Christopher C. "Stopher" Haug

Profile:
Originally from Starkville, Mississippi, Christopher C. "Stopher" Haug attended undergraduate school at Mississippi State University before attending law school at the University of Alabama. He practiced law for eight years in Birmingham, Alabama before relocating to the Mississippi Gulf Coast with his wife, Lauren, and their then two-year-old son and eight-year-old dog.

Stopher's practice has primarily focused on civil litigation, including general commercial, construction, intellectual property, environmental, and personal injury litigation. He also has developed experience with drafting and negotiating licenses and leases, as well as estate and creditors' rights issues.

Admissions and Licenses

Mississippi Supreme Court, 2008

United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 2008

United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, 2008

Alabama Supreme Court, 2000

United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 2000

United States District Court for the Northern, Southern, and Middle Districts of Alabama, 2000

Practice Areas

Commercial litigation

Construction law

Products liability

Premises liability

Governmental entity law

Labor and Employment Law

Publications and Speaking Engagements

"Business Strategies to Prepare for the Employee Free Choice Act," Co-presenter at Business Seminar, Biloxi, Mississippi (May 28, 2009)

A Guide to Expert Depositions (Co-Author); Presented at Lorman Seminar, Birmingham, Alabama (February 2007)

Spoliation—an Examination of the Rule in Alabama; Presented at Lorman Seminar, Birmingham, Alabama (March 2006)

A Young Lawyers Guide to Depositions; For the Defense, Vol. 45, No. 1 (January 2003)

The Law of Damages in a Legal Malpractice Action; 24 Journal of the Legal Profession 43, (2000)

Education

Hugo L. Black School of Law, University of Alabama, Juris Doctor, 2000; Top 20%

• Recipient of Full Tuition Scholarship
• Articles Editor, Journal of the Legal Profession

Mississippi State University, Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, 1997

• Double major in History and Foreign Languages (emphasis in Spanish and French)

Professional and Civic Involvement

Professional Associations:

• Mississippi Bar Association, 2008 - present
• Alabama Bar Association, 2000 - present
• Harrison County Young Lawyers Association, 2008 - present
  • Secretary to the Board of Directors
• Volunteer Lawyers Committee, Alabama State Bar, January 2005 - 2008
• DRI/Young Lawyers Committee, 2000 - present
  • Chaired two subcommittees

Community/Civic Activites:

• Coast Young Professionals, 2008 - present
• Elected to the Board of Directors, June 26, 2009
• Board of Directors, Arthritis Foundation of Alabama, January 2007 - 2008
• The Revelers Carnival Organization, 2002 - present
• Crockies Soccer Club, Founding Member, 2000

Representative Cases

• George E. Watts, Jr. and Kathryn S. Watts v. Kimbrell Homes, Inc., et al., Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, Case No. 2060992 (Released November 7, 2008) (affirming summary judgment for window manufacturing client entered by trial court on all counts, including manufacturing defect, breach of contract, and fraud).
• Scale Reproductions, LLC. v. Skinner, 2007 WL 3086033 (S.D.Ala. 2007) (Not Reported in F.Supp.2d.) (action seeking preliminary injunction and damages against former employee for breach of noncompete in federal district court (injunction denied on grounds of ambiguity of contract) (case ultimately settled)).
• Ex parte Bad Toys Holdings, Inc., 958 So. 2d 852 (Ala. 2006) (writ of certiorari granted, directing trial court to enter order granting client's motion to dismiss action based on forum selection clause).
• HomeBingo Network, Inc. v. Cadillac Jack, Inc. 2006 WL 3469515 (S.D.Ala. 2006) (Slip Copy) (order entered in client's favor denying third-party's motion to intervene in patent infringement litigation (case ultimately settled).
• Crown Castle USA, Inc. v. Howell Engineering and Surveying, Inc., 981 So. 2d 400 (Ala.Civ.App. 2005) (trial court judgment reversed and remanded in favor of client) (precedent relied upon in opinion subsequently overturned in part by Ex parte Howell Engineering and Surveying, Inc., 981 So.2d 413 (Ala. 2006)).
• Ex parte Hanna Steel Corp., 905 So. 2d 805 (Ala. 2004) (writ of certioriari granted, directing trial court to enter order granting client's motion seeking dismissal of case for improper venue).
• Birmingham Pain Center, Inc. v. Cosgrove, 896 So. 2d 538 (Ala.Civ.App. 2004) (reversing and remanding in favor of client as to calculation of damages in breach of contract case)

Outside of the office

Stopher is an avid runner, and enjoys spending time with his family, playing soccer, reading, traveling, and boating.