Karen E. Howell
Member

Practice Areas
AppellateBreach of Contract
Business Torts
Class Actions
Commercial Litigation
Energy Litigation
Government Contracts
Healthcare
Insurance Litigation
Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property Litigation
Personal Injury, Mass Torts, and Product Liability
Karen E. Howell
Member
Biography
Karen Howell joined Brunini in 2006, focusing on litigation. She received her Bachelor’s degree cum laude in Business Administration from Mississippi College in 2003. Karen received her Juris Doctor magna cum laude from the Mississippi College School of Law in 2006, where she served as a Senior Editor of the Mississippi College Law Review and earned American Jurisprudence Awards for best paper in Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Employment Discrimination, Health Care Law, and Labor Law.
Education
- J.D., Mississippi College, 2006 magna cum laude (Mississippi College Law Review – senior editor, Mississippi Bar Foundation Award)
- B.S., B.A., Mississippi College, 2003 cum laude
Admissions
- Mississippi (2006)
- United States District Courts of Mississippi (2006)
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (2006)
Community & Professional Activities
- Mississippi Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Jackson Young Lawyers Association
- Jackson Junior League
Representative Matters
- Obtain dismissal of claims against Trustmark, as time-barred. [Soriano v. Trustmark et al 01298772]. The Plaintiff filed the action against his accountant and Trustmark alleging misappropriation of funds by the accountant and the failure of an unstated legal duty by Trustmark with regard to the bank account opened in connection with the Plaintiff’s bankruptcy. The Court agreed with Trustmark’s assertion of federal jurisdiction. The Court went on to explain that “[t]he Complaint provides neither a specific cause of action against Trustmark nor a factual basis supporting a plausible claim ….”. Although no specific cause of action could be gleaned from the Complaint, the alleged conduct occurred more than three years prior to the filing of the Complaint and, thus, was barred by the statute of limitations. 2012 WL 3601754 (5th Cir. 8/22/12)
- Obtains partial summary judgment on the central issue of lease termination. The lease was for underground storage of natural gas and hydrocarbon liquids. Although payment under the lease was not tendered on the due date, the Court found that time was not of the essence under the lease and that there was no lease provision for termination for late payment of rental. Therefore, the remedy for failing to tender payment timely was not termination of the lease. Leaf River Energy Center, LLC v. Ford, No. 3:10cv49 (S.D. Miss. 2011) [Leaf River Opinion and Order]
- Riley v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi, et al., No. 3:09cv674 (S.D. Miss. 2011)(grant of summary judgment in ERISA action finding Blue Cross was not a proper part to the action and finding that claim for breach of fiduciary duty was barred since claim for benefits was filed)
- Summary Judgment in favor of client Lender Processing Services, Inc. in US Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Mississippi. Court found LPS had no involvement in underlying bankruptcy action and thus could not have been involved in alleged fee sharing and unauthorized practice of law. Thorne v. LPS, et al., Adversary Proceeding No.: 10-01172-DWH (2011).
- Rich Ellison v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi, 529 F.Supp.2d 620 (S.D. Miss. 2007)(ERISA action; summary judgment granted to Blue Cross)
Honors & Awards
- Best Lawyers In America©: Lawyer of the Year 2022 – Litigation – ERISA
- Recognized in Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under Hotlist – 2021
- Best Lawyers in America©: Commercial Litigation
- Benchmark Litigation’s Under 40 Hotlist for the United States
News
- BRUNINI ATTORNEYS RECOGNIZED IN THE BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA© 2023 EDITION
- Brunini Named Best Law Firm in Mississippi for Third Year in a Row
- Brunini Attorneys Recognized in the 2022 Edition of Best Lawyers
- THREE BRUNINI ATTORNEYS RECOGNIZED BY BENCHMARK LITIGATION 40 & UNDER HOT LIST
- Brunini Attorneys Recognized by Best Lawyers
- Benchmark Litigation Recognizes 4 Brunini Attorneys on its 40 & Under Hot List
- Brunini Attorneys Recognized by Best Lawyers
- 2016 Mid-South Super Lawyers