Butler Snow LLP is pleased to welcome Margarita (Maggie) E. Arellano, Katelyn Jackson Ruston, Bo C. Murphy and Racquel M. Richards to the firm. Arellano and Richards join Butler Snow’s Constitutional and Civil Rights Litigation practice group, and Jackson Ruston and Murphy join Butler Snow’s Commercial Litigation practice group.
“We are happy to announce the addition of four new attorneys across our Atlanta, Memphis, Montgomery and Nashville offices,” said Christopher Maddux, chair of Butler Snow. “Their arrival will further strengthen our Commercial and Constitutional and Civil Rights Litigation practice groups.”
Margarita (Maggie) E. Arellano
Arellano joins Butler Snow’s Constitutional and Civil Rights Litigation group in Montgomery, Ala. She represents government and executive-level officials, facility operators, attorneys general, agencies and private general counsels, corrections officers, and probation and parole professionals in class-action lawsuits. She helps correctional leaders and their agencies navigate constitutional matters impacting medical and mental health issues, safety and security matters, custody classification, inmate transport, and housing.
Prior to joining the firm, Arellano’s practice was focused on representing hospitals, physicians, and nurses through all stages of litigation. She represented insurers, reinsurers, and syndicates in managing and monitoring medical malpractice claims. Arellano also previously handled multidistrict litigation and served as a Staff Attorney for the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals and an Assistant District Attorney for the 19th Judicial Circuit of Alabama.
Arellano is a member of several national and local legal associations, including the Alabama Bar Association, the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, the Birmingham Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association and the Montgomery County Bar Association.
Arellano earned her bachelor’s degree from Smith College and her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Mississippi College School of Law. She is admitted to practice in Alabama and the District of Columbia, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.
Katelyn Jackson Ruston
Jackson Ruston is a member of Butler Snow’s Commercial Litigation group in Memphis, Tenn. Before joining the firm, she earned a master’s degree in education through the Memphis Teacher Residency and taught middle school math for five years in Memphis’s public schools. Following her time in the classroom, she attended law school at the University of Memphis, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of The University of Memphis Law Review. She then clerked for Judge Thomas L. Parker of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee and Judge Andre B. Mathis of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Jackson Ruston earned her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Oklahoma Christian University, her master’s degree from Union University and her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the University of Memphis Cecil H. Humphreys School of Law. She is a member of the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section, the Memphis Bar Association and she is admitted to practice in Tennessee, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee and the Sixth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Bo C. Murphy
Murphy joins Butler Snow’s Commercial Litigation practice group in Nashville, Tenn. Murphy is an experienced litigator who becomes a member of his client’s team while incorporating the core values he learned in the military—integrity, service, and excellence—into every case. He has successfully resolved complex matters for clients at all levels of dispute resolution, including administrative hearings, state court, federal court, and arbitration.
Prior to joining Butler Snow, Murphy was a Judge Advocate General in the United States Air Force. He was a military prosecutor, as well as the embedded legal advisor to a rapidly deployable combat unit during his first assignment at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. He was later reassigned to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. As the Chief Prosecutor/Chief Litigator at Joint Base Andrews, Murphy was a key to the installation winning the prestigious “Legal Office of the Year” and received various accolades and an award from Air Force Headquarters at the Pentagon. He also deployed to the Middle East in support of operations Spartan Shield, Inherent Resolve, and Enduring Sentinel. Throughout his time in the Air Force, Murphy had the opportunity to lead hundreds of investigations in coordination with various federal agencies, advise the Department of Justice and try multiple jury trials.
Prior to commissioning in the Air Force, Murphy was a civil litigator for over two years at a firm in Cookeville, Tennessee. He handled a vast array of civil matters for his clients and tried over 15 bench trials. Leaning on his business experience, Murphy concentrated on representing companies in numerous disputes before administrative agencies, arbitration, and the courts.
Murphy is a member of the American Bar Association, the Nashville Bar Association and the Tennessee Bar Association. He is a Major in the Tennessee Air National Guard and is currently assigned to the Tennessee Joint Force Headquarters representing Tennessee Air National Guard Airmen throughout the state.
Murphy earned his bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Tennessee Technological University, his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Memphis Fogelman College of Business and Economics and his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. He is admitted to practice in Tennessee and all U.S. District Courts of Tennessee and Arkansas.
Racquel M. Richards
Richards is a member of Butler Snow’s Constitutional and Civil Rights Litigation group in Atlanta, Ga. The majority of her experience is in insurance defense litigation in Superior, State and Magistrate courts in Georgia. In the earlier part of her career, she handled real estate litigation involving land disputes and evictions. Throughout her career she has taken on a variety of cases including high-profile cases regarding negligent security and premises liability matters. As an experienced attorney, Richards has gone before the court and fought zealously for her clients in the State of Georgia on behalf of a major insurance company. She has provided vigorous defense representation to insurance companies regarding property damage, liability claims and personal injury.
In addition to her work within the legal industry, Richards volunteers her time with the Cardiac and Transplant Program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Hospital. She is also the Founder and Director of Interlink Young Adult Ministry, an organization that brings together young professionals in Atlanta to make an impact on their community.
Richards earned her bachelor’s degree from Mercer University and her Juris Doctor from Elon University School of Law. She is admitted to practice in Georgia.
