James L. "Jim" Halford

Susan L. Steffey was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1987 and to the Mississippi Bar in 1991. She is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Mississippi and Florida and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Before joining Watkins & Eager in 1991, Susan practiced in Tampa, Florida, with the law firm of Sessums & Mason (1987-1990), and served as law clerk to the Honorable Rhesa H. Barksdale, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (1990-19...

"He is an effective negotiator and effectively uses relationships to obtain optimal results for clients. He has early recognition of cases for trial settings and/or settlement, sees the big picture and creates strategies for the future to protect the client." -Patricia Bligh, Chubb & Son, Inc.

L. CARL HAGWOOD (Carl) was born in Mobile, Alabama in 1941. He received a B.A. from Millsaps College and his Juris Doctorate with distinction from the University of Mississippi in 1968. A member of Phi Alpha Delta and the Editorial Board of the Mississippi Law Journal, Mr. Hagwood served as a Law Clerk to Judge Claude F. Clayton, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, and also as the Bond Attorney for the State of Mississippi. He was selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in Ameri...

Jennifer is a partner in Balch’s Jackson office and holds licenses in Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi. She is an experienced litigation attorney who practices primary in the areas of product liability, toxic and environmental torts, wrongful death, and negligence cases. For more than 18 years Jennifer has defended a myriad of product manufacturers and possesses specialized knowledge in silica litigation defense. Jennifer has defended thousands of silica claims across the Southeast for l...

Joseph G. Baladi was admitted to the Missouri Bar in 2000 and the Mississippi Bar in 2001. Since joining Watkins & Eager, Joe's experience has included numerous pharmaceutical litigations, medical malpractice bench and jury trials, and product liability trials. Joe's involved in several professional organizations and serves as co-chair of Watkins & Eager's Mass Tort and Repetitive Exposure practice group. Joe regularly speaks and presents on the subjects of science at trial, Daubert i...

R. David Marchetti is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law and Trusts and Estates. R. David, who practices law in Ridgeland, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which R. David is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Robbie is a member of Butler Snow’s Commercial Litigation group. He is a highly skilled trial lawyer with more than 22 years of experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in complex litigation and mass torts in federal court, state court, and arbitration. Robbie’s experience covers every aspect of civil litigation, from developing case theories and damage models, preparing pleadings, motion practice, fact and expert discovery, serving as lead trial counsel, through appeal. ...

Jim Neeld concentrates his practice in: Business and corporate matters Mergers and acquisitions Telecommunications Commercial transactions Corporate finance including early-stage venture financing structures and debt and equity offerings. He has extensive experience and counsels clients in the following: Sales and purchases of businesses Antitrust, distribution and marketing/advertising issues Shareholder and partnership disputes Vendor/customer relationships Executive employment arrangements...

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...

Phil is a seasoned litigator who focuses most of his practice on matters within the construction industry. A certified arbitrator, he has provided counsel to some of the country’s most well-known companies. In over forty years of practice at Butler Snow, Phil has represented owners, contractors, architects and engineers in the construction industry, as well as defending national manufacturers in product liability litigation.