Atty. William E. "Bill" Whitfield III
GENERALWilliam Earnest Whitfield, III2449 Summerwood Circle (Home) Gulfport, MS 39507 (228) 896-6933 Copeland, Cook, Taylor & Bush, P.A. (Office) 2781 C.T.
Profile Summary
About William E. "Bill" Whitfield III at a glance
William E. "Bill" Whitfield III is a personal injury attorney based in Gulfport, Mississippi, practicing at Copeland, Cook, Taylor & Bush PA. Educated at Mississippi College (J.D., 1982). Recognitions include Best Lawyers in America — Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants (2026), Best Lawyers in America — Additional Areas of Practice: (2026), and Best Lawyers in America — Personal Injury Litigation (2026). Serands clients in Gulfport, MS and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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About
- GENERALWilliam Earnest Whitfield, III2449 Summerwood Circle (Home) Gulfport, MS 39507 (228) 896-6933 Copeland, Cook, Taylor & Bush, P.A. (Office) 2781 C.T
- Switzer Sr. Drive, Suite 200 Biloxi, Mississippi 39531 P.O
- Box 10 Gulfport, Mississippi 39502 228.863.6101 (Switchboard) 228.867.0827 (Direct/Secretary)FAMILY Wife - Anita Robertson Whitfield (married in 1979) Children: Stacey R. Whitfield (20) W. E. Whitfield IV (16) W. M. Whitfield (11) EDUCATIONUniversity of Mobile - B.A. (History-Division Award) 1977 Mississippi College School of Law - JD 1981PUBLICATIONS Mississippi College Law Review, Mississippi College School of Law - Spring 1992 "Mississippi Medical Privilege: Blessing or Curse" The Profile-Mississippi Association of Legal Secretaries - Spring 1994 "Conflicts of Law" Crowd Management - October/December 1996 "Legal Liability in Crowd Management" The MDLA Quarterly (December 2003) "Fictitious Parties and Amendments Joining a Party under Mississippi Civil Procedure Rule 9(h) and 15(c)" The MDLA Quarterly (March 2004) "Automatic Liability of Insurance Carriers for Excess Judgments?
- The Real Meaning of Home v
- Miss
- Ins
- Guaranty Association" The MDLA Quarterly (Winter 2005) "Katrina: The Face Only a Mother Could Love" The MDLA Quarterly (Summer 2007) "Federal Court Predicts Mississippi Supreme Court Would Adopt a ‘Continuous Trigger’ Theory in Context of Damage Caused by Faulty Construction Work" The MDLA Quarterly (Spring 2008) "Fictitious Parties and Amendments Joining a Party under Mississippi Civil Procedure Rule 9(h) and 15 - Revisited" HONORSUniversity of Mobile - Division Award in History (1977) Mississippi College School of Law - Law Review (1978-1980) Associate Staff Member (1978-1979) Executive Editor (1979-1980) Am Jur Award in Trusts (1979) Mississippi College School of Law - Honor Council Member - Justice (1978-1979) Chief Justice (1979-1980) Delta Theta Phi Legal Fraternity - President (1978-1979) Outstanding Young Men of America (1980 and 1983) Harrison County Young Lawyers - President (1988-1989) University if Mobile - Alumni of the Year Award (1995) Gulf Coast Association of Legal Support Professionals - Boss of the Year (2009) Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association (MDLA) Board of Directors (2000-2003) Officer - Secretary/Treasurer (2003-2005) President Elect (2005-2006) President (2006-2007) Editorial Board (2008-2009) Defense Research Institute (DRI) State Representative (2007-2009) Exceptional Service Award (2006) Martindale Hubbell (National Directory of Lawyers) - AV RatedBest Lawyers in America (2006-2008) - AV RatedBest Lawyers in America (2006-2008) Madisons’ Who’s Who (2007) Gulf Coast Assoc
- Legal Support Professionals "Boss of the Year" (2009) PROFESSIONAL ADMISSIONS Alabama State Bar Association - 1981 (Supreme Court Admission) Mississippi State Bar Association - 1982 (Supreme Court Admission) United States Supreme Court - 1998 Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals - 1984 U.S
- District Court/Southern District of Mississippi - 1983 U.S
- District Court/Southern District of Alabama - 1991 (Also member of the Bar of the U.S
District Courts
- Middle District Alabama
- Northern District of Alabama
- Northern District of Mississippi) LAW PRACTICE United States District Court Law Clerk 1981-1983 (Magistrate John M. Roper) Biloxi, Mississippi Bryant Dukes & Blakeslee Associate 1983-1987 Gulfport, Mississippi Partner 1987-2008 Copeland, Cook, Taylor & Bush, P.A. (successor to Bryant Dukes & Blakeslee) Gulfport, Mississippi Shareholder 2008-Present
Practice Areas Explained
William E. "Bill" Whitfield III's Areas of Practice
Each practice area below reflects the types of cases William E. "Bill" Whitfield III handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.
Personal injury attorneys help accident victims recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain & suffering. Most work on contingency — no fee unless you win.
William E. "Bill" Whitfield III is one of 264,852 personal injury attorneys indexed nationally. Browse personal injury attorneys in Mississippi →
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in Mississippi
Practicing law in Mississippi. Legal matters in Mississippi are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in Gulfport are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate Mississippi state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in Mississippi brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in Mississippi courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional Mississippi attorneys? Browse all attorneys in Gulfport or all attorneys in Mississippi.
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