News & Knowledge

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is proud to announce that Malissa Wilson has been chosen as one of the 50 Leading Business Women in Mississippi by the Mississippi Business Journal! A special 2-day retreat was recently held by MBJ and their sponsors, Regions Bank and Mississippi Economic Council, at Hinds Eagle Ridge, where the women enjoyed great networking opportunities, seminars, and a luncheon.

FormanWatkins is proud to announce that Spencer Ritchie has been appointed by new Mississippi Bar President Amanda Tollison to the Mississippi Bar Professionalism Committee! The Committee is responsible for monitoring/studying developments in the area of professionalism and making recommendations to the Mississippi Bar’s Board of Commissioners. The Committee also makes recommendations to the Board regarding programs to improve client/attorney relations, the image of the profession, and the quality of life of lawyers as they relate to professionalism.

Jackson Associate Spencer Ritchie recently had a political redistricting article published with the Mississippi Business Journal. Read the article below, or click the title to access it via the Mississippi Business Journal.

Jackson associates Sam Kapoor and Taylor White recently won a criminal trial in the youth court of Lafayette County, Mississippi.  Kapoor and White represented a minor charged with simple assault by threat.  After Kapoor and White put on the Youth Defendant’s case-in-chief, which involved the cross-examination of the victim, two police officers, and a detective, the Defense moved the Court for a directed verdict.  Finding the State failed to present sufficient evidence of subjective fear, an essential element of the charge of simple assault by threat, the Court granted their motion and directed a verdict in favor of the Youth Defendant.

Jackson Partner Peyton Smith recently had an article published in DRI’s For The Defense (June 2019).  Click the image below to read it.

FormanWatkins is a proud sponsor of the Bessie Young Council Summer Social! The event will take place on Thursday, June 20, at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.  Come mingle and have a beverage with fellow students, law clerks, alumni, and Jackson’s top lawyers!  More details on the event can be found on the attached flyer.  We hope to see you there!

In a recent decision, the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door for employees to bypass filing a Charge of Discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) before filing suit.  The Court unanimously decided, in Fort Bend County v. Davis, that Title VII’s charge-filing requirement is procedural and not jurisdictional. By making this finding, the Court for the first time made clear that federal courts have the authority to hear Title VII claims that are not the subject of a Charge of Discrimination, and that the charge-filing requirement could be waived by employers for failure to timely assert it as a defense.

Malissa Wilson and Spencer Ritchie will be speakers at the upcoming Mini Law School for HR Professionals seminar.  This is a basic level seminar that will examine the current issues in human resource law for attorneys, Human Resources and financial professionals, and other business executives.  Malissa and Spencer would love for you to join them!

New Jersey partners Tom Toman and Nicole Diesa recently won a summary judgment motion in New Jersey asbestos litigation.  Despite a tentative decision to deny the motion, the Court eventually granted summary judgment and found that based upon a failure to establish causation, plaintiff could not submit a legally sufficient case against the manufacturer of electrical products represented by FormanWatkins.  Ms. Diesa wrote the winning briefs, and Mr. Toman gave the oral argument.

Malissa Wilson and Spencer Ritchie were speakers at the Human Resource Law from A to Z seminar, held March 27-28, 2019, in Pearl, Mississippi. The basic-to-intermediate level seminar provided a comprehensive overview of current issues in human resource law for attorneys, Human Resource and financial professionals, and other business executives.  Wilson and Ritchie spoke about discrimination and harassment; workplace behavioral issues; workplace privacy and employee monitoring; and, disciplining and firing employees. Click here to learn more about FormanWatkins’ Labor & Employment practice.