Matt Allen was recently recognized as one of Mississippi’s leading attorneys by the Mississippi Business Journal at the Leadership in Law Awards Ceremony. The men and women who have been chosen for this honor are recognized by their outstanding contributions that have increased the well-being of the community. The ceremony took place at the Old Capitol Inn in Jackson, Mississippi.

Matt is a litigator with Brunini and works on trials and appeals. He has received numerous recognitions for excellence in the practice of law in multiple practice areas from organizations such as Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, Benchmark Litigation, The Mississippi Business Journal, the American Society of Legal Advocates, and Portico Magazine. He has successfully litigated civil and criminal cases in state and federal courts in Mississippi and other states around the nation. He has represented clients through trials and appeals in matters related to commercial litigation, product liability litigation, mass torts, alleged white collar crime, the redistricting of the Mississippi legislature and the Voting Rights Act, public records issues, First Amendment litigation, and commercial tax assessment contests.

In November of 2018, Matt advanced to a runoff as a candidate for Hinds County Circuit Court Judge, garnering 46.30% of the vote as a first-time political candidate against a long-time state legislator. He is passionate about criminal justice reform and is studying towards a PhD in Criminal Justice. He is also a Contributing Fellow at the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. He clerked for the Honorable William H. Barbour Jr. of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi from 2004 to 2005.

Leonard A. Blackwell, II a partner at Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLC, will be inducted into The Law Alumni Chapter of the Alumni Association of the University of Mississippi 2019 Law Alumni Hall of Fame at an Alumni Banquet held on March 30, 2019.

Leonard A. Blackwell, II, a graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law, was nominated along with four others for the 2019 Law Alumni Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding alumni of the law school who have, through their professional achievements and/or service to the school, brought honor to the law school.

Brunini’s Blackwell has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America® for Gaming Law, Land Use and Zoning Law and by Mid-South Super Lawyers® for Environmental Law. He was recognized as South Mississippi’s Top 10 Outstanding Community Leaders in 2012. Blackwell’s practice areas include construction, environmental law, gaming, governmental relations and real estate.

Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLC has made the shortlist of Litigation Law Firm of the Year for Mississippi in the 2019 edition of Benchmark Litigation. Brunini is one of only four firms in Mississippi to achieve this honor, with the following attorneys ranked as “Mississippi Local Litigation Stars” in their respective practice areas:

• William Trey Jones III : Appellate, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental, Personal Injury and Product Liability
• R. David Kaufman: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental, Personal Injury and Product Liability
• Patrick McDowell: Appellate, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental, and Intellectual Property

Benchmark Litigation is a guide to America’s leading litigation firms and attorneys. Their results stem from the culmination of a research period that was conducted between March and November 2018, where researchers conducted interviews with litigators and their clients to identify the leading litigators and firms.

All winners will be announced at a ceremony held on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 at the Essex House in New York. For more information on Benchmark Litigation’s shortlist, please click here.

The Mississippi Environmental Quality Permit Board (“Board”) convened its regular monthly meeting at 9:00 a.m. on October 9, 2018, at the offices of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, in Jackson. James Hoffmann chaired the meeting.

The Board approved minutes from the August meeting and the non-controversial actions/ certifications completed by the staff since the August meeting.

Following a prepared agenda, items considered were as follows:

OFFICE OF GEOLOGY

Ron Porter (MDEQ Office of Geology, Mining and Reclamation) presented the MDEQ Staff’s recommendations and Board approved the following:

Surface Mining Bond Releases

Permittee	County	Permit	Staff Recommendation
W. S. Newell and Sons, Inc.                                                                      Marshall	Marshall	P13-024	Final 10%
W. S. Newell and Sons, Inc.                                                                      Marshall	Marshall	P13-025	Final 10%
W. S. Newell and Sons, Inc.                                                                      Marshall	Marshall	P13-026	Final 10%
W. S. Newell and Sons, Inc.                                                                      Marshall	Marshall	P14-007	Final 10%
Joe McGee Construction Co., Inc.                                                                      Rankin	Rankin	P15-006	Initial 30%
Joe McGee Construction Co., Inc.                                                                      Newton	Newton	P10-022	Initial 20%
Memphis Stone and Gravel                                                                      Desoto	DeSoto	PO4-041	Additional 15%
Tanner Construction Company                                                                      Tate	Tate	P10-026	Final 90%
Hammett Gravel Co., Inc.                                                                      Yazoo	Yazoo	P08-027AA	Initial 10%

 Surface Mining Permits to Transfer 

Permittee	County	Permit
DeSoto Services, LLC	Harrison	PO4-006AAT
DeSoto Services, LLC	Harrison	P93-051T
DeSoto Services, LLC	Harrison	P89-022T

OFFICE OF POLLUTION CONTROL

D and E Construction Company Inc.: Reissuance and Modification of Coverage under the Mining Storm Water General Permit No. MSR320485, Lauderdale County. This agenda item was presented jointly with the accompanying Office of Geology Permit Board Item Surface Mining Permit Modification with Acreage Permit No. P95-071. The Board voted to postpone this agenda item until a later date to be determined.

OFFICE OF LAND AND WATER PRESENTATION

An overview of the Dam Safety Permitting Process was presented by Dusty Myers of the Office of Land and Water Resources, Dam Safety Division.

The next Permit Board meeting will be held on December 11, 2018, at 9 a.m.

This Newsletter is a publication of the Environmental Practice Group of the law firm of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes located in Jackson, Mississippi. This Newsletter is not designed or intended to provide legal or professional advice, as any such advice requires the consideration of the facts of the specific situation.

If you have any questions concerning the content of a newsletter, or if you would like further information about the matters addressed in a newsletter, please contact John Milner, the Brunini Firm Environmental Practice Group leader, at jmilner@brunini.com or (601) 960-6842.

Six attorneys with Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLC, were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2019 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Brunini lawyers were recognized in the following categories:

The following attorneys were chosen as the Lawyer of the Year:

• J. Gordon Flowers: Best Lawyers® 2019, Tupelo, Miss., Product Liability Litigation-Defendants
• Lynne K. Green: Best Lawyers® 2019, Jackson, Miss., Elder Law
• R. David Kaufman: Best Lawyers® 2019, Jackson, Miss., Bet-the-Company Litigation
• M. Patrick McDowell: Best Lawyers® 2019, Jackson, Miss., Litigation-Securities
• John E. Milner: Best Lawyers® 2019, Jackson, Miss., Environmental Law and Litigation-Environmental
• Walter S. Weems:  Best Lawyers® 2019, Jackson, Miss., Mergers and Acquisitions Law

32 of Brunini’s attorneys have been recognized in the 2019 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Biloxi

• Leonard A. Blackwell II: Gaming Law, Land Use and Zoning Law

Columbus

• J. Gordon Flowers: Commercial Litigation, Environmental Law, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Jackson

• Matthew W. Allen: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Sheldon G. Alston: Litigation – Land Use and Zoning, Litigation – Real Estate, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• P. David Andress: Real Estate Law
• Norman E. Bailey: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, Trademark Law
• Stephen J. Carmody: Employment Law – Management , Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Labor and Employment , Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Profession Malpractice Law – Defendants
• R. Richard Cirilli Jr.: Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• John M. Flynt: Administrative / Regulatory Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Real Estate Law
• Christopher R. Fontan: Litigation Labor and Employment
• Louis G. Fuller: Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Tax Law
• Lynne K. Green: Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law, Elder Law, Tax Law, Trust and Estates
• James L. Halford: Communications Law, Energy Law
• Ken Harmon: Oil and Gas Law, Real Estate Law
• Mark Hosemann: Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Tax Law
• Karen E. Howell: Commercial Litigation
• William Trey Jones III: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental
• R. David Kaufman: Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Litigation – Antitrust, Litigation Securities, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Samuel C. Kelly: Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Litigation – Construction
• James A. McCullough II: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Bankruptcy, Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
• M. Patrick McDowell: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Securities, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• John E. Milner: Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental
• William C. Penick IV: Corporate Law, Tax Law
• Warren Ken Rogers: Commercial Transactions / UCC Law, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Watts C. Ueltschey: Administrative / Regulatory Law, Energy Law, Energy Regulatory Law, Mining Law, Natural Resources Law, Oil and Gas Law, Real Estate Law
• Leonard D. Van Slyke, Jr.: Litigation – First Amendment, Litigation – Trust and Estates, Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Media Law, Tax Law, Trust and Estates
• Joseph E. Varner III: Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Tax Law, Trust and Estates
• John E. Wade: Commercial Litigation, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
• Thomas E. Walker, Jr.: Banking and Finance Law, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Law, Financial Services Regulation Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Gene Wasson: Environmental Law, Real Estate Law
• Walter S. Weems: Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Tax Law
• Ron A. Yarbrough: Construction Law, Litigation – Construction

 

 

The Brunini firm is proud to recognize Cody Bailey, Karen Howell and Taylor McNeel, as they have been selected in the 40 & Under Hot List.  They are among the top young talent in their respective litigation communities in Mississippi and throughout the United States.  Benchmark Litigation focuses exclusively on litigation in the United States.  Benchmark Litigation selects nominees through extensive interviews of the nation’s leading private practice lawyers and in-house counsel to identify the leading litigators in each jurisdiction.  You can learn more about Brunini’s three honorees by viewing their bio’s here, here and here.

 

 

Lynne K. Green and Joseph E. Varner III, both partners in the Jackson law firm of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, have been ranked in Chambers 2018 High Net Worth Guide. They were also ranked in 2017, which was the first year Mississippi attorneys and law firms were included in this guide. 

Chambers High Net Worth Guide is the only independent directory specifically aimed at the private wealth market that ranks law firms according to their private client disciplines. 

For the second year Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes also received the highest ranking as a Band 1 private wealth law firm by Chambers High Net Worth Guide. 

For nearly 30 years, Chambers has offered the most in-depth research of this type globally, featuring a London-based team of 200 researchers who speak a combined 23 languages and conduct thousands of interviews each year.

 

Norman “Benje” Bailey, a partner in the Jackson law firm of Brunini, Grantham, Grower
& Hewes, has been named to the Board of Directors of a global affiliation of law firms.
Meritas has affiliates in 242 cities of 89 countries. The affiliation is composed of more
than 7,600 attorneys.

Bailey is a litigator with the Brunini firm. He has been honored by both Best Lawyers in
America and Mid-South Super Lawyers.

The Jackson attorney will serve a three year term. Bailey and his wife Mimi have four
children.

The other newly elected members of the 21-member Meritas board are: Diego Botana –
Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lela Gani – Pretoria, South Africa; William (Bill) Gilbride – Detroit,
Michigan; Olli Kiuru – Helsinki, Finland; Melisa Pena – Bridgewater, New Jersey; Jules
Turcotte – Quebec City, Canada; and Yao Rao – Shangai, China.