J. Kearney Travis, Jr.

Whit Johnson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in a doctor’s household. Mr. Johnson has been licensed to practice in the State of Mississippi since 1979. He specializes in litigation, with the focus of his practice for the past 25 years being the defense of physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers from claims of medical negligence. Mr. Johnson is a frequent speaker to medical organizations, including the Mississippi State Medic...

Blythe practices within Butler Snow’s Labor and Employment group. An experienced litigator, Blythe has successfully represented management’s interests in state and federal litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and administrative agency proceedings on a wide variety of employment law matters. Blythe is also a U.S. Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and is an experienced counselor in the data protection arena.

In his nearly 20 years of practice, Jeffrey Blackwood has handled a variety of commercial litigation matters. He is actively representing broker-dealers and registered investment advisors in matters before FINRA, as well as the Mississippi Secretary of State Securities Division. Jeffrey recently obtained a victory on behalf of a trust in litigation involving investment LLCs in Delaware. In addition, he routinely speaks and writes on topics related to securities regulatory and enforcement matt...

Betty Ruth Fox is Counsel with Watkins & Eager focusing in the areas of environmental law and bankruptcy. From 1993 to 2002, Betty Ruth was a Senior Attorney with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and worked in regulation and enforcement in every MDEQ Program Area, coordinating with appropriate federal, state and local agencies and/or governing authorities. Beginning in 2002, Betty Ruth worked as a Trial Attorney with the Department of Justice/U. S. Trustee Program in ci...

Beau Cole is member of Butler Snow’s Products, Catastrophic and Industrial Litigation Group and Tort, Transportation and Specialized Litigation Groups.

Michael Bentley is a partner in the Jackson, Mississippi office, where he concentrates his practice on appellate and commercial litigation. In addition to his responsibilities at the firm, Michael was elected Chair of the Mississippi Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section (2013-2014) and currently serves on the Board of Governors for the Bar Association of the Federal Fifth Circuit. Prior to joining the firm, Michael clerked for Judge Leslie H. Southwick at the Fifth Circuit Court...

C. Stephen Stack, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Litigation - Insurance and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. C. Stephen, who practices law in Ridgeland, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which C. Stephen is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Steven E. Farese, Sr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice, Criminal Defense: White-Collar and DUI / DWI Defense. Steven E., who practices law in Ashland, Mississippi, has been recognized since 1995. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Steven E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Matt is a member of Butler Snow’s Health Law group and focuses his practice on healthcare compliance with federal and state law, the structuring of business transactions for healthcare providers, and the defense of healthcare clients in commercial litigation and governmental audits. Matt regularly provides counsel to institutional and individual providers to ensure contemplated business transactions are both profitable and compliant with applicable laws, including Stark Law and the Anti...

Charles M. Merkel, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Charles M., who practices law in Clarksdale, Mississippi, has been recognized since 1989. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Charles M. is held by other top lawyers in the ...