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Gholson Named as General Counsel for The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi has named Robert D. Gholson its new General Counsel, effective March 7, 2016, pending completion of a successful background check. Mr. Gholson will succeed Jon Mark Weathers, who won the post of Circuit Court Judge, Place 2, in last November’s election.
The position of General Counsel is part of the University’s senior leadership team and provides proactive professional advice on critical strategic, legal, and public policy issues. The position also serves as the lead in all litigation matters for the University and manages the Office of General Counsel, including compliance and Title IX operations.
“As the University navigates increased federal, state, and system regulatory and compliance requirements, our ability to manage legal matters appropriately will impact our success,” said University President Rodney D. Bennett. “With more than 34 years of experience practicing law, I am confident that Mr. Gholson’s strong record and extensive knowledge of South Mississippi will help enable us to achieve our collective goals.”
Gholson comes to the University from Gholson Burson Entrekin & Orr, P.A., a defense-oriented law firm that serves clients in Laurel, Hattiesburg, Meridian, Jones County, and across South Mississippi. As a shareholder in the firm, Gholson specialized in the areas of insurance defense, workers compensation, federal litigation, products liability, and malpractice defense, among others. He has also represented diverse parties concerning intellectual property, land and title matters, and multi-million dollar bond issues.
He is a member of The Mississippi Bar, Jones County Bar Association, the Defense Research and Trial Lawyers Association, and the International Association of Defense Counsel; a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation; and an associate member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Previously he served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the Mississippi National Guard and as a judge in the Mississippi Court of Military Appeals.
“I am honored and humbled to have been selected to fill this important position,” said Gholson. “I look forward to joining the great team that Jon Mark Weathers had assembled as well as the USM family.”
Gholson has received the highest possible peer rating from Martindale Hubbell, the national directory of attorneys, in recognition of his exceptional legal ability and ethical standards. He holds a Juris Doctor and a Bachelor of Public Administration from the University of Mississippi, and he is admitted to practice law in the states of Mississippi and Tennessee as well as before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.
