News & Knowledge

During the month of October, the FWK offices observed Breast Cancer Awareness in a few different ways—by having an “Honor Wall” that displayed stories shared by members of our team of how they or their loved ones have personally experienced breast cancer, by holding a pumpkin decorating contest, and by wearing pink—to honor those we have lost, those who are fighting, and those who have survived.  Below are the new stories shared by our team members, as well as a picture of the pumpkins submitted for the pumpkin decorating contest. 

FormanWatkins Partner, Mary Clift Abdalla, has been selected as one of Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 50 Under 40 for 2020. As the name suggests, Top 50 Under 40 recognizes the state’s 50 up-and-coming business leaders under the age of 40. Considered one of the state’s most prestigious awards, the award highlights individuals who have made significant contributions to Mississippi’s overall economic progress. All of the Top 50 Under 40 recipients have involvement that go beyond normal working hours. Their days are extended by a large number of civic and community activities.

  We invite you to review our 2020 Pro Bono Highlights below or click here for a PDF.   FormanWatkins encourages its attorneys to do meaningful pro bono work that serves the communities in which we live and work.  For more information on our commitment to pro bono service, please visit our page here.

Josh Leggett, Joel Fyke, and Nick Giallourakis recently helped their client obtain registered trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). Receiving a federal trademark is one of the most important steps a company can take to protect their brand. There are multiple stages that must be completed to gain the right to use the ®, and our efforts involved all stages of the trademark process. After filing the application and taking all the necessary steps, we worked with the examining attorney with the USPTO to ensure that the marks received approval and were published in the Official Gazette. Our client’ s marks were registered and trademarked on October 20, 2020, and we are excited to have helped them continue to protect their brand.

Jennifer Studebaker won summary judgment on behalf of a railroad company in Arkansas Federal Court in a case where the Plaintiff alleged he contracted bladder cancer and leukemia resulting from his workplace exposure to cancer-causing substances.

Tim Gray obtained a defense verdict for a FormanWatkins client in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. Plaintiff alleged that his leukemia was caused by exposure to a chemical the firm’s client sold to a product manufacturer in the 1970s that incorporated the chemical into its product. 

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.

Molly McNair enjoys being a lawyer because it is a job that makes her a life-long learner. She believes that every task set before her is a gift and an opportunity to strive for excellence, which makes her a faithful advocate for her clients. With the ability to step away from the minute details and see the big picture, Molly uses her efficiency and focus skills to help her clients navigate the legal system with confidence. Molly believes that a lawyer should be a subject matter expert in every case, so her clients can always expect her to be thoughtful about her decisions and creative with her solutions. Finally, as an animal-lover and family-woman, Molly is passionate and tenacious, and her clients can feel secure as she fights to represent their interests using knowledge, compassion, and purpose.

On August 26, 2020, the Oregon Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s grant of a new trial to our client, finding that plaintiff’s counsel engaged in misconduct by failing to produce asbestos bankruptcy trust affidavits that proved alternative asbestos exposures, and that plaintiff’s counsel’s misconduct “materially affected” our client’s rights at trial.