Find Lawyers in Jackson, Mississippi for Bet-the-Company Litigation
Practice Area Overview
Bet-the-company cases create unique challenges. Counsel inside and outside the company must respond to several alarmed constituencies, including insiders (management, the board, employees, shareholders, investors); outsiders (customers, vendors, lenders, insurers), and regulatory authorities (to name only a few: SEC, FTC, FDA, EPA, and DOJ and their international counterparts). Counsel must conduct every aspect of the litigation with the needs and desires of these sometimes conflicting constituencies constantly in mind.
The company may face multiple investigations: congressional, criminal, regulatory, as well as special quasi-governmental commissions and internal investigations conducted by the company itself or by other parties. Counsel must deal with these investigations understanding that decisions made early on can have an enormous impact on the outcomes of investigations, subsequent litigation, and on the ultimate resolution.
Litigation may erupt in multiple jurisdictions (federal, state, international) and in multiple forms (criminal, civil, administrative, arbitral). The company may face multiple litigation adversaries, including the United States Department of Justice, State Attorneys General, regulatory counsel, and private counsel for adverse parties. Parties aligned with the company will have their own counsel, constituencies and agendas. The formal and informal coordination of all these proceedings and parties will impact the duration, cost and course of the litigation. The reputation of the company’s lead counsel – in part pre-existing and in part earned over the course of the litigation – will be critical in dealing with all these tribunals, parties, and attorneys.
Bet-the-company cases require an ability not only to navigate in these different environments, but also to see how the moving parts fit together. That in turn is the key to a more important ability: to work out, with the client, a plan – a plan that will be constantly adjusted – to get from the chaotic beginning to a satisfactory resolution.
It is best in bet-the-company cases to have a lead lawyer responsible for coordinating the varied teams of lawyers needed to handle, under a coherent plan, all these facets of the problem – teams with varying types of expertise, drawn from multiple firms, and often working in different locations. With leadership, cohesive teams can solve extraordinary problems.
Margaret Oertling Cupples writes briefs and motions, and manages other lawyers who write them, in civil appeals and commercial litigation. As litigators and their clients know, a vanishingly small percentage of cases actually get to trial; for the rest, a great brief is the way to win. As national legal writing counsel in major litigation for 3M Company, Margaret’s individual contributions and her strong collaboration with colleagues have brought significant value to 3M for two decades....
Alan Perry has been involved in some of the largest and most complicated litigation matters in Mississippi. He has handled banking, securities, and antitrust cases, as well as matters involving business torts and statutory claims. With a background in accounting Alan is well-known for his financial law acumen and is often hired in litigation related to accounting and auditing matters, as well as other cases involving financial institutions. He also maintains an active practice providing advic...
William F. Ray was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1986. His experience spans from commercial litigation, complex litigation and banking, securities and financial services to life, health and disability insurance and ERISA and employee benefit claims. His cases of note include Raines v. Bottrell Ins. Agency, Inc., 992 So.2d 642, 2008 WL 1869290, 2008 Miss. App. LEXIS 274; 27 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 1350 (Miss. App. 2008); Estate of Bratton v. National Union Fire Ins. Co., 215 F.3d 516, 2000 U.S....
Stephanie M. Rippee is admitted to the Mississippi and Tennessee Bars. For more than 20 years she has sought to creatively and efficiently resolve legal matters for clients. Her practice focuses on commercial litigation and product liability litigation. She is a recognized public speaker and author and has been selected by Mid-South Super Lawyers as one of the Top 50 Lawyers in Mississippi.
Paul H. Stephenson, III was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1977. He is also admitted to practice before all state and federal district courts in Mississippi, as well as the Supreme Court of the United States and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. His practice has focused on business, commercial and financial disputes at the trial and appellate levels involving a wide array of subject matters. Paul's experience includes complex class actions, oil and gas controversie...
Steve has extensive experience as lead counsel in major litigation, not only in Mississippi, but throughout the Southeast. He has tried well over 200 cases to conclusion and has tried cases in 59 of Mississippi’s 82 counties and in 17 different states. Steve is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and is included in Best Lawyers in America , in Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation, Products Liability and Bet-the-Company Litiga...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.