Butler Snow announced today that Andrea La’Verne Edney , W. Davis Frye, George C. (Clay) Gunn IV, and Adam D. Porter have joined the firm in its Ridgeland office. Edney and Porter will practice with the firm’s pharmaceutical, medical device and healthcare litigation group. Frye and Gunn will practice with Butler Snow’s tort, transportation and specialized litigation group.
“We are fortunate to have such a great group of lawyers join Butler Snow,” said Donald Clark, Jr., chairman, Butler Snow. “They are bringing a broad range of experience across several practice areas, which will provide additional depth for our clients.”
With more than 22 years of litigation experience, Edney has significant trial experience in state and federal courts in Mississippi and other states, and has tried to verdict numerous cases, including medical negligence, premises liability, products liability, bad faith insurance, employment disputes and legal malpractice.
Edney serves on the board of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), is on the faculty of ABOTA’s Masters in Trial program and the ABOTA Trial Academy. She also served as co-chair of the ABA/ABOTA National Trial College. Edney has been named in Best Lawyers in America® in the area of mass tort litigation/class actions – defendants, 2016 – 2018 and as one of the National Black Lawyers “Top 100 in the Country.” She was selected as “Outstanding Woman Lawyer of the Year” by the Mississippi Women Lawyers’ Association, and has been named one of “Mississippi’s Fifty Leaders in the Law” by the Mississippi Business Journal. Edney has received the Distinguished Service Awards from the Mississippi Bar Association, the Magnolia Bar Association, and the Capital Area Bar Association. She was selected as lawyer of the year by Mississippi College School of Law in 2018. Edney earned an undergraduate degree at Alcorn State University and her Juris Doctor from Mississippi College School of Law.
Frye has more than 21 years of litigation and arbitration experience. His significant trial resume includes successfully defending clients in commercial disputes, health care/nursing home cases, premises liability suits and other tort litigation. He also has extensive experience in employment suits, antitrust litigation, contract disputes, and covenants not to compete. Additionally, Frye routinely advises businesses, healthcare providers, and long term care companies concerning day-to-day operations, risk management issues, and corporate structure concerns.
Frye is AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, is listed in the Best Lawyers in America® in the area of commercial litigation and in Mid-South Super Lawyers. He earned his undergraduate degree at Millsaps College and his Juris Doctor at Vanderbilt Law School.
Gunn has more than eight years of litigation experience in the areas of products liability, health care/nursing home, premises liability and other tort litigation. He has defended automobile manufacturers through trial in catastrophic injury and wrongful death litigation, including design defect, manufacturing defect, and inadequate warning claims. Gunn has also defended physicians, medical clinics, and nursing homes in personal injury, wrongful death matters and disputes involving quality assurance and peer review privileges, handling multiple cases through trial. In addition, he has defended consumer appliance manufacturers and wineries against product liability claims. He also has experience in construction litigation involving large government contracts.
Gunn is AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He earned both his undergraduate degree and Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama and previously clerked for the Honorable Daniel P. Jordan III, United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi.
Porter has previous advocacy experience assisting clients in general business-related litigation matters. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi and his Juris Doctor from Mississippi College School of Law, where he served as the associate editor of the Mississippi College Law Review.
