Mackenzie N. Ellis

C. Phillip Buffington, Jr. advises financial institutions throughout the United States on federal and state banking laws and regulations. For more than 30 years, he has served as a trusted advisor to community, regional and national financial institutions, helping them to assess and analyze regulatory and litigation risks. Phil advises on a full range of issues, including corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, expansion and divestitures, de novo formations and charter conversions, ba...

John Giddens is the founding member of Giddens Law Firm, a personal injury law firm in Jackson, Mississippi. He established the firm in 1999, dedicated to those who cannot help themselves. Mr. Giddens is a victim’s rights advocate who chooses to represent the interests of individuals over corporations. His practice is devoted to helping Mississippians seek justice after an accident caused by negligence. Mr. Giddens has extensive experience in several areas of legal practice, including l...

Chad A. Davidson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Chad A., who practices law in Flowood, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Chad A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Barry Cannada focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, complex business transactions and finance and restructuring. He has extensive experience in various transactional advisory services, capital formation, joint ventures, private placements, financings (including distressed financings). He formerly served as the Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel overseeing all the administrative functions for a client earning approximately $3 billion in revenues and employing approxim...

Willard Benton Gregg is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Willard Benton, who practices law in Ridgeland, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Willard Benton is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Peyton Prospere has been engaged in the area of public law and finance for thirty-eight years. That experience includes the discharge of responsibilities at the highest levels in state government as State Treasurer, Chief Legal Counsel to Governor Ronnie Musgrove, and as General Counsel to the Mississippi Development Authority. As State Treasurer, Peyton supervised the issuance in 2003 of $363 million of State bonds representing the State incentive package for the Nissan manufacturing facilit...

Chad Hutchinson is an experienced trial attorney who has defended clients in the products, pharmaceutical and medical device industries the majority of his career. He has successfully tried multiple cases to verdict in first chair trial roles in multi-district litigations and state courts around the country. Chad has previously been selected as a winner of the Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award by The Burton Foundation for his published work. He is listed in BL Rankings, The Best Lawyer...

Keishunna is a member of the Tort, Transportation and Specialized Litigation practice group and has more than 14 years of litigation experience. Her experience spans the breadth of defending commercial trucking and transportation companies resulting in the full range of complex personal injury, including catastrophic injury, brain injury, and wrongful death cases, to defending landowners in a wide variety of premises liability cases, running the gamut from simple slip and falls to negligent s...

George E. Abdo III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Construction, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants. George E., who practices law in Madison, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which George E. is held by other top...

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...