Samuel D. "Sam" Habeeb

Aileen Thomas is a partner in the Tax Practice Group and a member of the firm’s board of directors. Aileen is a nationally recognized finance attorney with a focus on New Markets Tax Credit transactions, Historic Tax Credit transactions, tax exempt bond transactions and other sophisticated debt financing transactions. Aileen’s clients include national, regional and community banks, underwriting firms, investment funds, community development entities and community development finan...

Mr. Morrison practices out of the New Orleans, Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi office locations. Walter C. Morrison, IV was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on October 19, 1967 and raised in New Roads, Louisiana. He graduated from Catholic High School of Pointe Coupee in 1986 and from Louisiana State University with a B.S. in accounting in 1990. He attended Mississippi College School of Law where he was the Production Editor of the law review and graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1993. Walter...

Ann Corso Taylor is a partner in the firm. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience, she handles matters encompassing every aspect of real estate law. Ann advises clients on matters involving acquisitions, sales, leasing, and financing. In recent years, she has been heavily involved in negotiating leases with national and local tenants for the developer of a new shopping center development. She also has been involved in the purchasing and selling of numerous apartment complexes across the ...

Kelly Blackwood is a member of the firm’s Environmental Practice Group and the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. Her practice involves regulatory and litigation work with a wide range of experience in environmental permitting and enforcement matters. Kelly has a strong working relationship with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and works regularly with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Kelly has represented clients before Mississippi state courts, the Mis...

As a member of the firm’s Products, Catastrophic and Industrial Litigation Group, Lem focuses on product liability law, energy law and energy litigation, personal injury defense, toxic torts, and governmental and municipal liability.

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...

Since joining Watkins & Eager in 1991, Walter's practice has included both federal and state court litigation in the areas of pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, medical malpractice, general product liability, and personal injury. Walter has served as lead trial counsel in numerous product liability and medical malpractice cases in both state and federal courts and has tried multiple cases to verdict. Walter chairs the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device and Alternative Dispute Re...

Shauncey H. Ridgeway is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law. Shauncey H., who practices law in Jackson, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Shauncey H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jay practices within the Products, Catastrophic and Industrial Litigation Group. He focuses his practice on product liability litigation, toxic tort litigation, environmental litigation, catastrophic events and major claims, incident response and evidence preservation, OSHA and general litigation defense.

William F. Ray was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1986. His experience spans from commercial litigation, complex litigation and banking, securities and financial services to life, health and disability insurance and ERISA and employee benefit claims. His cases of note include Raines v. Bottrell Ins. Agency, Inc., 992 So.2d 642, 2008 WL 1869290, 2008 Miss. App. LEXIS 274; 27 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 1350 (Miss. App. 2008); Estate of Bratton v. National Union Fire Ins. Co., 215 F.3d 516, 2000 U.S....