Mississippi Attorney ...

Mississippi Attorney Awarded Presidential Black Excellence Award and Named a Top 100 Trial Lawyer

October 20, 2021 | by Butler Snow

Butler Snow attorney Orlando R. Richmond, Sr. is the recipient of two prestigious honors from the National Bar Association (NBA) and Benchmark Litigation.

On Oct. 15, Richmond received the NBA’s 2021 Presidential Black Excellence Award at the organization’s 32nd annual Wiley A. Branton Symposium held in Jackson.

Additionally, Richmond has also been named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2022 Top 100 Trial Lawyers for a fourth consecutive year, highlighting his exceptional work in the field. The extensive research process for this honor, which encompasses six months of analysis into the attorneys’ professional activities as well as intensive peer and client reviews, has culminated in the selection of the nation’s most elite trial strategists in their respective fields.

“Rod continues to garner much deserved recognition from his peers for his accomplishments inside and outside of the courtroom,” said [professional id=”2470″], chair of Butler Snow. “These honors are testaments to not only to his skills as a litigator, but also his character and dedication to our profession.”

Richmond is a Fellow of both the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and American College of Trial Lawyers, as well as an Associate of the American Board of Trial Advocates. With more than 30 years of experience, Richmond has served as lead counsel or co-counsel in numerous jury trials in state, federal and military venues. He has tried at least 60 cases to verdict and handled numerous administrative proceedings. His trial practice has primarily focused on mass tort litigation involving pharmaceutical products, toxic torts and environmental issues. In addition to his product liability practice, he also defends Attorneys General consumer protection litigation for clients in a variety of industries.

Richmond is a thought leader in his practice, as well as on diversity-related topics. He has been published in Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, The American Lawyer, DRI’s For The Defense, and Mississippi Business Journal, among others. Richmond is also consistently recognized as one of the best trial lawyers by his colleagues and through recognitions such as Benchmark Litigation and the American Lawyer who named him Litigator of the Week in 2018.

Richmond is committed to public service and shows this through his mentorship with the National Bar Association’s Associate Advancement Academy for Excellence. This organization was started to address retention issues in the nation’s largest law firms and to help advance the careers of Black attorneys within the first three years of practice.