Criminal Law

• Wrongful Death
  On August 13, 2019, Hugh Gillon obtained a summary judgment in Hinds County Circuit Court on behalf of his construction client that was named as defendant in a case arising from a worksite accident/death. Plaintiffs claimed that the construction company was responsible for safety on the site where the accident occurred and was responsible for the acts or omission of another alleged negligent defendant under the doctrine of
• Arson

Business and Corporate Law

• Business Disputes
  Our practitioners are preeminent litigators in all aspects of civil litigation and appellate matters. The primary practice areas of our team include all aspects of insurance defense and coverage; medical, other professional and governmental liability; railroad/ FELA, trucking and transportation defense; product liability and mass-tort defense; premises liability, workers' compensation, commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution. We also provide a wide range of legal services to individual clients in the areas of business law, domestic law and transactional matters.

Employment Law

• Workers Compensation
  Cum laude from Louisiana Tech University in 2002 and received her J.D. from Mississippi College School of Law in 2006. During law school, she clerked for workers' compensation firms, served as the Vice President of Phi Delta Phi, and was a moot court board member and officer, as well as a moot court semi-finalist in national competitions. Following graduation, Mrs. Phillips served as a Mississippi Court of Appeals judicial law clerk for the late Honorable William "Bill" H. Myers. Outside of work, Loraleigh is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Jackson, having served in leadership positions during her active years in the League and as chairwoman positions for her community projects. She also gives time back to her back to her children’s school, serving as a room mom, and to her law school, coaching state and national moot court teams in workers' compensation and labor law matters. Mrs. Phillips is currently serving her third term as the President of the Madison County Republican Women and serves as the Resolutions Chair for the Mississippi Federation of Republican Women. Loraleigh Phillips is appointed as the Prosecutor in the City of Madison Municipal Court, Environmental Division. Loraleigh resides in Madison, Mississippi with her husband, Jay, and their two children.

Property Law

• Premises Liability
  On October 12, 2017, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed a summary judgment obtained by Patrick Tatum and Steven Cookston in the Circuit Court of Pike County, Mississippi. The case involved allegations of premises liability and spoliation of evidence against a commercial property owner.
• Easement

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  Tommie G. Williams, Jr. is a shareholder with Upshaw Williams and practices primarily out of the firm’s Greenwood and Hernando offices. He is a lifelong resident of the Mississippi Delta, being born in Greenwood in 1982. He grew up in Greenwood and attended both college and law school in Mississippi. While in law school, he clerked for Upshaw Williams. After graduation, he joined the firm full time. He graduated from Mississippi State University with a BBA in Banking and Finance in 2004. He graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 2007. He was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 2007 and is admitted to practice in all State and Federal Courts in the State of Mississippi, as well as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Williams practices exclusively in litigation focusing on the defense of medical and professional liability claims, product liability claims, personal injury claims and the defense of general litigation matters. Mr. Williams has defended liability claims and claims against physicians, nurses, therapists, clinics, hospitals and product manufacturers in multiple jurisdictions throughout the State of Mississippi. He frequently defends Mississippi Tort Claims Act entities in claims pursuant to the Mississippi Tort Claims Act and 42 U.S.C. §1983. Tommie and his wife Heather have one son, Smith Gregory Williams. They attend First Presbyterian Church in Greenwood. He is on the advisory board of the Greenwood Leflore Chamber of Commerce. In his spare time, Tommie likes to be in the outdoors with his family. He is an avid hunter and also enjoys boating and aviation.
• Medical Malpractice
  On February 4, 2020, the Mississippi Court of Appeals affirmed a Summary Judgment obtained by Tommie G. Williams, Jr., in the Circuit Court of Washington County, Mississippi. The underlying case involved allegations of medical malpractice concerning management of a small bowel obstruction. Mr. Williams successfully challenged the opinions of the Plaintiff’s expert witness, resulting in the entry of Summary Judgment prior to trial.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
• Wills
• Probate