Merrida P. "Buddy" Coxwell, Jr.

Clark Luke is a partner in the firm’s Tax and Trusts & Estates practice groups. His practice is primarily focused on estate planning and administration, taxation, corporate law, and M&A. Clark has been listed in Chambers USA High Net Worth Guide , The Best Lawyers in America ®, and Mid-South Super Lawyers . He has an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Ryan focuses his practice on representing privately held business in sales and acquisitions, formation, and business planning and operations. Ryan also regularly represents gaming clients on regulatory matters before the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

Thomas R. Julian is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law, Litigation - Insurance, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. Thomas R., who practices law in Madison, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Robert B. Ireland, III, was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 2002 and is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in Mississippi and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Robert has handled and assisted with all aspects of litigated matters, through trial and appeal, in both state and federal courts and also in arbitration proceedings. He has also appeared before municipal and county authorities on numerous zoning related matters. Robert has extensive lit...

James L. Banks is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. James L., who practices law in Jackson, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Abram Orlansky was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 2012. Prior to joining the firm, he served as law clerk to The Honorable Rhesa H. Barksdale, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. His practice focuses on environmental law, wherein he represents clients before the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Corps of Engineers, along with state and federal courts. Abram has assisted clients with issues includin...

Lynn Thompson has practiced extensively in construction law and litigation, government contracts and procurement (federal state, and local) law, grants law, commercial litigation and transactions, and business consulting for over 26 years. Lynn is deeply skilled in these areas of practice—as counsel for plaintiffs and defendants—and has successfully represented prime contractors, subcontractors, private and public owners, and suppliers in scores of lawsuits, arbitrations, bid prot...

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...

Alyson serves as Practice Group Leader for our Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare Group. Frequently called upon to assemble teams and manage both coordinated proceedings and individual plaintiff cases, she represents pharmaceutical and medical device companies in product liability litigation across the country. “Alyson is a phenomenal case manager and a strong litigator.” Chambers USA, which ranked Alyson for nationwide Product Liability & Mass Torts (2025). The Leg...

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...