OverviewLeah is a commercial litigator who enjoys aggressively pursuing early resolution of her clients’ disputes and proactively preparing cases for trial. She is a member of the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare Litigation group and has over twenty years of experience in state and federal courts and arbitration proceedings throughout Mississippi. In addition to general litigation disputes her practice areas include complex commercial litigation, product liability, transportation litigation, construction litigation, and mass tort litigation. Leah’s recent matters include the defense of officers and directors of a publicly traded company in a fraud action brought by a state attorney general, the representation of a private company pursuing trade secret claims against a former employee, and a coordinating role with nationwide trial preparation teams in mass tort actions against pharmaceutical companies and product manufacturers. She has also served as panel counsel for a nationwide retail drug company.
Leah’s experience also includes the representation of public boards and commissions who she has advised on issues including municipal ordinances and regulations, internal investigations, sensitive employment disputes and community relations. She is a committee co-chair for the Capital Area Bar Association and recently served on the Evelyn Gandy Lecture Series Committee for the Women in the Profession Section of the Mississippi Bar. Leah currently serves on the Law Practice Management and Technology Committee for the Mississippi Bar. She is also the Member Liaison for the Mississippi Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Experience
- Inn by the Sea Homeowners’Ass’n. v. Sea Inn, LLC 170 So.3d 496(Miss. 2015)
- Hughes v. Boston Scientific Corp. 631 F.3d 762 (5th Cir. 2011)
- Miss. Crime Lab v. Douglas 70 So.3d 196 (Miss. 2011)
- Sanders v. Advanced Neuromodulation Sys. 44 So.3d 960 (Miss.2010)
- Eason v. Walgreen Co., 3:11-190, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi (obtained defense verdict on behalf of Walgreen Co.)
- TLS Management & Marketing Services, LLC v. Mardis Financial Services, Inc. et al., 3:14-CV-881, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi (obtained default judgment and multi-million dollar verdict for TLS)
Distinctions
- Martindale-Hubbell®
- AV® – Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated, 2014-2022
- Super Lawyers®
- Mid-South Rising Star, 2015-2019
Bar Admissions
- Mississippi, 2004
- U.S. District Courts
- Mississippi: Northern, Southern
- U.S. Court of Appeals
Education
- University of Mississippi, J.D., 2004
- Moot Court Board: Chair Judicial Relations, 2003-2004
- Mississippi State University, B.S., Business Administration, magna cum laude, 2000
Associations
- Mississippi Bar Association
- Law Practice Management and Technology Committee, 2023-2024
- Professionalism Committee, 2022-2023
- Women in the Profession Committee, 2020-2021
- Diversity Committee, 2019-2020
- Capital Area Bar Association
- Evening Honoring the Judiciary, Co-Chair, 2022-2024
- Bench and Bar Committee, 2021-2022
- Claims Litigation Management Alliance
- Director of Events, Mississippi Chapter
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
- Federal Bar Association
- Member Liaison, Mississippi Chapter
Papers, Presentations & Publications
- Presenter, "Deposition Academy," Mississippi Bar Litigation Section, February 23, 2024.
- Panelist, "Who Says You Can’t Have It All? Finding the Balance," 31st Annual Evelyn Gandy Lecture Series, January 19, 2024.
- Co-Author, "The Power of A.I. in Law - Starting Small, Achieving Big," The Mississippi Lawyer, Vol. LXX, No. 1, Fall 2023.
- Co-Author, "Oh, Do I Have a Story for You…," Pro Te: Solutio, Vol. 16, No. 1, March 2023.
- Speaker, “Thriving in an Alternative Work Arrangement,” Capital Area Bar Association, February 25, 2021.
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