans area earned this distinction. The firm has previously received the honor in 2020 and 2022.

June 20, 2023

W.G. Watkins Named BTI Client Service All-Star for 2023

W.G. Watkins, a Founding Partner of Forman Watkins & Krutz, LLP, has been named a BTI 2023 Client Service All-Star. This list recognizes a select group of just 293 attorneys in the United States who demonstrate an unwavering commitment to providing exceptional client service. The BTI Consulting Group curates the list solely from unsolicited nominations submitted by large corporations and Fortune 1000 organizations. Now in its 22nd year, the BTI Client Service All-Stars LIST is the only ranking and attorney recognition relying solely on clients in an organic fashion. Read W.G.’s BTI Client Service All-Star profile