Mike McKool, a founder and Chairman of McKool Smith, is profiled in Law360’s special “Trial Aces” feature, which recognizes the Top 50 trial lawyers in the country. The article describes Mr. McKool as “one of the best closers in the business” and notes that “clients bring him in when a trial appears inevitable and they can't afford to lose." He is also described as having “unrelenting focus and preparation in the run-up to a trial, which is rare in its intensity.”
Law360 highlights Mr. McKool's recent courtroom victory as lead trial counsel for Alcoa Power Generating Inc. in a case in which the "state of North Carolina challenged Alcoa's rights to the land on which it had built four hydropower dams along the Yadkin River. The case hinged on the principle of navigable waters, an esoteric corner of property law that required McKool to delve into historical records to try to determine whether the segment of the river at issue was a navigable waterway when North Carolina became a state in 1789. If it was navigable for commerce at the time, the state could claim ownership of the segment of the river.." In May 2015, U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle issued the Court's Finding of Facts and Conclusion of Law in favor of Mr. McKool's client finding that the State had failed to meet its burden to prove that the river was navigable for commerce at statehood.
Click here to read the full profile in Law360.
