James E. Hill III
Managing partner
Hill Gossett Kemp & Watson PC
What’s the hot topic in your practice area? My primary focus is on corporate and governmental law. The hot topic(s) in this field are fluid and very fact-dependent but there is always great focus on public (and private) personnel matters, compliance with wage / hour and leave laws, as well as increased federal scrutiny due to the increase in federal funds made available to local entities.
What’s your most memorable case and why? Most of my time is spent helping my clients avoid a courtroom. That said, I also represent clients in matters of general litigation and enjoy trial work as often as I have the opportunity. One of my most memorable trials involved a developer I was representing through some economic development incentive programs in a county outside of St. Clair where I live/practice. The jurisdiction had some naysayers to the project (apparently they preferred empty big box stores to re-tenanted stores). One of the citizens who opposed our development actually appealed the trial court’s decision in our favor. He ultimately dismissed his appeal after the Court ordered a rather significant appeal bond be placed. That said, he was openly frustrated with the process and the outcome. About five years later that nay-saying citizen was elected to the council of that particular city. When an economic development project came back around, he voted to engage our firm to represent the city.
What has been...
Over the last year, beyond traditional healthcare and federal procurement matters, the government has pursued federal False Claims Act (FCA) investigations and enforcement across high-risk areas, i...