HometownMacon, Mississippi
Law School Honors & Awards
•Phi Delta Phi, Magister
•Mississippi Law Journal - Research Editor, Note Editor, Associate Editor
•Phi Delta Phi - Graduate of the Year
Professional Recognitions
•Martindale-Hubbell Preeminent AV Peer Review Rated
• Lawyers Seek Dismissal of Asbestos Lawsuits National Public Radio
•Chambers USA Leading Individuals: Litigation - General Commercial since 2010
•The Best Lawyers in America since 2007: Litigation - Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, Product Liability Litigation, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
•The Best Lawyers in America 2012 Lawyer of the Year - Jackson, MS Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants
•Mid-South Super Lawyers since 2006: Personal Injury Defense: Products
•Top 50 Mississippi Super Lawyers since 2008
•Benchmark Litigation Local Litigation Star: Environmental, Product Liability
•Recipient 2015 Owens-Illinois, Inc. Bruce Shaw Award for Outstanding Legal Service
Ongoing Peer Education & Seminar Presentations
•Impact by other Mass Tort Law in Asbestos Litigation, Perrin Conference, September 2014, San Francisco, California
• Litigating Lung Cancer Cases in 2013 and Beyond, Perrin Conferences: Litigating Asbestos Cases in Today's Environment Featuring Insights from the Bench: A Judicial Perspective 2013, New York, New York
• The Evolution of Asbestos Litigation - A Look Ahead to 2013, Perrin Conferences Litigating Asbestos Cases In Today's Environment, Featuring Insights From The Bench: The Judicial Perspective, New York, New York
•Perrin Conferences Litigating Asbestos Cases in Today's Economic Environment Featuring Insights from the Bench: A Judicial Perspective 2011 Conference Moderator, New York, New York
• Managing Your Portfolio: Perspectives on Resolving Asbestos Cases from In-House Counsel & Insurers, Perrin Conferences Litigation Asbestos Cases in Today's Economic Environment Featuring Insights from the Bench: A Judicial Perspective 2011 Conference, New York, New York
•14th Annual National Asbestos Litigation Conference Chair and Moderator, Amelia Island, Florida
• 20 years and Counting: The Curtain Call for MDL 875, 14th Annual National Asbestos Litigation Conference, Amelia Island, Florida
• Changing of the Guard, 14th Annual National Asbestos Litigation Conference, Amelia Island, Florida
• Judicial Roundtable, 14th Annual National Asbestos Litigation Conference, Amelia Island, Florida
• Are We Nearing the End of MDL 875 - Where Do We Go from Here?, HB's 13th Annual National Asbestos Litigation 2010 Conference, New York, NY
• Out of the Black Hole: The Federal MDL Update - MDL 875 Docket and its Impact on the Litigation, Perrin Conferences' Asbestos Litigation 2010 Conference: A National Overview & Outlook, San Francisco, CA
• An Update of MDL 875: Should Cases Stay or Should They Go Now? - Andrews Asbestos Litigation 2009 Conference, New Orleans, LA
• Through the Looking Glass: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going - Andrews Asbestos Litigation 2008 Conference, New Orleans, LA
• The Role of the States: Texas - Asbestos Litigation: The Changing Landscape, ALI-ABA, New Orleans, LA
• Old Jurisdictions in Transition: The Sea Change in Texas; Screening: Dead or Just Napping?; Back to the Future: Asbestos Litigation in the 21st Century - ALI-ABA Sixth Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA
• Diagnosing For Dollars - Update on Current Investigations Into Fraudulent Claims: What Effect Will Investigations into Fraudulent Suits Have on the Litigation? - Mealey's Silica & Asbestos Claims Conference, Philadelphia, PA
• Saving Millions of Dollars Through The Innovative Application of Trial Technology - The Third Annual West Coast General Counsel Conference, San Francisco, CA
• Asbestos Trials; Hot Jurisdictions Of Today and Tomorrow Asbestos Litigation in the 21st Century- ALI-ABA Fifth Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL
• The Key Jurisdictions: Mississippi; The Key Jurisdictions: Texas; Where Is The Litigation Going? A Round Table Discussion Asbestos Litigation in the 21st Century - ALI-ABA Third Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA
Important Litigation Involvement
•National Trial Counsel for several national companies involved in asbestos and silica litigation
•Currently serves as National Coordinating Counsel for several companies involved in mass tort cases
•Currently serves as Chairman of the Defense Liaison Committee for MDL 875 in Philadelphia, PA
•Served as lead negotiator for many companies in complex mass tort settlements involving cases across the country
•Served as lead counsel in cases involving wood preservatives including creosote, dioxins, CCA, and PAHs
