Attorney R. Kevin Hamilton

Meet Mississippi Personal Injury Lawyer Kevin Hamilton

kevin bio Kevin Hamilton was meant to be an attorney. To say that he grew up around the law would be an understatement. As a child, he used to spend many afternoons after school at his father, Joe Clay Hamilton’s office. He saw first-hand how his father was able to assist so many people who were going through a tough time or to solve a problem that they had encountered. Before graduating from Meridian High School, Kevin worked summers at the firm, helping as a file clerk and runner, all while trying to soak up everything he could about what it took to be a good attorney and counselor to clients who were in need of help. Upon graduation from MHS, Kevin went on to attend Meridian Community College on an athletic scholarship and then continued on at the University of Alabama – where his father had gone to school – in order to pursue studies with an eye toward law school. While at Alabama, Kevin graduated with high honors and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa – an honor society that extends invitations to less than 1% of college students across the country.

Kevin loved his time in Tuscaloosa, and he is a die-hard Alabama fan to this day – much to the chagrin of many of his friends. But instead of continuing his law school studies there, he opted to attend the University of Mississippi School of Law, just as his father had. While at Ole Miss Law School, he finished his first year ranked #7 out of a class of more than 350 first-year law students. During his time in school there, he obtained the top grade for his entire section, consisting of approximately 150 first-year students, for his performance in both legal research and legal writing. He also received numerous scholarships for his performance along the way, and he was given the honor of serving as a member of both the Mississippi Law Journal and Moot Court Board. Kevin also graduated near the top of his law school class and was one of only five law students chosen to be in Phi Kappa Phi honor society.

Prior to graduation from law school, Kevin was offered a position at one of the largest and most prestigious regional law firms in the Southeast at their main office in New Orleans. While he had spent three years learning Mississippi law, he was then faced with the daunting task of learning Louisiana’s unique civil law, based upon the Napoleonic Code, and was tasked with doing in two months what other Louisiana law students had done in three years. Kevin successfully navigated the challenge with his passage of the Louisiana Bar Exam, and he joined his law firm’s commercial litigation section, where he went on to assist numerous Fortune 100 companies in high-stakes litigation that oftentimes involved disputes over tens of millions of dollars.

In late 2006, after having lived in New Orleans through Hurricane Katrina and having been in a serious wreck himself – both of which gave him a chance to see up close and personal the struggles of dealing with insurance companies – he decided to move back home and go into practice with his father in order to help the Davids of the world fight back against corporate & insurance Goliaths. Since moving back home, Kevin has helped hundreds of injury victims throughout the state obtain justice and full compensation for their injury claims. In addition to having obtained five separate million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for injury clients, Kevin has successfully argued numerous cases before the Mississippi Supreme Court and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In recognition of his achievement in helping to obtain justice and a $4,000,000 verdict in favor of his badly injured client – who was offered $0 before the lawsuit was filed – in 2011, Kevin became one of the youngest-ever recipients of the Trial Lawyer of the Year award. This award is presented by the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, from its more than 800 members, to the individual who has done the most to advance the rights of injury victims in the state. Kevin has also had the honor of being chosen as the Meridian Star’s “Best Attorney” based upon voting by readers.

Kevin has also served on the Diversity Committee of the Mississippi Bar Association, which undertook efforts to increase diversity amongst students pursuing the law as a career path, as well as serving on both the Amicus Curiae committee and the Board of Governors for the Mississippi Association for Justice. When he’s not helping injury victims fight the insurance companies, you will likely find Kevin spending time with his wife, Laurin, and three daughters, Laney, Jennings, and Jules; helping to wear out the family’s two high-energy dogs; grilling or cooking breakfast for the family; boating; or golfing.

Professional Honors & Achievements

  • Obtained five separate million or multi-million dollar verdicts or settlements for injury clients, in addition to numerous high six-figure verdicts or settlements.
  • Obtained one of the largest-ever verdicts to be upheld on appeal in Mississippi for an individual suffering injuries from a car crash.
  • “Trial Lawyer of the Year,” 2010-2011 (Mississippi Association for Justice, formerly Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association).
  • “Best Attorney” as voted by the readers of The Meridian Star in 2014.
  • Successfully argued numerous cases before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and Mississippi Supreme Court, including cases upholding a multi-million dollar verdict and helping to expand and define conduct that amounts to “bad faith” practices in relation to adjusting of insurance claims.

Education

University of Mississippi School of Law, Oxford, MS

  • Juris Doctorate, High Honors, May 2002
    • Mississippi Law Journal, Member
    • Moot Court Board, Member
    • Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
    • American Jurisprudence “Am Jur” – Award to Top Student– Legal Research & Writing I
    • American Jurisprudence “Am Jur” – Award to Top Student – Legal Research & Writing II
    • Winston B. Prude Scholar of Law
    • Dean J.W. Bunkley Memorial Scholarship Recipient

University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL

  • Bachelor of Arts, High Honors, May 1999
    • Phi Beta Kappa International Honor Society
    • Student Government Association, Member

Meridian Community College, Meridian, MS

  • Associate of Arts, Highest Honors, 1997
    • Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society
    • Two-year scholarship athlete

Meridian High School, Meridian, MS

  • Diploma, High Honors, 1995
    • Soccer and Tennis teams

Bar Admissions/Licensure

  • Mississippi State Bar, 2003
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, 2003
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, 2003
  • Louisiana State Bar, 2002
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, 2002
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of Louisiana, 2002
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, 2002
  • U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2002

Memberships

  • The Mississippi Bar Association
  • New Orleans Bar Association
  • Louisiana State Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association
  • American Bar Associations
  • Lauderdale County Bar Association
  • Mississippi Association for Justice
  • American Association for Justice (formerly The Association of Trial Lawyers of America)