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  • Walter W. Dukes President | Shareholder | Director
  • Phone: 228-868-1111

    Fax: 228-863-2886

    Email: Walter W. Dukes ›

Walter Dukes is President, founding member and Senior shareholder of Dukes, Keating, Hatten, McRaney and Blum, located in Gulfport, Mississippi.  He received his B.A. from the University of Southern Mississippi, and Juris Doctorate from The Jackson School of Law at Mississippi College.

Walter brings first-chair practice in all aspects of jury and bench trials, and mediation.  His more than forty years of experience in the courtroom has led to his handling the defense of complex cases throughout the State of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, West Virginia and Texas. He has tried cases to verdict in Mississippi, Texas and West Virgina. Mr. Dukes also has an extensive practice in the areas of defense premises liability, premises security, trucking/transportation law, and construction litigation.

Active in various defense and insurance organizations, Walter holds membership in the DRI and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC), which is composed of leaders in legal communities worldwide and in which he has served on the Board of Directors and spoken on many complex issues.  Membership in the FDCC is held exclusively for those who have been judged by their peers who have achieved professional distinction.  Mr. Dukes is honored to be a Fellow of The Mississippi Bar Foundation, and he is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (“ABOTA”).

Walter’s practice areas include a broad general insurance defense practice, although he specializes in the defense of catastrophic claims involving wrongful death, burns and paralysis.   Walter also defends police officers and municipalities.

Year Joined Firm

  • 1983

Litigation Percentage

  • 95% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Representative Clients

  • AIG
  • Zurich North America, Panel Counsel
  • CNA, Panel Counsel
  • Western World Insurance Co., Panel Counsel
  • Housing Authority Insurance Group (HAI)
  • Gallagher Bassett Services
  • Berkley Southeast Insurance Co.

Classes/Seminars

  • Ethics in Mass Tort Litigation, FDCC, 2008
  • Premises Security Litigation

Honors and Awards

  • Martindale-Hubbell, “AV” Rated
  • FDCC Joseph R. Olshan Award
  • Best Lawyers in America
  • Top Attorneys in Mississippi
  • Former USM Foundation Board of Directors
  • Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association

Past Employment Positions

  • Dukes, Keating, Hatten, McRaney and Blum, 1980-Present
  • Dukes, Carruba and Dukes, Partner, 1980 – 1983
  • Daniel, Coker, Horton, Bell and Dukes, Attorney, 1978 – 1980

Pro Bono Activities

  • Serve as Counsel For Police Athletic League of Gulfport Which Provides Assistance and Support To At-Risk Children and Teenagers.
Member
  • American Board of Trial Lawyers
Areas of Practice
  • Education Law
  • Public Schools
  • Health & Health Care Law
  • Hospital Law
  • Insurance Defense
  • Motor Vehicle
  • Litigation & Appeals
  • Complex Litigation
  • Federal Trial Practice
  • Multidistrict Litigation
  • State Trial Practice
  • US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • Personal Injury -- Defense
  • Assault & Battery -- Defense
  • Defamation & Privacy -- Defense
  • Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Defense
  • Premises Liability -- Defense
  • Slip and Fall -- Defense
  • Wrongful Death -- Defense
  • Products Liability Law
  • Firearms
  • Machinery & Tools
  • Medical Products & Devices
  • Motor Vehicle Defects
  • Recreational Products
  • State, Local & Municipal Law
  • Municipal Liability
  • Toxic Torts
  • Transportation Law
  • Trucking
Bar Admissions
  • Mississippi, 1978
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of Mississippi, 1978
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Mississippi, 1979
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1981
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 1981
Professional Associations and Memberships
  • Mississippi Bar Association
  • Harrison County Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association
  • Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel
  • CLM Alliance
  • Litigation Counsel of America
Education
  • Mississippi College School of Law, Jackson, Mississippi
    • J.D. (Cum Laude)
  • University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
    • B.A., with Honors
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