- Chairman: Granville Tate, Jr
- Number of partners: 39
- Number of other lawyers: 19
FIRM OVERVIEW: Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLC founded by John B Brunini over a century ago, is today one of Mississippi’s largest and most respected law firms. The firm serves primarily business clients, including a number of Fortune 500 companies and other significant Mississippi companies, including the nation’s largest privately held wireless company, Mississippi’s largest health insurer, and one of the state’s largest banks and largest healthcare systems.
MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE:
General & Commercial Litigation: Brunini’s trial lawyers handle a wide range of matters, including litigation involving complex commercial transactions, mass torts, environmental issues, pharmaceutical products, consumer fraud, construction disputes, employment discrimination, products liability, medical malpractice, nursing homes, breach of contract, antitrust, securities fraud, business torts, taxation, and white collar crime. The firm’s trial lawyers have extensive experience in state and federal trial and appellate courts in Mississippi and have served as lead counsel in some of Mississippi's largest and most complex litigation.
Environmental Law & Litigation: The firm's Environmental Practice Group is acknowledged as a statewide leader. Its attorneys have broad experience in both environmental litigation and regulatory proceedings and have defended numerous enforcement actions instituted by the United States Department of Justice, Region IV of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Bureau of Pollution Control, including actions brought under TSCA, RCRA, CERCLA, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Mississippi Air and Water Pollution Control Law, the Mississippi Solid and Hazardous Waste Law, and the Mississippi Underground Storage Tank Act. The firm has also obtained numerous environmental permits for its clients in proceedings before the Mississippi Environmental Quality Permit Board.
Healthcare Law & Litigation: The firm has a comprehensive healthcare practice, representing hospitals, physician groups,nursing homes, and other healthcare providers.The firm has broad experience in administrative proceedings and litigation concerning Certificates of Need, Medicaid fraud, nursing home care, fraud and abuse-Stark II, private inurement, and other legal issues facing the healthcare industry. Business & Commercial: Brunini business lawyers are recognized among their peers as leaders in their respective areas of business expertise. The firm’s expertise includes general corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, public and industrial development financing and tax incentives, securities regulation, banking, real estate transactions, insurance regulation, syndication, estate planning, and corporate and personal taxation.
Public Industrial Development & Tax Incentives: The firm’s representation in taxexempt financing has included bonds issued by the State of Mississippi and various instrumentalities of the State,municipalities, counties, junior and senior colleges, and public school districts. In addition, the firm has extensive experience in state and local industrial and economic development financing with state and federal tax incentives.
Public Utilities & Telecommunications: The firm serves as corporate counsel to the largest privately held wireless carrier in the United States. It practices extensively before the Mississippi Public Service Commission, representing a number of intrastate pipeline companies and telecommunications, gas, water and sewer companies. The firm has served as counsel in administrative proceedings and litigation regarding rates and service and application for certificates of public convenience and necessity for the construction of electric generation facilities, natural gas transmission and distribution facilities, underground natural gas storage facilities and telecommunications facilities.
Labor & Employment: The firm’s labor and employment attorneys represent employers’ interests both in litigation and in a broad array of state and federal administrative settings. In addition, the firm’s employment attorneys advise and assist employers with a variety of other employment issues.
Construction Law & Litigation: The firm’s construction attorneys have a vast range of experience representing owners, contractors, subcontractors, and sureties in the construction industry. Specifically, the firm’s experience includes drafting and negotiating contract agreements, preparing and presenting construction claims, bid protests, business consultation, project workouts and mediation, arbitration or litigation of claims and disputes which arise in the course of construction projects.
Energy Exploration, Transportation, Storage & Project Development: Brunini’s long history in the energy arena has its beginnings in the first oil production in Mississippi. The firm represents clients in all upstream and midstream operations including drilling title opinions, division order title opinions, and title examination for right-ofway acquisition purposes; negotiating and drafting surface use agreements, leases, exploration agreements, gathering agreements, easements and other contracts; obtaining permits and satisfying all regulatory requirements for drilling, production, and construction and operation of gas and liquid storage facilities in both salt domes and depleted gas fields; and transactions concerning producing properties and storage facilities. The firm regularly represents clients before the State Oil and Gas Board of Mississippi in obtaining regulatory relief, as well as, in disputes between and among operators and landowners. It represents clients before federal and state courts in disputes concerning title, contracts, drainage, gas balancing, gas processing, well damage, blow-outs, enforcing lessee’s rights, oil field contamination and eminent domain proceedings. The firm also represents clients involved in downstream activities, including representation of a major local natural gas distribution company and petroleum marketers. Its practice also encompasses hard minerals including bentonite and lignite.
CLIENTS: Trustmark National Bank; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi; Purdue Pharma, Inc.; Cendant Corporation; Cellular South, Inc.; St. Dominic Health Services, Inc.; CenterPoint Energy; Textron; Beverly Enterprises; El Paso Energy; Telepak Networks, Inc and Telapex, Inc.