Overview
Mark has significant experience in all phases of the defense of civil matters, including discovery, motion practice, trial, and appeals. Upon graduating magna cum laude from Mississippi College School of Law in 2005, Mark practiced for seven years with a defense firm in Jackson, Mississippi, where he defended clients in a wide range of litigation, such as products liability, premises liability, medical malpractice, and claims brought under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act. Mark subsequently completed a three-year federal clerkship with the Honorable U.S. District Court Judge Keith Starrett, in which he drafted opinions and orders for judicial review in numerous and varied civil actions.
In 2015, Mark joined CS&B, where he has handled toxic torts, as well as commercial, employment, and insurance disputes. His accomplishments include obtaining summary judgment for clients in hostile venues and negotiating the resolution of all Mississippi silica actions against a sand supplier. He has also secured no-payment dismissals for asbestos clients in numerous matters without the necessity of engaging in dispositive motion practice.
Mark’s present practice encompasses serving as the critical case manager for a national product manufacturer. He directs litigation and case resolution efforts in high-risk actions nationwide in that role. He also manages dispositive motion practice as part of the national coordinating counsel team. Further, Mark formulates dispositive motion strategy and drafts motions for summary judgment and motions to dismiss for premises clients in multiple jurisdictions.
Mark takes satisfaction in resolving matters for his clients, whether it be a single case, a group of actions, or a thorny issue presenting an impediment to a client’s ultimate goals.
Education
- Mississippi College School of Law, Jackson, MS
- J.D., magna cum laude, May 2005
- Law Review-Executive Editor
- Hearin Scholarship
- Fellows of the Young Lawyers of the Mississippi Bar Award
- Best Paper: Commercial Paper, Conflict of Laws, Mississippi Practice, Pretrial Practice
- University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
- B.A., Bachelor of Arts, May 1998
- Honors: Bill Porter Memorial Scholarship
- Honors: Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society
Admissions
- Mississippi
Experience
- Negotiated favorable settlements of asbestos-related disease claims in multiple venues while also securing no-payment dismissals.
- Directed motion practice resulting in summary judgment being granted to product manufacturer in alleged wrongful-death action brought by aggressive national plaintiff’s firm in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
- Negotiated group settlement of all Mississippi silica actions against sand supplier, and successfully managed funding issue arising from the liquidation of a carrier that threatened the agreement.
- Obtained summary judgment for sand supplier in silica action in Hinds County, Mississippi based on the plaintiff’s failure to prove reliance on any purported lack of warning and inability to show that sand could be defectively designed.
- First-chair in bench trial in premises liability action resulting in grant of involuntary dismissal in client’s favor following presentation of plaintiff’s case-in-chief.
- Integral member of the appellate team that secured a favorable ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in a multi-million dollar dispute between a shipbuilder and foreign defense ministry regarding a contract to repair and refurbish two naval warships. Northrop Grumman Ship. Sys., Inc. v. Ministry of Def. of Republic of Venezuela, 575 F.3d 491 (5th Cir. 2009).
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a public hospital due to the plaintiff’s failure to comply with the mandatory notice provisions of the Mississippi Tort Claims Act, and successfully defended the grant of summary judgment before the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Brown v. Sw. Miss. Reg’l Med. Ctr., 989 So. 2d 933 (Miss. Ct. App. 2008).
- Successfully moved to compel arbitration of title dispute on behalf of closing attorney in the U.S. District Court for the S.D. of Mississippi. Miss. Valley Title Ins. Co. v. Lewis, No. 4:06cv79, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90198 (S.D. Miss. Dec. 12, 2006).
Publications & Presentations
- Author: How Attys Can Weather The Next Disaster Litigation Crisis, Law360, September 25, 2023
- Author: The Rise and Fall of Premises Liability for Injuries Arising from Third-Party Criminal Activity in Mississippi, 41 Miss. C. L. Rev. 135 (2023)
- Author: How To Prevent Jurisdictional Discovery From Rendering A Personal Jurisdiction Defense Moot, For The Defense, September 2022, at 34
- Presentation: Medical Records Law in Mississippi, July 21, 2011: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”): Key Components and Requirements with Emphasis on the Privacy and Security of Records
- Presentation: Medical Records Law in Mississippi, December 3, 2008 and July 24, 2007: Handling Subpoenas and Other Requests for Medical Records
- Author: Weighing Society’s Need for Effective Law Enforcement Against an Individual’s Right to Liberty: Swinney v. State and the Forty-Eight Hour Rule, 24 Miss. C. L. Rev. 73 (2004)
Distinctions
Associations
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
- Mississippi Bar Association
Civic Involvement
Outside the Office
Mark has an affinity for the New Orleans Saints, LSU Tigers, and Cajun cuisine from his time growing up in Slidell, Louisiana. Also, his wife and two daughters enjoy traveling and shopping and when they are happy, he is happy.