Southaven Attorney Benjamin TaylorMeet Benjamin L. Taylor

Ben Taylor is an accomplished trial attorney whose practice focuses on representing plaintiffs involved in serious accidents involving catastrophic injuries or wrongful death.  A Southaven native, Mr. Taylor received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Mississippi with a triple major in finance. He went on to receive his law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law with honors (cum laude). He is a graduate of the prestigious Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College in Cheyenne, Wyoming and has also attended a number of Trial Colleges with the American Association of Justice to further develop his trial skills and abilities.

Skilled legal counsel for clients with a variety of needs

Mr. Taylor’s practice areas include Personal and Commercial Vehicle Litigation, Products Liability, Mass Torts, and Class Actions. Mr. Taylor also handles matters involving business litigation, insurance disputes and consumer fraud as well as estate planning and probate. Mr. Taylor is especially active in cases involving motorcycle accidents, tractor-trailer accidents and accidents involving recreational vehicles like boats, jet skis, and four wheelers as well as farm equipment and machinery.

What sets Ben Taylor apart

Mr. Taylor has been honored numerous times for his legal acumen and excellence in trial practice, and was recently selected as one of the top Litigation attorneys in the State of Mississippi by the American Society of Legal Advocates. He is ranked by Martindale Hubbell as preeminent and by Avvo as superb; the highest designations for both organizations. He formerly served as treasurer of the DeSoto County Bar Association, served on the Board of governors for the Mississippi Association for Justice, and is a fellow with the American Association for Justice. His overall dedication to the law and to the clients he represents has not only earned Ben numerous awards and accolades from his peers, but has also formed the basis of several long-lasting relationships/friendships with the families he has helped over the years.

Mr. Taylor had this to say about the importance of this and the attorney/client relationship:

“Most of the time when I meet with people something really bad has happened. The legal system can be really scary and especially so for clients and their family during a very difficult time in their life. I always try to personally meet with all my clients because there’s got to be a high level of trust and understanding that just can’t be established over the telephone.”

When asked what sets his firm apart:

“I would say that this firm has been in Southaven since 1963. We know DeSoto County very well and have lived here all my life. I think a large part of it is knowing our clients. Trust and communication are key and it’s the relationship we have with our clients that really sets us apart. We meet with our clients one-on-one and listen to what they need and have questions about … they aren’t just a number in a database.”

Mr. Taylor is licensed in both Mississippi and Tennessee and was recently victorious on a case that went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. He’s also licensed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Sixth Circuits, the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, the Western District of Tennessee, the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas, the Supreme Courts and Courts of Appeal for both Mississippi and Tennessee as well as all lower Courts in the States of Tennessee and Mississippi.

Education

  • B.A., Finance (triple major), University of Mississippi, 1998
  • J.D., cum laude, University of Mississippi School of Law, 2000
    • Graduated top 10% of the class
  • AAJ Trial College – Overcoming Juror Bias – Atlanta – 10-27-2005
  • AAJ Trial College – Psychology of Persuasion – Atlanta – 09-15-2006
  • Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College, 3-Week Course, Wind River, WY, July, 2011
  • Gerry Spence Graduate Course, 1-Week Course, Wind River, WY, August, 2012

Admitted

  • Mississippi Supreme Court, 2001
  • Tennessee Supreme Court, 2001
  • Federal District Court – West TN, 2001
  • Federal District Court – North MS, 2001
  • Federal District Court – South MS, 2001
  • Federal District Court – West AR, 2011
  • Federal District Court – East AR, 2011
  • U.S. Court of Appeals – 5thCircuit, 2001
  • U.S. Court of Appeals – 6thCircuit, 2001
  • United States Supreme Court, 2014

Awards and Accolades

  • Super Lawyers of the Mid-South, Product liability
  • Rising Star – Plaintiff’s Product Liability, 2011
  • Avvo.com, Superb Rating

Memberships

  • Mississippi Bar Association
  • Tennessee Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • DeSoto County Bar Association
  • Treasurer, 2003-2010
  • Shelby County Bar Association
  • American Association for Justice
  • Mississippi Association for Justice
  • Federalist Society

Community and Professional Activities:

Honors and Awards:

Presentations and Publications

  • Summary of Recent Mississippi Law – Abbott and Weems – 2002
  • AAJ 2002 Annual Convention – Atlanta – 07-20-2002
  • Summary of Recent Mississippi Law – Abbott and Weems – 2003
  • AAJ 2004 Annual Convention – Boston – 07-03-2004
  • Litigating the Class Action Lawsuit in Mississippi – NBI – 2004
  • Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Law in Mississippi – NBI – 2004
  • Admissibility of Evidence and Expert Testimony in Tennessee – NBI – 2004
  • Fundamental Principles of Limited Liability Companies in Mississippi – NBI – 2005
  • Summary of Recent MS Law – Abbott and Weems – 2006
  • MAJ 2006 Annual Convention –
  • AAJ 2007 Winter Convention – Miami – 02-10-2007
  • Summary of Recent MS Law – Abbott and Weems – 2007
  • Demystifying Asset protection Vehicles – NBI – 2007
  • Tennessee Mediation Ethics – 2009
  • Ethics Roadshow – 2008 – Part 1
  • Summary of Recent Mississippi Law – Abbott and Weems – 2009
  • Drafting Effective Wills and Trusts – NBI – 2009
  • Ethics in the Age of MySpace, etc. – 2009
  • CLE on the Road – 2010
  • Demystifying the Ethics Process: Introduction – 2010
  • Demystifying the Ethics Process: Common Ethical Dilemmas – 2010
  • Revisions to Tennessee Legal Ethics – 2011
  • Trial Lawyers College – 2011
  • Summary of Recent Mississippi Law – Percy and Bell – 2012
  • Trial Lawyers College – Graduate Course 1 – 2012
  • Ethics and the Internet – 2012
  • AAJ 2013 Winter Convention – Miami – 02-09-2013
  • Notary Public Ethics – 2014
  • Summary of Recent Mississippi Law – Percy and Bell – 2014
  • Oxford Lunch and Learn – 2014
  • Ethics – 2014
  • Ethics of Cloud Computing – 2015
  • Transactional Practice: Estate Planning – 2015
  • eDiscovery Issues and the Rules – 2015
  • Estate Planning: Trust Protectors and Trust Decanting – 2015
  • Tax Law 2015: Wills Primer for Tax Attorneys
  • Cell Phone Forensics for Attorneys – 2015
  • Cellular Analysis and GPS Tracking for Attorneys – 2015