W. McDonald "Don" Nichols

Lewis W. Bell was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1987. His experience spans from general product liability, general personal injury litigation, and premises litigation to commercial and franchise litigation. His cases of note include Rials v. Philip Morris, USA Inc., et al. 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12420, February 21, 2007; Rawls v. Friedman's Inc., 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21333, June 27, 2003; Everett v. Friedman's Inc., 2005 U.S. Dist LEXIS 23345, August 12, 2005; Allen v. Tyson Foods, Inc.,...

Chris Pace is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. He advises on project finance and economic development law, state and local government law, economic development incentives, and gaming law. Chris’ clients include county and municipal governmental bodies as well as new and expanding business concerns, examples of which include a large steel company investing more than $1 billion in a new facility, and a regional beverage supplier investing millions of dollars to expand its existi...

Clifford B. Ammons, Jr. was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 2008. His practice is dedicated to the areas of workers' compensation, tort and general litigation and appellate advocacy. During law school, Clifford was a member of the Law Review and Moot Court Board and served as an intern for the Honorable T. Kenneth Griffis, Mississippi Court of Appeals. He received Am Jur awards for Workers' Compensation, Wills and Estates, and Law Office Management.

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...

Edwin S. Gault, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Environmental, Litigation - Insurance, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Edwin S., who practices law in Jackson, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Edwin S....

Matthew I. Hetzel is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Workers' Compensation Law - Employers. Matthew I., who practices law in Ridgeland, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Matthew I. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

Steve has extensive experience as lead counsel in major litigation, not only in Mississippi, but throughout the Southeast. He has tried well over 200 cases to conclusion and has tried cases in 59 of Mississippi’s 82 counties and in 17 different states. Steve is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and is included in Best Lawyers in America , in Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation, Products Liability and Bet-the-Company Litiga...

Margaret Oertling Cupples writes briefs and motions, and manages other lawyers who write them, in civil appeals and commercial litigation. As litigators and their clients know, a vanishingly small percentage of cases actually get to trial; for the rest, a great brief is the way to win. As national legal writing counsel in major litigation for 3M Company, Margaret’s individual contributions and her strong collaboration with colleagues have brought significant value to 3M for two decades....

Bill Creel was born in Biloxi, Mississippi and has been licensed to practice in the State of Mississippi since 1990. Bill has litigated matters in state and federal courts. Bill has a varied litigation practice involving, among other things, personal injury defense, premises liability and insurance coverage matters. Bill and his wife are proud parents of three boys. The Creels attend Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church.