McAngus Goudelock & Courie, a regional insurance defense firm, has opened an office in Jackson, Miss. This is the firm’s second Miss. office, including the first in Oxford. This office expands the firm’s regional footprint to a total of 15 offices across Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Seven attorneys join the firm’s workers’ compensation and litigation practices. They include partners Roger Riddick, Holly Smalling and Bobby Thompson, as well as associates Catherine Bell, Paul Blake, Lauren Hillery and Pamela Ratliff.
“We are excited to open a second office in Mississippi. This addition gives us the ability to efficiently cover the entire state. Not only are we getting great lawyers, but we are also getting great people,” said Jay Courie, MGC’s Managing Member.
Roger Riddick’s practice focuses on workers’ compensation and litigation, including bad faith, premises liability, products liability, retail, transportation and workers’ compensation. He is the Chairman of the Legislative Committee for the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council and an instructor with the Mississippi Association of Self-Insurer’s Certified Workers’ Compensation Professional Program. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Mississippi Claims Association, Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association, Defense Research Institute, The Mississippi Bar, Madison County Bar Association and USLAW Workers’ Compensation Practice Group. He holds an AV® Peer Review Rating™ from Martindale Hubbell and has been recognized by Mid-South Super Lawyers. Riddick received a Juris Doctor from Mississippi College School of Law and Bachelor of Science degree from Mississippi State University.
Holly Smalling represents self-insured employers, group self-insurers and their members and insurance companies in workers’ compensation matters. She is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association, Madison County Bar Association and Hinds County Bar Association. Smalling received a Juris Doctor from Mississippi College School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from Northeast Louisiana University.
Bobby Thompson’s practice focuses on litigation, including bad faith, commercial litigation, construction, coverage, nursing home liability, premises liability, products liability, professional liability, transportation and trucking. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Defense Research Institute, Mississippi Defense Lawyers and Mississippi Bar Association. Thompson has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers and holds an AV® Peer Review Rating™ from Martindale Hubbell. Thompson received a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from Mississippi State University.
Catherine Bell’s practice focuses on workers’ compensation defense. She is a member of the Mississippi Defense Lawyers, Jackson Young Lawyers (Mediation Committee Co-Chair) and Mississippi Bar Leadership Forum. She is the President-Elect for the Mississippi Women Lawyer’s Association, the Young Lawyers Division – Director, Central II District for the Mississippi Bar Association and a past President for the Madison County Bar Association. Bell received a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from Mississippi State University.
Paul Blake’s practice focuses on litigation, including construction, governmental liability, nursing home liability, premises liability, products liability, SIU/arson and fraud, transportation and trucking. He is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association, where he serves as a Director – Central Division II of the Young Lawyers Division. He is also a member of Jackson Law Lawyers and the Capitol Bar Association. Blake is also a charter member of both the Capitol Area Sunset Rotary Club and the Madison County Young Professionals. He was included on the Mid-South Super Lawyers “Rising Star” list in 2016 and 2017. Blake received a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Mississippi.
Lauren Hillery’s practice focuses on civil litigation. She is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division and the Madison County Bar Association. She holds an AV® Peer Review Rating™ from Martindale Hubbell. Hillery received a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Pamela Ratliff represents employers insurance carriers and third-party administrators in workers' compensation matters. She is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association and the Madison County Bar Association. Ratliff received a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Mississippi University for Women.