Marcus M. Wilson

During her over 40 years of trial experience, Jones has served as national trial counsel representing various corporations and has tried cases throughout the United States. In many of these instances, she has served as lead counsel in bellwether trials. She is also a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.

After graduating from the Ole Miss Law School in May 1976, Bob spent one year (1976-1977) as a law clerk to the Chief Judge for the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Upon completion of his clerkship, he immediately entered the practice of law focusing his practice in Litigation. For 42 years he has been actively engaged in a general trial practice in all Mississippi courts, state and federal. He is a former President of the Mississippi Defense Lawyers and an active member of the F...

Gilbert has represented clients in in all aspects of retirement and health and welfare benefit plans – design, administration, compliance, taxation, employee communications, fiduciary responsibility, defense of benefit claims, examinations, ruling applications, correction program filings and merger and acquisition transactions.

Tommy Shepherd is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. He advises businesses, Native American tribes, and financial institutions on a wide range of commercial and transactional matters. Tommy represents a broad spectrum of clients in all types of commercial and regulated matters. He has extensive experience in acquisitions, public-private leases, financings, land-use approvals, statutory and regulatory interpretation and compliance, operations, and administrative hearings. An accomplish...

Michael has served as bond counsel for private conduit financings, single family mortgage revenue bonds, and cities and counties throughout the State of Mississippi. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America® for his work in public finance law.

Walter J. Brand heads the Employment and Labor Practice Group at Watkins & Eager PLLC, where he has defended employment litigation for more than twenty years. Walter approaches his practice with the view that successful defense of employment claims begins long before a lawsuit is filed and requires three essential components: (1) fair, accurate and documented handling of personnel actions based on updated employer policies; (2) cogent explanation of employer action before administrative a...

James M. Tyrone is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants and Qui Tam Law. James M., who practices law in Jackson, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jim Crongeyer is a Managing Member of Watkins & Eager and has served in this capacity since 2008. He began the practice of law in Florida in 1995 after graduating cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Law. He is admitted to practice in Mississippi (1997), Alabama (1996) and Florida (1995), and has actively practiced in all three states. Jim has significant litigation and trial experience in the general product liability litigation, mass tort, complex litigation and constr...

Barber focuses his practice on commercial litigation issues including intellectual property, trade secrets, false advertising, breach of contract, and cybersecurity issues, as well as a variety of other types of commercial and environmental litigation. Barber has experience defending third party administrators in bad faith litigation. Barber’s practice includes matters with complex e-discovery issues, including handling issues relating to identification, preservation and collection of e...

R. Pepper Crutcher, Jr., General Counsel to the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, has served employers and allied trade and professional groups for over thirty years. The leader of his firm's Affordable Care Act practice - see www.acareview.com - Mr. Crutcher has helped develop ACA compliance software, has negotiated ACA compliance terms of union contracts, and regularly speaks and writes about employer, broker, provider and insurer ACA compliance. His litigation docket normally includes...