Appellate and Written Advocacy

In the 1950s - even before our firm was formed - Butler and Snow teamed up with O'Mara, Stevens & Cannada to defend the biggest Officers' and Directors' liability case the State had ever seen.  Together, they wrote the foundational chapter in Mississippi corporate governance law, Knox Glass Bottle Co. v. Underwood, 89 So.2d 799 (Miss. 1956). Today Butler Snow appellate lawyers continue not only to write and rewrite  Mississippi's law, but to shape the legal climate across the country through both written and oral advocacy.  We enjoy an extensive federal and state appellate practice, often involving novel or complex legal issues, in all fields of law. These include appeals both of cases tried by Butler Snow and cases tried by other firms, as well as the preparation of amici briefs on behalf of trade associations and other interested organizations.

The attorneys in our Appellate and Written Advocacy Group offer the specialized skills that written and oral advocacy require. We understand that successful appeals are shaped from the initial stages of litigation. Appellate lawyers are an integral part of any litigation team, providing support in the form of strategy and written advocacy at every stage. Our attorneys have extensive trial experience, are equipped to handle every aspect of an appeal, and have a record of proven results.

Practice highlights

• Our appellate team has national experience. Our appellate lawyers have appeared in the United States Supreme Court, eleven of the twelve United States Courts of Appeal, the State Supreme Court of Mississippi, and other state appellate courts throughout the country.
  
  
• In the past four years, Butler Snow lawyers have handled appeals resulting in reversals of judgments totaling more than $60 million, and helped shape changes in the legal environment in Mississippi, particularly in areas of mass joinder of plaintiffs and venue.
  
  
• Our attorneys routinely appear on CLE programs devoted to appellate advocacy, and they have published numerous articles addressing appellate jurisdictional issues and other related subjects.
  
  
• Attorneys in our group are listed in the Appellate Law section of The Best Lawyers in America® as well as Mid-South Super Lawyers®.

Representative experience

• Upchurch Plumbing, Inc. v. Greenwood Utilities Com'n,  964 So.2d 1100 (Miss. 2007) ($2.6 million judgment, including attorney fees, affirmed).
  
  

• Hall v. Canadian Nat’l / Ill. Cent. R.R. v. Hall, 953 So.2d 1084 (Miss. 2007) (affirming, $1.5 million jury award).
   
• Janssen Pharmaceutica Inc. v. Bailey, 878 So.2d 31, Prod. Liab. Rep (CCH) P 17,008. (Miss. 2004) ($100 million verdict vacated).
  
  
• 3M Co. v. Johnson, 895 So.2d 151 (Miss. 2005) ($22.5 million judgment reversed and rendered).
  
  
• Community Bank of Ellisville v. Courtney,  884 So.2d 767 (Miss. 2004) ($5 million judgment reduced to $7,000).
  
  
• FMC Corp., Inc. v. Helton, 202 S.W.3d 490 (Ark. 2005) ($1.25 million judgment, including attorney fees award, reversed and remanded).
  
  
• Janssen Pharmaceutica Inc. v. Armond, 866 So.2d 1092, Prod. Liab. Rep. (CCH) P 16,876  (Miss. 2004) (resulted in new joinder and venue rules for Mississippi).
  
  
  For additional information on Appellate and Written Advocacy, please contact Donna Brown Jacobs.