Chuck McBride represents and counsels clients in a wide variety of commercial and corporate matters, both litigated and non-litigated.   He practices before the state and federal courts in Mississippi.  He has also represented clients in arbitration before the American Arbitration Association, FINRA and in private arbitration.  Chuck also regularly appears before the Mississippi Public Service Commission on behalf of the firm’s telecommunications clients.  He is experienced in litigation involving allegations of breach of contract, breach of warranty, common law fraud, business torts, securities fraud, tax appeals and a wide range of matters relating to telecommunications.  He has also defended complex products liability and mass tort cases at various times in his career, including claims arising from chemical exposure, welding consumables and silicone breast implants. 

In addition to his role as a litigator, Chuck regularly provides counseling and representation to the firm’s telecommunications clients concerning contracts, communications, antitrust, advertising  and consumer protection laws and intellectual property matters.   He is recognized by Woodward/White’s Best Lawyers in America for his expertise in Communications Law.  Chuck is a past chairman of one of the firm’s two litigation departments and now serves on the firm’s Board of Directors.   

Chuck graduated magna cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1991 and was named Phi Delta Phi Province Graduate of the Year. He received his undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University in 1985. Before attending law school, Chuck served on active duty as a United States Army officer where he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and Army Achievement Medal. He and his wife, Mary Allen, have three children.

Representative Matters

• Serves as the firm’s primary contact for and lead counsel to Cellular South, Inc., which is one of the nation’s largest privately held wireless companies.
• Served as lead trial counsel for defendant in federal civil fraud trial tried to defense verdict
• Obtained dismissal along with Richard Cirilli on behalf of  five regional wireless carriers located in various parts of the United States from a patent infringement lawsuit pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.  The patent owner named Brunini’s clients as third-party defendants in the lawsuit, alleging that certain handsets and equipment sold or operated by the wireless carriers infringed upon its patent.  McBride and Cirilli successfully argued the carriers were not subject to the personal jurisdiction of courts in New York and obtained their dismissal from the lawsuit on such grounds. 
• Represented nationwide retailer in dispute with landlord concerning rent and reconstruction obligations following Hurricane Katrina; obtained partial summary judgment and subsequent arbitration award for client
• Represented defendants in securities litigation arising out of tax shelters
• Represented telecommunications provider in litigation concerning interconnection before the Mississippi Public Service Commission and subsequent appeal to United States District Court
• Represented broker-dealers in cases involving allegations of securities fraud by investors; also represented investors in cases involving alleged broker-dealer fraud
• Served in the trial team defending a large chemical manufacturer in a federal lawsuit stemming from one of the worst ammonia plant disasters in history

Community & Professional Activities

• Securities Law Study Group of the Mississippi Secretary of State’s 2008 Business Reform Committee (participated in drafting of proposed new state securities laws)
• American Bar Association, Antitrust Section, Communications Industry Committee
• American Bar Association, Litigation Section, Corporate Counsel Committee
• Bar Association of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Mississippi Bar Association
• Goodwill Industries of Mississippi, Inc., Board of Directors 2002-2007 (Chairman, 2006)
• The Capital Club, Board Member, 2002-2006
• Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum Advisory Board
• The Lamar Order of the University of Mississippi
• Northeast Jackson Soccer Organization, Director of Coaching, 2002-2005