Clarksdale Lawyers

After graduating from the University of Virginia Law School in 1975, Mr. Cocke moved to Clarksdale, MS to begin practicing in a general litigation firm. In 1982, Mr. Cocke and Mr. Merkel left that firm and established Merkel & Cocke, P.A., and since that time the emphasis of Mr. Cocke’s practice has progressed more and more toward medical malpractice.

Richard B. Lewis, Jr. was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi on June 8, 1978. Richard attended Mississippi State University and received a B.B.A. in 2000 and a M.B.A. in 2001. Richard attended Mississippi College School of Law where he received his J.D. in 2006. Richard is a member of the following states bar: Mississippi, 2006. Richard joined Chapman, Lewis & Swan as an associate in 2006. His primary areas of practice are General Civil Litigation, Personal Injury, Family Law and Criminal Law. Richard is admitted to practice before all State Courts in Mississippi, the U.S. Court of Appeals...

For more than 40 years, Mr. Merkel has personally delivered more than 400 jury presentations in the representation of personal injury victims whose cases involved complex medical and technical injury mechanisms and causation problems.

Mr. Lewis was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi on June 15, 1953. He was admitted to the bar in 1980. Mr. Lewis received a B.A. from Delta State University in 1976 and a J.D. in 1980 from the University of Mississippi. Mr. Lewis joined Chapman Lewis & Swan and became a partner of the firm in 1990. Mr. Lewis is a member of the Coahoma County Bar Association, the Mississippi State Bar, the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, National Association of Defense Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers, Mississippi Association of Justice Lawyers. Mr. Lewis has been selected by The Best...

Charles M. Merkel, III was born and raised in Clarksdale, MS. He attended the University of Mississippi for his undergraduate and law degrees, graduating with honors both times. While at Ole’ Miss as an undergraduate, he was awarded the Taylor Medal for English; this is the University’s highest academic honor, awarded to less than 1% of the student body. Upon graduation, he received the coveted position as a judicial law clerk for US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Jackson Division.

Edward (Ted) P. Connell, Jr., is a partner with the law firm of Merkel & Cocke, P.A. Mr. Connell received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mississippi in 1994, graduating cum laude. This was followed by receipt of his Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1997. While attending the University of Mississippi School of Law, Mr. Connell authored “Mississippi Casinos and the Detention of a Patron: What are the Parameters of a Casino’s Powers in Detaining a Patron and the Subsequent Liability Which Can Follow?” which was published in the National Gaming Law...

I was born in Crosby, North Dakota. Prior to the study of law, I served in the United States Coast Guard from 1990-1995. I was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 2002 following my graduation from the University of Mississippi School of Law. I am a member of the Coahoma County Bar Association, the Mississippi Bar and the Mississippi Association for Justice.

A nationally recognized trial attorney with offices in Cleveland and Madison, Mississippi, Attorney Arthur Calderón proudly serves clients throughout all of Mississippi. With years of experience serving both companies and individuals, he is dedicated to using his knowledge and skill to fight for the rights and best interests of all of his clients. As the founder of Calderón Law, Attorney Calderón focuses his practice on representing people who have suffered catastrophic injuries (including victims of the Camp Lejeune water contamination), employees injured on the job, and persons charged with felony crimes. Using his broad legal knowledge to develop comprehensive legal...

Michael "Mike" Carr focuses his practice on state and federal criminal defense, personal injury, and civil rights.

Mike is a very experienced trial attorney, having litigated more than 50 jury trials in state and federal court as lead counsel, ranging from complex six figure civil personal injury cases to triple homicide capital murder defense. He is often hired as specialized counsel assisting lawyers in other states and has been admitted pro hac vice in Georgia and Tennessee on multiple occasions.

In addition to this practice, Michael is heavily involved in several professional organizations. He is an on-call attorney for the Police...

Todd Jeffreys was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1974. After graduating high school, he attended the University of Mississippi where he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration, cum laude, degree in 1997. While at Ole Miss, Todd was a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society and the Golden Key National Honor Society.Upon obtaining his undergraduate degree, Todd attended law school at the University of Mississippi where he obtained is Juris Doctor, cum laude, degree in 2000. While at Ole Miss law school, Todd was a member of the Mississippi Law Journal, the Moot Court Board and was awarded...

Flip Phillips is a founding partner of Smith, Phillips, Mitchell, Scott & Nowak, LLP. He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law where he served as President of the Law School Student Body and Member of the Mississippi Law Journal. For over 40 years, Flip has represented plaintiffs and insurance policyholders nationwide. Flip’s landmark cases have helped abolish sovereign immunity and define the rules of automobile insurance in Mississippi. They have expanded the role of punitive and extra-contractual damages in insurance regulation and contract enforcement throughout the United States. Flip has served...

John C. Cox was born and raised in Cleveland, Mississippi. He is a 1996 graduate of Delta State University and a 1999 graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law. He is licensed before all state and federal courts in Mississippi, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He is an "AV" rated lawyer by the Martindale-Hubbell, and has been listed in Super Lawyers magazine on multiple occasions. His areas of practice include all civil and criminal law, including family law, personal injury, and white collar criminal defense. ...

Ed Williams earned his Juris Doctorate with honors, Cum Laude, in 2016 from Mississippi College School of Law. Ed completed his undergraduate work at Mississippi State University where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science.

While in law school, Ed was a member of the MC Law Moot Court Board, Law Student Bar Association, Phi Alpha Delta Honors Program, American Association for Justice, and the Mississippi Association for Justice. As a member of the 2016 ABA Arbitration moot court competition team, Ed won first place in the National Championship. He was also a finalist in the...

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R. Kelly Kyle, a partner of Kyle Wynn & Associates, PLLC graduated from Louisiana Tech University, earning his degree from the University’s College of Administration and Business. He attended Mississippi College School of Law, receiving his Juris Doctor degree in 1992. His law school honors include the Dean’s List and the American Jurisprudence Award for Ethics and Professional Responsibility. Mr. Kyle is admitted to practice in the State of Mississippi, the State of Louisiana, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the Capital Area Bar Association...

Hiten H. Patel is the Founder and Managing Attorney of HP Attorneys, PLLC, a North Mississippi law firm that practices Criminal Defense, Business Law, Personal Injury, Collections and other General Civil Litigation. Hiten has over ten years of experience in criminal and civil litigation, including trial experience in Mississippi and Alabama. Hiten graduated from Auburn University with a degree in political science, and attended Mississippi College School of Law for law school.

Attorney Amy Pietrowski overcame personal hardship, abuse and poverty to become a leading courtroom advocate for clients in Mississippi and Tennessee.

A native of Michigan, Pietrowski was only 2 years old when she was placed in foster care. She endured a turbulent childhood and in disobedience, rebelled by joining the Marine Corps. The trajectory of her life changed when she joined the U.S. Marine Corps at age 18.

Pietrowski was one of only 2,200 women serving in the Marine Corps during the first Persian Gulf War. She completed boot camp at Parris Island in Port Royal, South Carolina, followed by her Military...

Attorney Victoria V. Washington is the founder and owner of The Washington Law Firm PLLC in Southaven, Mississippi. She serves clients throughout north Mississippi. Ms. Washington has invaluable insight into the criminal justice system and understands how a criminal accusation or personal injury can affect you. She experienced her brother's wrongful conviction in 2003 and a near-death car crash in 2016, which fuel her passion for her clients. Licensed to practice in the state of Mississippi since 2014, Ms. Washington has represented criminal defendants in juvenile, circuit, municipal and federal courts, securing many favorable settlements, case dismissals, and not-guilty...

A resident of Oxford, Mississippi for the past 25 years, Jay has vigorously fought for individuals facing both misdemeanor and felony charges in the State of Mississippi.

In 2017, Jay was named Oxford's Best Lawyer by The Oxford Eagle and Tannehill, Carmean & McKenzie has been voted Best Law Firm the past 11 straight years by residents of Oxford.

Jay holds an AV Peer Review Rating which is an outstanding achievement and demonstrates that a lawyer has earned the highest rating available for their legal ability and professional ethics.

Since graduating from The University of Mississippi School of...

LOUIS H. WATSON, JR. Louis’ firm, Watson & Norris, PLLC, maintains a statewide federal court practice. Louis is a member of NELA and serves as a mediator. Louis was Editor-In-Chief of the Mississippi Law Journal and authored “Enforceability of Covenants Not to Compete in Mississippi,” 64 Miss. L.J. 703 (1995).

Christopher E. Kittell practices law at the Kittell Law Firm in Hernando, Mississippi. He received his BBA in Computer Information Systems from Delta State University in 1996 and his JD from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1999. Chris received the prestigious James O. Eastland Scholarship to attend law school and was a member of the International Legal Fraternity of Phi Delta Phi while attending law school at Ole Miss. Chris is happily married to his wife Jennifer and is the proud father of three children. Chris practices primarily in the area of civil...

Robbie Hayes founded Hayes Law Firm, PLLC in January, 2014 after being a being a partner at Rozier Hayes, PLLC since 2009. Hayes Law Firm, PLLC handles cases involving criminal law and general civil litigation.

Jamie W. Howell, Jr. is a shareholder at Chatham Gilder Howell Pittman PLLC. He was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1988 and the Tennessee Bar in 1993 and currently practices in all state courts throughout Mississippi and Tennessee. Mr. Howell practices in personal injury law, criminal defense matters, Social Security Disability, and general civil law. He was an associate attorney with Gilder Law Firm for his first five years of practice before spending the next six years as a sole practitioner. Mr. Howell joined forces with Jefferson D. Gilder to form Gilder & Howell, P.A. in 2000. He is...

Jefferson Gilder received his license to practice in Mississippi and Tennessee in 1990. Mr. Gilder is admitted to practice in all courts in Mississippi and Tennessee including U.S. District Courts for the Western District of Tennessee and the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, the Fifth and Sixth Circuit Courts of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court. His practice areas include automobile accidents, premises liability, criminal, medical malpractice, civil rights, product liability and other areas of personal injury. Mr. Gilder sat for and passed both the Bar Examinations for Mississippi and Tennessee in the same week in 1990. Mr....

Ben is native of DeSoto County. He is a graduate of Southaven High School and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi with a concentration in Human Resource Management. Upon completion of his undergraduate studies, Ben was accepted to the University of Mississippi School of Law. He spent a summer semester of law school at the University of Hawaii before graduating early. Ben is licensed to practice law in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas. He has been practicing since 2007. He opened The Murphy Law Firm in Hernando in 2012. Ben specializes...

I have practiced law in Mississippi since January, 1977. My math background has helped me assist my client's with their financial problems in ways that those without a math background are unable to do. My bachelors degree was in mathematics and I received both my bachelors degree and my Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi. My primary focus is in the areas of Chapter 13, Chapter 7, Chapter 12 and Chapter 11 Bankruptcy along with Social Security Disability Claims. I am one of only three attorneys in Mississippi selected as a super lawyer by...

I am a lifelong resident of the Mississippi Delta, the birthplace of the Blues. I am married with 3 children and my hobbies include oil painting, fly fishing, hiking and biking. For me, the practice of law is not just a noble profession; it is an opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone who has been wronged and to ensure that the courts and justice are available to everyone,.. .not just the wealthy and powerful

Anna is focused on providing high-quality general legal counsel in a variety of areas, including divorce, child custody, estate planning and probate, land issues, real estate closings, juvenile law, criminal law, elder law, family law, and business formation.

Kevin is a leader in both his profession and community:
- In April 2019, Kevin was honored as one of Mississippi’s Top 50 Under 40 by the Mississippi Business Journal;
- In 2017-2018, Kevin served as President of the Lafayette County Bar Association, overseeing the interests of local attorneys;
- In November 2015, Kevin was elected to serve as Lafayette County District 1 Supervisor;
- Kevin has been voted “Oxford’s Favorite Attorney” by readers of The Local Voice newspaper for eleven consecutive years, beginning in 2009;
- Additionally, Kevin has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Mississippi in the practice...

Hale has practiced law since 1986..He is known for his elder law practice. working with estate, trusts, probate and advising family regarding the issues of aging, as well as fiduciary and trust litigation and complex business litigation. He also assists small businesses in transactions and problem solving. Hale is licensed in Mississippi and Tennessee.

Taylor's practice covers most every area of law; however, a large portion of his work involves advising business across a range of industries on all manner of transactions and representing them in complex commercial litigation, often involving multi-million dollar disputes. In addition to his commercial practice, Taylor also routinely represents clients with respect to all manner of personal injuries and defends clients from felony and misdemeanor charges in federal and state courts.

Heather D. Blansett grew up in Chickasaw County, Mississippi. She received a J.D. degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 2015, and she was sworn in to practice law as a member of the Mississippi Bar in November of 2015. She enjoys practicing law in a variety of areas.