News & Knowledge

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! 

When I joined Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP, as a senior associate in October 2019, I did not initially envision my existing role as the pre-law director at Tougaloo College, an historically black college in Jackson, Mississippi, would so quickly intersect with my responsibilities at the firm. As the pre-law director, I was constantly seeking opportunities for my students to gain exposure to the law and legal profession. I have always believed that exposing diverse undergrad students, many of whom would be first-generation attorneys, to the legal profession would have the immediate benefit of improving their success in law school and the long-term benefit of success as a practicing attorney.

For 18 months, companies have been consumed with navigating a myriad of operational challenges during this once-in-a-generation pandemic.  HR departments have had the daunting task of interpreting in real time the onslaught of executive and state orders, congressional acts, and federal agencies guidelines to implement COVID-19 policies and procedures to address a variety of personnel matters from remote work to vaccination directives.

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is proud to announce that Charles Abbott, Michael Abraham, Melissa Fuller, and Tim Gray were selected to the 2021 Top Lawyers list by New Orleans Magazine! New Orleans Magazine presents the Top Lawyers list annually and honorees were selected via a voting system, in which voting was open to all licensed attorneys in New Orleans.

We are proud to announce Sampada Kapoor’s election to the newly formed Diversity Council at the University of Mississippi School of Law. The Council is composed of law school alumnus and works with various departments at the School of Law including admissions, student services, fundraising and bar preparations. Sam also serves on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Bar Young Lawyers Division and is honored as a Mid-South Rising Star and Leader in Law by the Mississippi Business Journal.

FormanWatkins is proud to announce that Charles Abbott and Erin Wedge Latuso have been selected by New Orleans CityBusiness to its 2021 Leadership in Law class. With 2021 marking his third time honored, Charles joins the Leadership in Law Hall of Fame. Each year New Orleans CityBusiness recognizes 50 area professionals in the field of law for their career and community accomplishments, we congratulate our past and present honorees to make the list!

Courtney Hunt, Mitch McGuffey, Peyton Smith, and Amelia McGowan (Mississippi Center for Justice) recently discussed our work on asylum cases and what to consider if you are thinking about taking on a pro bono asylum case on PLI’s podcast, “Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files.” Listen to the podcast here or on your favorite streaming service, search “Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files.”

The Firm is proud to welcome our newest attorneys Haley McCay Arndt and Catherine Pettis to the Jackson office!

On October 11, 2021, a Charlotte, North Carolina arbitrator returned an award in favor of a national retailer represented by Win Gault and Jake Banks.  Claimant sought damages under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) and state law.  Citing numerous examples of Claimant’s untrustworthiness raised during the retailer’s presentation of the case—including an apparent insurance fraud scheme uncovered by Gault and Banks — the arbitrator found in the retailer’s favor.

Forman Watkins & Krutz is excited to welcome Chandler Agee to our New Orleans office! He is a magna cum laude graduate of Southern University Law Center and received his Bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University. While in law school, Chandler served as Editor-in-Chief for the Southern University Law Review and received the Cali Award for the highest grade in the courses of Contracts, Family Law, Legal Writing, Trial Practice and Business Entities.