William Trey "Trey" Jones III

LaToya Merritt, a community leader and experienced litigator, aims to assist her clients make the best decisions whether that includes taking a case to trial or working to resolve a case through alternative resolutions. She has been recognized by a number of media outlets as an active and engaged member of the Jackson community through devoting her time to volunteer with Mississippi organizations. For nearly 20 years, LaToya has practiced exclusively in the area of labor and employment with a...

Thad serves as Practice Group Leader for the Public Finance, Tax Incentives and Credit Markets Group. His work has been concentrated in all roles of Public Finance since 1996.

Jennifer is a partner in Balch’s Jackson office and holds licenses in Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi. She is an experienced litigation attorney who practices primary in the areas of product liability, toxic and environmental torts, wrongful death, and negligence cases. For more than 18 years Jennifer has defended a myriad of product manufacturers and possesses specialized knowledge in silica litigation defense. Jennifer has defended thousands of silica claims across the Southeast for l...

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...

Rajita Iyer Moss is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law, Litigation - Insurance, Municipal Law and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. Rajita Iyer, who practices law in Ridgeland, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Rajita Iyer is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Philip Gunn is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Government Relations Practice. Philip, 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 Philip is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Rod Clement’s practice is concentrated in commercial real estate and secured transactions. He regularly represents developers of shopping centers industrial facilities and office developments and borrowers, lenders and title insurers in secured financings. He also has extensive experience with retail, health care, industrial office leases and commercial properties. Projects he has worked on recently include financing renovation of historic facilities, purchasing of telecommunications sy...

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...

Charles G. Copeland is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law. Charles G., who practices law in Ridgeland, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Charles G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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....