News & Knowledge

FormanWatkins congratulates Partner, Alison O’Neal McMinn, for being selected for the 2021 Class of the Mississippi Business Journal’s 50 Leading Business Women.  The Mississippi Business Journal honors women who are powerful, influential business leaders in Mississippi. As senior decision-makers, this group of Leading Business Women is making a significant impact on the economy of our state, local businesses, and communities.

Forman Watkins & Krutz attorneys Fred Krutz, Brian Hannula, and Andrew Stubbs obtained their second consecutive summary judgment win in 2021 in West Virginia on behalf of a respirator manufacturer. The lawsuit was pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. Plaintiff alleged that the respirator defendants’ products were defective, causing him to develop coal workers pneumoconiosis.

Chelsea Lewis and Joshua Metcalf secured an early dismissal in Mississippi state court for a large timberland owner. Lewis and Metcalf were able to secure a dismissal before incurring the expense of discovery. The victory illustrates how a thorough understanding of the law, combined with an aggressive initial defense, can ultimately result in significant savings to the client.

The FormanWatkins employment law team secured another client victory by obtaining dismissal of a Title VII suit on behalf of a national retail chain and local franchise owners.  The District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss the suit after concluding the plaintiff failed to properly serve process on the defendants after the Court had already twice granted additional time for plaintiff to achieve proper service.

In a case with no substantial filings by the Plaintiff since September 2011, the FormanWatkins team of Jennifer Studebaker, Simine Reed, and Vernon McFarland successfully won their motion for dismissal due to lack of prosecution on June 4, 2021.

FormanWatkins released its 2020 Pro Bono & Civic Engagement Report today. 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! We’re happy for you to share our mission, you may download a PDF by clicking here: FormanWatkins Pro Bono in Review_2020

Brian Hannula, Caroline Upchurch, and Daniel Mulholland successfully arbitrated a national forest products company’s multi-million dollar construction dispute with a contractor arising out of two huge plant reconstructions in Alabama and Arkansas. The disputes involved warranty, contract, and payment claims.  The first arbitration – concerning the Arkansas plant and lasting a week in Little Rock – resulted in an award of damages and attorney fees for the company, and a rejection of  the contractor’s claims for payment. This victory resulted in an also immediate resolution of the second arbitration

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is proud to announce that 25 of its attorneys have been selected to the 2020 Mid-South Super Lawyers and/or Rising Stars lists!  Each year no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. 

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.

Jackson Partner Vernon McFarland recently had an article published in DRI Voices (November 4, 2020).  Read it below, or click the image to open it in a new browser.