News

December 20, 2024

FormanWatkins Celebrates Grand Opening of Topgolf Venue at Prado Vista

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.

December 16, 2024

FormanWatkins Honored with 2024 Curtis E. Coker Access to Justice Award

Forman Watkins & Krutz has been named the recipient of the 2024 Curtis E. Coker Access to Justice Award by the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP). The award recognizes the Firm’s sustained efforts to provide pro bono legal services to underserved communities across the state. “Receiving the Coker Award is a tremendous honor,” said Alison McMinn, a partner at Forman Watkins & Krutz. “This award acknowledges the dedication of our attorneys and staff who have spent thousands of hours engaging in issues that matter to them and their communities. We are proud to partner with MVLP, which plays the absolutely essential role of connecting attorneys with people who need them.” The Firm has a long-standing tradition of contributing pro bono legal work. In 2017, the Firm formally launched the FormanWatkins Pro Bono Initiative. Over the past 8 years, the FormanWatkins team has committed over 9,000 hours to pro bono work, an effort valued at over $2 Million. On behalf of pro bono clients, the FormanWatkins team has conducted trials, drafted appeals, filed petitions, influenced policies, and launched legal clinics.  FormanWatkins attorneys have also presented oral argument before the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Mississippi Court of Appeals and represented children at hearings in juvenile court. The Coker Award, MVLP’s highest honor, has been presented annually for the past 24 years. It is awarded to individuals, law firms, or organizations that have demonstrated a strong commitment to addressing the legal needs of low-income Mississippians. Named after Curtis E. […]

August 15, 2024

41 FormanWatkins Attorneys Honored by Best Lawyers in America

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is pleased to announce that 41 FormanWatkins attorneys have been recognized in the 2025 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.  Of those 41 attorneys, 13 were recognized as Ones to Watch, a list recognizing associates and other lawyers who are earlier in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States. Our newest honorees include McCann LeFeve as a Best Lawyer and Patrick Fields as a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. Best Lawyers has earned the respect of the profession, the media and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in more than 75 countries. Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers based on professional expertise and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing. Attorneys selected to 2025 Best Lawyers in America: Charles H. 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 H. Abraham – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants Pete F. […]

May 29, 2024

FormanWatkins Hosts Fourth Annual Diversity Pathway Program

The FormanWatkins Diversity Pathway Program is a three-day program for Jackson State University Bob Owens Pre-Law Center and Tougaloo College Reuben V. Anderson Pre-Law Society students interested in pursuing careers as civil litigators. The Firm’s Jackson office welcomed Corrin Dixon, Tyshshia Frazier, Destiny Ivory, LaChassity Jackson, Markita Shell, Naya Singleton, Andreze Suggs-Ewing, Walter Townsend and Sha’Nyla Wilson as 2024 participants. This year’s program included a presentation by career consultant Candie Simmons on business etiquette in the modern workplace, as well as seminars with FormanWatkins attorneys on “firm life,” the firm’s practice areas, civil litigation 101, and research and writing. The students also met with members of the firm’s Pro Bono, Recruiting, and Diversity & Inclusion committees. In an effort to best prepare the students for what to expect at law school, Karen Peairs with the University of Mississippi School of Law Career Center presented on law school admissions and experiences while firm attorneys provided a workshop on resume writing and interview best practices. A special highlight and key component of the program was the opportunity for the students to engage with in-house counsel. These attorneys shared their personal accounts of pursuing careers in law, what life is like as in-house counsel of major corporations and how they work with FormanWatkins attorneys. The students were then invited to engage in Q&A. The collective goal of the program is to provide students an up-close experience as to what life might be like as a civil litigator and provide them with the knowledge and […]

February 28, 2024

NCAA Compliance and Sports Litigation Team Wins Dismissal of Head Coach in Player Lawsuit

FormanWatkins NCAA Compliance and Sports Litigation team members WG Watkins, Courtney Hunt and Mitch McGuffey secured dismissal of a lawsuit against their client, an SEC head football coach. The plaintiff was a student athlete seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages from FormanWatkins’ client personally and from the university that employed him. He brought numerous claims under federal and state law for alleged discrimination based on race and sex, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and gross negligence. FormanWatkins along with counsel for the university, filed a motion to dismiss, which was converted to a motion for summary judgment. The judge found there was no showing of discriminatory intent, that immunity defenses applied, and that the plaintiff could not meet the legal requirements to prevail on any of his claims. The decision has been appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, where the FormanWatkins team will continue to defend its client.

February 27, 2024

Fair Credit Reporting Act Claimant Singing the Blues After Failed Bid for Big Payday

On February 21, 2024, a Memphis, Tennessee, arbitrator returned an award in favor of a national retailer represented by FormanWatkins attorney Jake Banks. Claimant sought damages totaling $202,721.00, based on the retailer’s alleged violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. After hearing testimony and reviewing the parties’ briefing, the arbitrator entered an award in the retailer’s favor, awarding nothing to the Claimant.

January 24, 2024

Attorneys Sampada Kapoor and Vernon McFarland present CLE on Attorney-Client Privilege and Confidentiality

FormanWatkins Associate Sampada Kapoor and Partner Vernon McFarland, along with Valerie Phan of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. presented a CLE on Attorney-Client Privilege and Confidentiality in Pasadena, California. The one-hour lunch & learn course was designed to provide in-house attorneys with the latest developments in attorney-client privilege and covered key components of state laws in California, New York, and Texas. It specifically addressed attorney-client privilege in the context of insurance companies and third-party administrators as well as best practices, common pitfalls, and future trends associated with privilege.

September 12, 2023

Wilson and Robinson Achieve Dismissal of Race Discrimination Lawsuit Against State’s Largest Public Employer

FormanWatkins attorneys Malissa Wilson and Mandie Robinson have obtained the court’s complete dismissal of all claims against the State’s largest public employer, and several of its individual employees, in a suit alleging that the Plaintiff had been discriminated against based on his race. Plaintiff sued FormanWatkins’ clients alleging that he was the subject of racially discriminatory actions in his workplace and that his employment was eventually terminated in retaliation for his complaints regarding such alleged discrimination. The FormanWatkins team filed a motion to dismiss all of Plaintiff’s claims, arguing the actions of its clients were not related to Plaintiff’s race in any way. The U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Mississippi agreed, dismissing all of Plaintiff’s claims against both the employer and the individual employees that had been named as defendants in Plaintiff’s lawsuit.

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 […]

April 25, 2023

FormanWatkins Provides Zoning Counsel in Multi-Million Dollar Development Project

FormanWatkins attorneys Nick Giallourakis, Mitch McGuffey, and Spencer Ritchie guided their global investment group and sports entertainment company clients to a successful approval of zoning changes required for a major mixed use development project planned in the City of Ridgeland, Mississippi. The Mayor and Board of Alderman approved the ordinance implementing the zoning changes unanimously following a public hearing. The golf entertainment company facility will serve as anchor of the 77-acre mixed use development named Prado Vista at Ridgeland. The development will also include a national grocery store, two high-end hotels, more than 100,000 square feet of office, retail and restaurant space, an entertainment venue, 228 homes for sale, and a river walk. To see media coverage of the development, click below. The Clarion Ledger WAPT – ABC WJTV – CBS WLBT – NBC