News & Knowledge

FormanWatkins attorneys Nick Giallourakis, Mitch McGuffey, and Spencer Ritchie joined PraCon Global Investment Group and Topgolf representatives to celebrate the grand opening of Topgolf’s state-of-the-art sports entertainment facility at Prado Vista in Ridgeland. The grand opening marks a significant milestone for the 77-acre mixed-use development, where FormanWatkins represented PraCon and Topgolf and played a pivotal role by providing zoning counsel to secure an overlay district that made the project possible. The two-level Topgolf facility features 62 climate-controlled hitting bays equipped with Toptracer technology, which tracks ball flight paths and metrics, as well as a nine-hole mini-golf course. With $25 million in capital investment, the Ridgeland venue is the 108th Topgolf location worldwide and will employ more than 200 local workers, adding to the 300 jobs created during construction. As the anchor of the multimillion-dollar Prada Vista development, Topgolf is just the beginning of this transformative project led by Mississippi-based PraCon Global Investment group. The development plans to include a national grocery store, two luxury hotels, over 100,000 square feet of office space, retail, and dining space, an entertainment venue, 228 homes, and a river walk. FormanWatkins will continue to assist with the project as additional elements are completed, supporting the development’s contribution to the growth and vibrancy of the community.

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.  

FormanWatkins is proud to share that  Sampada (Sam) Kapoor was selected to receive the Mississippi Bar Foundation’s 2022 Law-Related Public Education Award, in recognition of her dedication to enhancing the public’s understanding of the law and the legal system!

FormanWatkins released its 2021 Pro Bono & Civic Engagement Report this week. 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. Thank you to all team members involved with these cases, it truly makes a difference!

The Firm is excited to announce that Jordan Nixon and Trey Watkins, respectively, received the 2021 FormanWatkins Pro Bono Star and Civic Star awards!

This Fall, Forman Watkins & Krutz’s Jackson office supported the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF) and the Blazer Bolt for Brain Cancer by raising support for and participating virtually in their annual run/walk.

On Tuesday, September 22, Fred Krutz and WG Watkins, two of FormanWatkins’s founding partners, played in the Andi’s Army Golf Tournament, a charity golf tournament held to help raise awareness for Down Syndrome and support wonderful organizations who help those with Down Syndrome. Fred and WG’s teammates for the day were Chris Malloy (Head Coach for Ole Miss Men’s Golf) and Kermit Davis (Head Coach for Ole Miss Men’s Basketball).

FormanWatkins Partner, Mary Clift Abdalla, has been selected to the Friends of Children’s Hospital 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 of directors 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.

FormanWatkins is proud to announce Julian Miller has been awarded a Common Future Bridge Fellowship based on his work co-founding the non-profit organization, Delta Fresh Foods Initiative, that focuses on building community food systems as a means of economic justice and public health in the Mississippi Delta.

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.