News & Knowledge

FormanWatkins is proud to announce that Vernon McFarland has been named a new member of 100 Black Men of Jackson! 

Our New Orleans office continued its holiday tradition with Catholic Charities by adopting a family through their Adopt-A-Family program!  This year, the group purchased gifts for a family of 5, which consisted of a mother, her daughter, and her 3 sons. 

The New Jersey team is at it again with their generous spirit! The office collected money from its attorneys and staff, purchased various winter items, and dropped them off today at Lunch Break, a local charity in Red Bank, New Jersey.

On November 17, 2018, New Jersey partners Tom Toman and Nicole Diesa were among the 18+ Monmouth Bar Association (“MBA”) attorneys who volunteered at the Monmouth County Veterans Information and Resources Clinic held at Monmouth University and provided free consultations to Veterans on various legal topics.

New Jersey partner, Thomas M. Toman Jr., is grateful to be one of the members from the Monmouth Bar Association organizing a new pro bono legal clinic for local Veterans.  The clinic will be held on Saturday, November 17, and will use local attorneys, appearing pro bono, to give legal advice to Veterans on a variety of legal issues.  The Monmouth Bar Association is co-sponsoring the event with Monmouth University.  Additional services will be provided by the Veterans Administration, Monmouth County Veterans Services, and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, as well as other community Veteran service providers.  The Monmouth County Clerk’s office will also be available on site to provide Veteran identification cards.

On April 23, 2018, New Orleans partner Charles Abbott and Larry Centola with Martzell, Bickford & Centola guest lectured for LSU Law School’s Toxic Torts class. Abbott and Centola focused their lecture on class actions and multi-district litigation generally and specifically related to the toxic tort arena.  This is the second year in a row that Abbott and Centola have guest lectured together, providing second and third year law students perspectives from both the plaintiff and defense side, in connection with various aspects of toxic tort litigation.  

Spencer Ritchie served as moderator for the Capital Area Bar Association’s New Appellate Judges Roundtable at their April 17, 2018 meeting. The panel featured five of the newest judges on the State Court of Appeals and Mississippi Supreme Court: Justices Dawn Beam and Robert Chamberlin of the Supreme Court and Judges Jack Wilson, Latrice Westbrooks, and Sean Tindell of the Court of Appeals. Spencer led the panelists in a discussion centered around their backgrounds and early experiences on the court.  There were over one hundred in attendance along with many other judges, including the Supreme Court’s Chief Justice Bill Waller and Court of Appeals Judge Kenny Griffis. Spencer Ritchie (pictured far left)

On March 26, 2018, New Orleans attorneys Charles Abbott and Melissa Fuller were guest lecturers for LSU Law School’s Toxic Torts class.  In addition to addressing emerging mass torts, Mr. Abbott and Ms. Fuller provided the second and third year law students with a historical overview of asbestos, benzene and silica litigation, and taught practical aspects and current trends in the litigation of these cases in Louisiana and across the country.

On March 7, 2018, New Orleans attorneys Charles Abbott and Chelsea Gaudin guest lectured at LSU Law School.  Teaching both second year and third year law students in the Toxic Torts class, Mr. Abbott and Ms. Gaudin provided practical experiences and advice related to various topics and issues, including but not limited to causation, expert witnesses, and Daubert challenges of expert witnesses. This is Mr. Abbott’s sixth year guest lecturing in the Toxic Tort class at LSU Law School.

A big thank you to our New Jersey office for collecting money and donations to buy warm clothing for those in need.  Our team worked in conjunction with local charity organization, Lunch Break, to gather items for donation during cold winter months.  We appreciate your generosity throughout the year but especially during the Holiday season! Pictured below: Donna Ross & Nicole Diesa