Margaret Oertling Cupples writes briefs and motions, and manages other lawyers who write them, in civil appeals and commercial litigation. As litigators and their clients know, a vanishingly small percentage of cases actually get to trial; for the rest, a great brief is the way to win.

As national legal writing counsel in major litigation for 3M Company, Margaret’s individual contributions and her strong collaboration with colleagues have brought significant value to 3M for two decades. Her experience also includes dozens of appeals in Mississippi's Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Sixth Circuit, and in other states’ appellate courts. She also handles insurance sales practices, consumer finance, and general commercial litigation.

Margaret is listed in The Best Lawyers in America^® for Appellate Law and Products Liability Litigation, in Chambers USA for Appellate Law, and in Benchmark Litigation as a “Litigation Star” and as one of the “Top 250 Business Women in Litigation.” She frequently presents seminars on legal writing and helps to mentor younger lawyers seeking to improve their writing.

Margaret is the managing partner of Bradley's Jackson office and complements her practice with pro bono work and community service on a number of nonprofit boards. Her volunteer work has given her significant experience in nonprofit governance and problem-solving. She is a committed advocate for Mississippi’s capital city and her historic neighborhood.

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia, 1996
• Mississippi, 1993

Court Admissions

• Supreme Court of the United States
• United States Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
• United States District Court, Northern District of Mississippi
• United States District Court, Southern District of Mississippi

Education

• Washington & Lee University School of Law, J.D., 1993, magna cum laude; Order of the Coif; Omicron Delta Kappa
• Center for Bilingual & Multicultural Education, , Summer 1989 & 1993
• Trinity University, B.A., 1990, magna cum laude with University Honors; Outstanding Graduate in English, 1990; Phi Beta Kappa

Significant Accomplishments
Margaret's work on cases at the pretrial, trial and appellate stages includes litigation across the country, including in Mississippi, California, Kentucky, West Virginia, Illinois, and Minnesota. She represents clients in products liability and toxic tort cases as well as in the financial services industry.