W. Edward Hatten, Jr. (Ed) is a shareholder in the firm and past member of the Management Committee. Ed received his undergraduate education at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Engineering Technology in l987, and now serves as an Executive Committee Member of the Industry Advisory Council for the Construction Engineering Technology Program at the University of Southern Mississippi. Since 2007, he has been the Chairman of the Educational Accreditation Committee for that organization.
Ed attended the University of Mississippi School of Law in Oxford, Mississippi, where he served as a Member of the Moot Court Board (1989-1990) and obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1990. He has since been admitted to practice before the Mississippi Supreme Court; all state trial and appellate courts in the State of Mississippi; the United States District Courts for both the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi; and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Prior to joining the firm in 1995, his legal career included service as Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Mississippi from 1991 to 1993, and thereafter he began his career in litigation while in private practice in Jackson, Mississippi.
Professional memberships that Ed has held include The Mississippi Bar; The Harrison County Bar Association; the Russell-Blass-Walker Chapter of the American Inns of Court; the Defense Research Institute (DRI); and the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association (MDLA). Most recently, Ed has been admitted as a Member of the Council on Litigation Management (CLM) and the Professional Liability Defense Federation (PLDF). He has also served on the Board of Directors of the International Alumni Association of the University of Southern Mississippi (2000-2003), and has over the years been actively involved in the University of Southern Mississippi Eagle Club.
Ed and his wife, Karen Daley Hatten, have three children. They are all members of and actively involved in Trinity United Methodist Church in Gulfport, Mississippi, where Ed has served as a member of the Church Council, the Family Life Committee, the Lay Leaders Committee, and the Youth Ministries Advisory Council. Ed and his family are also involved in and actively support a number of Gulfport youth sports programs.
Litigation Percentage
95% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Classes/Seminars
Construction Defect Litigation, MS Associated Builders & Contractors, 2003
Hot Topics in Construction Related Cases, MS Associated Builders & Contractors, 2004
Honors and Awards
National Registry of Who's Who, Life Member
"AV" rating by Martindale-Hubbell, reserved for those attorneys recognized by their peers and judges as having "preeminent" legal ability and "very high" ethics.
Professional Associations and Memberships
Mississippi Bar, Member
American Inns of Court, Member
University of Southern Mississippi, Construction Industry Advisory Council, Executive Committee Member
Defense Research Institute, Member
DRI Construction Law Committee, Member
Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association, Member
Juris Sodalitas, Fellowship of Law, Member
International Alumni Association, University of Southern Mississippi, Board of Directors, 2000 - 2003
Harrison County Bar Association, Member
Council on Litigation Management, Member
CLM Construction Committee, Member
Professional Liability Defense Federation, Member
Past Employment Positions
Mississippi Attorney General's Office, Special Assistant Attorney General, 1991 - 1993
Waycaster & Warren, Associate - Litigation, 1993 - 1995
Fraternities/Sororities
Kappa Sigma
