Slay

La'Toyia concentrates her practice in insurance coverage, commercial litigation, business torts and unfair competition, toxic tort litigation, white collar criminal defense, product liability litigation, drug and device litigation, and other complex civil litigation.   Her experience also includes regularly conducting internal investigations for companies and providing advice on reporting obligations and representation throughout all phases of government investigations and accompanying litigation. La’Toyia also serves on Butler Snow’s Recruiting Committee and Pro Bono Committee, and she assists with the Diversity & Inclusivity Committee.

• Commercial Litigation
• Insurance
• Business Torts & Unfair Competition
• Environmental Litigation
• Tort, Transportation & Specialized Litigation
• Class Actions
• Products, Catastrophic & Industrial Litigation
• Antitrust, Competition & Trade Regulation
• Intellectual Property Litigation
• White Collar, Compliance & Government Investigations

La’Toyia’s recent experience includes obtaining summary judgment ruling on behalf of a major insurance company in an action brought in Hinds County, Mississippi by an insured seeking past and future costs related to environmental contamination. She also assisted in obtaining a favorable settlement for correctional technology vendor and obtaining a dismissal with prejudice on 12(b)(6) grounds in a consumer class action suit bringing civil RICO, fraud and consumer protection claims over rates, fees and commissions charged to inmates and inmate friends and family. The case was dismissed three times under the filed-rate doctrine by the District Court before being appealed to the Fifth Circuit, where the dismissal with prejudice was affirmed by a three-Judge panel per curiam. See Alexander et al. v. Global Tel*Link Corporation, 816 Fed.Appx.939 (2020). 

She also successfully assisted in obtaining dismissal on 12(b)(6) grounds for a major consumer products manufacturer in an antitrust and consumer protection action brought by the Mississippi Attorney General over alleged price-fixing of wire harness parts used in automotive production.  That dismissal was upheld by a unanimous Mississippi Supreme Court.  See Fitch v. Yazaki North America, Inc., et al., 294 So. 3d 1178 (2020). 

La’Toyia has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America® in commercial litigation and Mid-South Rising Stars in business litigation. She was previously named in the Top 50 Under 40 by the Mississippi Business Journal and was a graduate of Leadership Greater Jackson.

She is active in a number of professional and community organizations. She is the former president of Jackson Young Lawyers, and a member of the Capital Area Bar Association (CABA), Mississippi Women Lawyers Association, and Magnolia Bar Association. She has served as a Board Member for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (“JDRF”), as a volunteer and fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, and as a volunteer and fundraiser for the Mississippi Children’s Museum.

She obtained her J.D., summa cum laude, from Mississippi College School of Law, where she was awarded the Dean’s Award at graduation for her exceptional performance during law school. While in law school, La’Toyia also served as the first African American Editor-in-Chief of Law Review of any Mississippi law school.

• Successfully obtained summary judgment ruling on behalf of a major insurance company in an action brought in Hinds County, Mississippi by an insured seeking past and future costs related to environmental contamination.
• Successfully obtained dismissal on 12(b)(6) grounds for major consumer products manufacturer in an antitrust and consumer protection action brought by the Mississippi Attorney General alleging an international price-fixing conspiracy in the manufacturing, production and distribution of wire harness parts used in automotive manufacturing. On appeal, a unanimous Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal. State ex rel. Fitch v. Yazaki North America, Inc., et al., 294 So.3d 1178, 2020 WL 2079092 (April 30, 2020).
• Hood v. Yazaki, Chancery Court of Madison County, January 11, 2019 (achieved 12(b)(6) dismissal of Yazaki in an antitrust and consumer protection action case).  
• Defended community-wide, groundwater contamination cases related to two different sites.  Each site generated dozens of plaintiffs and multiple lawsuits, including litigation brought by the Attorney General on behalf of the State.
• Harris v. Higginbotham Automobiles LLC, Hinds County Circuit Court, September 18, 2018 (achieved summary judgment in respondent superior action on behalf of dealership).
• Linda Robinson v. North Bolivar Consolidated School District, Bolivar County Circuit Court, May 17, 2018 (achieved summary judgment on behalf of school district in wrongful termination case).
• Counsel for the Mississippi Lieutenant Governor in Stallworth/JMAA et al. v. Bryant et al. in the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority’s effort to prevent transfer of control of the Jackson Medger Wiley-Evers International Airport to a new statutorily-created and regionally-controlled Jackson Metropolitan Area Airport Authority. Case is currently ongoing.
• Counsel for major correctional technology vendor in civil RICO, fraud and consumer protection action brought by the Mississippi Attorney General following the resignation and federal incarceration of former Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps. 
• Counsel for same major correctional technology vendor in consumer class action suit bringing civil RICO, fraud and consumer protection claims over rates, fees and commissions charged to inmates and inmate friends and family members. Case is currently ongoing.
• Successfully mediated on behalf of major insurance companies in bad faith insurance and workers compensation denial claims. 
• Regularly conducts internal investigations for companies and medical institutions and provides advice on reporting obligations and representation throughout all phases of government investigations.
• Successfully mediated on behalf of client in estate dispute valued at over a million dollars. 
• Successfully obtained dismissals on 12(b)(6) grounds and summary judgment for major consumer products manufacturers, and has assisted in white collar criminal defense matters, achieving favorable results and sentencing for her clients. Also successfully mediated on behalf of major insurance companies in bad faith insurance claims. 
• Serves as discovery counsel for a national insurance company involved in mass litigation following several catastrophic weather events.
• Serves as counsel for major insurance companies, representing them in breach of contract and bad faith insurance claims. Also represented and/or currently represents various manufactures and companies in Mississippi Consumer Protection Act and Mississippi Antitrust Act actions brought by the Mississippi Attorney General, including: Yazaki (wire harnesses); Daiichi Sankyo (Benicar); Accord Healthcare (docetaxel); BASF (vitamins, diisocyanates); Bristol Myers Squibb (Plavix); and LG (LCD panels). 

• Best Lawyers in America®
  • Ones to Watch, Commercial Litigation, 2021-2025
• Super Lawyers®
  • Mid-South Rising Star, Business Litigation, 2019-2024
• Mississippi Business Journal, Top 50 Under 40, 2020
• Leadership Greater Jackson, Graduate
• American Inns of Court
• Mississippi College School of Law, Adjunct Writing Professor

• Mississippi, 2014
• U.S. District Courts
• Mississippi: Northern, Southern
• U.S. Court of Appeals
• 5th Circuit

• Mississippi College, J.D., summa cum laude, 2014
  • Dean’s Award
  • Editor-in-Chief, Law Review
  • Hearin Scholar; Reuben V. Anderson Scholar; Patricia Bennett Award
  • Moot Court Board 
• Sewanee: The University of the South, B.A., Political Science, magna cum laude, 2011
  • Merit Scholar
  • Toyota Community Scholar
  • Dean’s List
  • Order of the Gownsmen Honor Society
  • Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society

• American Bar Association
  • YLD Local Affiliate Designee, 2018-2022
  • YLD Secretary, 2021-2022
• Jackson Young Lawyers
  • President, 2019-2020
  • President Elect, 2018-2019
  • Director, 2016-2018
• Capital Area Bar Association
  • Board Member, 2018-Present
• Magnolia Bar Association
  • Young Lawyers Chair
• Mississippi Bar Association
• Mississippi Women Lawyers Association
• Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project
• Federal Bar Association
• National Association of Women Lawyers

• Presenter, “Technology in the Daily Practice: Things You Think You Know (But Probably Don’t),” The Mississippi Bar, Bridge the Gap Program, July 2019. 
• Presenter, “14th Amendment: What it Actually Does and Doesn’t Say”, Jackson Legal Professionals CLE, October 2017.
• Author, “Facebook Unfriends Policy Allowing for Exclusion of Certain Racial and Ethnic Groups in Housing, Credit, and Employment Advertisements on the Site.” Butler Snow Commercial Litigation Blog, January 2017.
• Author, "A Letter to My Nephew: An Overview of the Racial and Legal Impact of Major Cases and Controversies throughout America in 2013." 
• Presenter, “Rights and Repressions of Underrepresented Groups,” Southwestern Social Science Association Conference, Las Vegas, NV, 2011.

• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
  • Board Member, 2016-Present
  • One Walk Chair
• Junior League of Jackson
  • Mississippi Food Pantry, Volunteer
  • Backpack Buddies, Volunteer
• Best Dressed Jackson 2020
  • American Cancer Society Volunteer and Fundraiser
• Habitat for Humanity
  • Volunteer
• Jackson Futbol Club
  • Coach
• St. Joseph Catholic High School
  • Cheer Competition Coach
  • 2017 State Champions
  • 2019 State Champions
• Mississippi Children's Museum
  • Discovery Night Corporate Sponsorship Chair