Charles M. Merkel, Esq.

After graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Mississippi School of Law in June 1966, Mr. Merkel accepted an appointment under the U.S. Department of Justice Honors Program and served for 4 years in the tax division of the Department of Justice in a refund trial section trying tax refund cases in the U.S. District Courts over a five state area.

In October 1970, Mr. Merkel returned to his native Mississippi, accepting a position with the firm of Sullivan, Dunbar & Smith. In 1973, he was involved in the formation of the firm of Holcomb, Dunbar, Connell & Merkel where he was involved primarily in litigation until the spring of 1982 when Mr. Merkel and Mr. Cocke formed Merkel & Cocke for the purpose of handling complex plaintiff’s litigation with emphasis in medical malpractice, product liability, toxic torts, drug reactions, brain damage cases, and in general, all catastrophic personal injury cases.

Mr. Merkel has received multiple jury awards ranging from 1 million to 20 million dollars and many more million dollar settlements. He is active in trial lawyer activities and is a frequent lecturer on trial technique and advocacy, appearing at seminars sponsored by the Mississippi State Bar, Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, American Board of Trial Advocates, and others.

For more than 30 years, Mr. Merkel has personally delivered hundreds of jury presentations in the representation of personal injury victims whose cases involved complex medical and technical injury mechanisms and causation problems.

Current Employment Positions:
Managing Partner, since 1982

Areas Of Practice:

• Litigation & Appeals
• Personal Injury — Plaintiff & Defense
• Medical Malpractice
• Product Liability Law
• Toxic Torts
• Taxation Law
• Professional Malpractice Law

Litigation Percentage:
100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions:

• Mississippi, 1966
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1969
• U.S. Tax Court, 1969
• U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1970
• 5th Circuit Court of Appeals
• U.S. District Court ND, SD, & MS

Education:

University of Mississippi School of Law, Oxford, Mississippi, 1966 
J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence 
Honors: Magna Cum Laude 
Honors: 2nd in Class

Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, District of Columbia, 1969 
LL.M., Master of Law(s)

University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi, 1964 
B.A., Bachelor of Arts 
Honors: Magna Cum Laude

Representative Cases:
Dunson v. S. A. Allen, Inc., 355 So.2d 77 (Miss. 1978)

Thornton v. Insurance Co. of North America, 287 So.2d 262 (Miss. 1973)

Canipe v. National Loss Control Service Corp., 736 F.2d 1055 (C.A.5 (Miss.) 1984)

Fruehauf Corp. v. Trustees of First United Methodist Church, 387 So.2d 106 (Miss. 1980)

Representative Clients:

• Hartford Insurance Company
• Union Planners Bank, National Association
• Monsanto

References:

• Union Planners Bank, National Association
• First National Bank, Clarksdale, Mississippi

Honors and Awards:

• President, American Board of Trial Advocates
• Secretary, Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America

Professional Associations and Memberships:

• American Board of Trial Advocates, 1983 – Present Member
• Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, 1982 – Present Member
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1982 – Present Member
• Mississippi Bar Association, 1991 – Present Fellow
• Board Directors, Lula Rich Educational Foundation, 1983-1989
• American College of Trial Lawyers, Primerus

Fraternities/Sororities:

• Sigma Chi
• Phi Delta Phi

Birth Information: November 2, 1941, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America

Honors and Awards :
Listed as a Super Lawyer.

Practicing: Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Tax, Legal Malpractice, Products Liability, Automobile Liability