Michael Gwin is a seasoned litigator with over thirty-five years’ experience in federal and state courts, concentrating in commercial litigation. Michael is also an active appellate practitioner, having served as lead appellate counsel in dozens of cases in the Mississippi appellate courts as well as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation, by invitation. Michael currently serves as the firm’s General Counsel.
Michael has been recognized for over ten years by Chambers USA as one of Mississippi’s leading commercial litigators. Mid-South Super Lawyers has named Michael one of the Top 50 Lawyers in Mississippi (2022, 2023), his work identified in the fields of Business Litigation and Appellate Advocacy. He has considerable experience in insurance coverage disputes. Michael’s diverse practice has been noted by his peers since 2007 in The Best Lawyers in America: Commercial Litigation; Appellate Practice; Insurance Litigation; Insurance Law; Product Liability; Real Estate Litigation; Professional Malpractice; Environmental Litigation; and Personal Injury Litigation
Michael has been lead trial counsel in a variety of complex suits. He has defended manufacturers in product liability and mass tort suits. He has handled national and state-wide class action suits, primarily in the commercial field involving TILA, FDCPA, and FCRA.
Michael has also acted as a neutral mediator and arbitrator in disputed matters. He worked for years alongside former Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Charles Clark, arbitrating and mediating significant commercial matters. Michael is a certified mediator (2024) attending the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Caruso School of Law, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA.
Honors & Recognitions
- Mississippi Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Chambers USA-America's Leading Lawyers for Business (Commercial Litigation)
- Mid-South Super Lawyers (Business Litigation; Appellate Practice; named one of the Top 50 Lawyers in Mississippi, 2022, 2023)
- The Best Lawyers in America (Appellate Practice; Commercial Litigation; Insurance Law; Litigation - Environmental; Litigation - Insurance; Litigation - Real Estate; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants; Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants)
- Mississippi Lawyer of the Year – Professional Malpractice (The Best Lawyers in America, 2020)
- Mississippi Lawyer of the Year – Insurance Law (The Best Lawyers in America, 2017)
- AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Community & Professional
- St. Peter’s Catholic Church (Lector; Finance Committee)
- Federal Bar Association
- International Association of Defense Counsel (Commercial Litigation Committee)
- Defense Research Institute
- Capital Area Bar Association
- Jackson Young Lawyers (1991–93, Board of Directors)
- The Mississippi Bar
Articles & Publications
- Business Torts: A Fifty-State Guide, Mississippi Section (Aspen Publishers, Wolters Kluwer Law & Business: New York) (since 2006)
Presentations
- “Thriving Post-Pandemic: Practice After Covid-19,” American College of Business Judges, Law & Economics Center at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School, October 29, 2021
- “Litigation Impact of Covid-19,” Mississippi Economic Council, Jackson, Mississippi, September 1, 2020
- “Punitive Damages and its Impact on Litigation,” Pfizer Legal Alliance Continuing Education, New York, NY, January 14, 2020
Practice Areas
Education
Juris Doctor: University of Mississippi School of Law, 1986
Bachelor's Degree: B.A., University of Mississippi, 1983
Mississippi Law Journal, Board of Editors, 1985-1986
Phi Kappa Phi