A trial lawyer must have self-confidence, but it’s easy to get carried away with egos. I check mine at the door, and emphasize civility, collegiality, and politeness. Whether it’s collaborating with local counsel, national counsel, or a client, I always try to be easy to work with. I also try to know as much as possible about each case I’m handling, and work hard to isolate the important facts and issues and eliminate the noise. I hate surprises, particularly in the courtroom, and my clients can – and should – expect me to be the most prepared person in the courtroom.
Nationally recognized by multiple prominent peer-reviewed publications and ranking agencies, Hunter Twiford is a trial lawyer who primarily handles complex federal litigation, often in the financial services area, as lead trial counsel. In his almost five decades of practice, he has represented clients in more than 100 jury trials and 200 non-jury trials. He has defended clients in class actions and mass actions as well as complex commercial and lender liability litigation. Hunter also acts as a mentor to younger lawyers as the team guides major national banks and servicers and their subsidiaries through the labyrinth of complicated litigation issues, some of which involve hundreds of plaintiffs, and are brought in state and federal courts throughout the South.
Hunter’s versatility as a trial lawyer is explained in part by his broad range of litigation experience. Before joining McGlinchey, Hunter practiced at his own firm for many years, where he “worked on both sides of the v,” representing both plaintiffs and defendants, as well as representing municipalities and other local governments, and brings this valuable perspective and keen insight to his current practice. Hunter enjoys all aspects of trying lawsuits, from identifying the precise problems to crafting the right strategies to creating and delivering the storyline to the judge and jury. Clients appreciate Hunter’s calm leadership, depth of experience, and tenacious thoroughness. He believes strongly in never asking someone to do something that he is not willing to do himself, so if he asks an associate to pull an all-nighter on a critical brief, Hunter will be there all night, too.
The recipient of multiple lawyer-of-the-year awards in different areas of litigation – further evidence of his versatility – Hunter also earned the Mississippi Bar’s Distinguished Service Award in 2001 for his work in technology for lawyers and the bar, particularly in courtroom and litigation presentation technology. He has written and lectured extensively on litigation, e-discovery, and technology topics. He also co-founded and served as editor-in-chief of the CAFA Law Blog, the first, and only, blog in the country to focus on the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005.