William. “Larry “ Latham

Madison - William "Larry" Latham of Madison, Mississippi, died on February 14, 2025, with Lou Ellen, his loving wife, partner, and soul mate for more than 22 years by his side.



Larry, as he was known to all, and as"Willie" to very close friends, was born in Grenada, Mississippi, on September 22, 1943. The war in Europe was raging. William Daniel "Bill" Latham and his mother Rubye Skelton Latham were his proud parents.



Attending Grenada High School, Larry gravitated toward music as opposed to football. He was a natural for the high school band and became a drummer. He loved it then and throughout his life. One of the best Christmas gifts Lou Ellen gave him was a set of black Pearl drums. He was very emotional when he opened all the boxes. Little did Lou Ellen know, but he had never had a matching set! He was thrilled! Coming of age in the darkness of the "Jim Crow" era was an experience he believed shaped his entire professional career. After graduating from John Rundle High school, Larry enrolled at Delta State College which he attended for only one semester. He and his swing band, "the Debonaires" played numerous gigs at the Cleveland Country Club while he was enrolled at Delta State. Some ended later than the dorm curfew time. He missed the curfew time a couple of times. After the third violation of the curfew, the Dean met him and told him "they didn't need people like him and he needed to find somewhere else to go". Larry was truly just trying to pay his way through school; he wasn't even drinking at the gigs they played! Nevertheless, Larry then enrolled at the University of Mississippi until he graduated in June of 1965 with a degree in Accounting. His first adult position was with International Paper Company in Mobile, Alabama, as a division-level Accountant. However, he soon realized that accounting was not to be his chosen occupation. Instead, Larry entered the University of Mississippi Law School in August of 1967, graduating second in his class in August of 1969. His graduation was only a few days before hurricane Camille hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast.



Larry was proud of his record in Law School. He maintained the 2nd highest grade in his class. He was asked to serve on the staff of the Mississippi Law Journal. He served as Special Projects Editor in 1968, as Index and Review Editor in 1969,- and as Assistant Editor in that same year. In addition to receiving numerous class awards, he was invited to join Phi Beta Phi, a scholastic achievement organization. He also received numerous American Jurisprudence awards.



After a brief stint with one of Jackson's insurance defense firms, Larry first had a shared office space and overhead. By the end of 1971, he was established as a sole practitioner, a title he loved. From 1971 to 1982 the practice was primarily for personal injury. In January 2000, he and Todd Burwell formed the firm of Latham and Burwell. In April of 2009, he withdrew from Latham & Burwell to focus on special litigation projects and alternate dispute resolution. Larry was active in the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, serving terms as Treasurer and President. He served on numerous Mississippi State Bar Committees, including the Mississippi State Bar Workers' Compensation Committee on two occasions. Also, Larry was a Fellow in the Mississippi Bar Foundation, by invitation. Larry was also a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association, the Mississippi Bar Association, and the Lamar Order.



In recognition of the quality of his legal skills, Martindale Hubbell published an "AV" rating for Larry in 1988, and each year thereafter. The AV rating is the highest rating that Martindale Hubbell awards to attorneys. The "Best Lawyers in America", after a peer review, recognized Larry's work and, in 2022, named Larry as "Lawyer of the Year in Arbitrations" in the Mississippi area. He continued to be named "Lawyer of the Year in Arbitrations" for several years even after he retired.



Chambers USA designated Larry as a leading commercial litigator in Mississippi in 2004 and several future years. Chambers commented on Larry's 30 years of practice and recommended him as a very capable and effective lawyer with commercial astuteness, a quick mind, and practicality. In 2006, Chambers recognized Larry's practice change toward mediation and his developing reputation as a mediator. In addition to his diverse practice, Larry found time to present papers and lecture at numerous seminars, as well as provide testimony as an expert witness in multiple cases.



In the final sixteen years before retiring, Larry was focused on the resolution of conflicts through mediation. To prepare for this shift, Larry first completed a 40 hour course in mediation at Duke University, followed by a course at Harvard Law School. Larry worked in Mediations and Arbitrations in his home State of Mississippi and in Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee, completing more than 1750 mediations before his retirement in 2022. He was a founding member of the Mississippi Chapter of the Association of Attorney Mediators. This is what he considered his best work.



Offshore fishing was Larry's first number one recreation. Fishing in the Chandeleur Islands, Breton Sound or the deep rigs out from Breton were his favorite fishing grounds. The tales told about the Gulf are legendary. Later in life, he was heard to say "I should have fished more". He has asked that a portion of his cremains be spread on the waters off the point of the Chandeleur Islands.



Coming in second place for outside activities was flying. Late in life, in 1998, he got his private pilot's license and later obtained an instrument rating. His first airplane was a Cessna 172. Lou Ellen learned to fly this plane and obtained her private pilot license. Larry enjoyed flying the 172 but it was not keeping up with the demands of his practice. He upgraded to a Cessna 182T which was used in his practice. Lou Ellen got checked out in the 182 as well. Flying was something that he and Lou Ellen enjoyed. His son, Dan, owned L&M's restaurant in Oxford. If the weather allowed, Larry and Lou Ellen would fly to Oxford on Sundays to have brunch at L&M's. Flying into Chicago airspace was a bit nerve-racking. Many thanks to Ford Day for being their pilot for several years, getting Larry home safely from some late night mediations.



Larry's first child, Dan, was born in 1971. Larry took Dan on many off shore fishing trips. When Dan was in college, Larry sponsored him on a summer long tip to Europe. His second child, Ellen Rainey, was born in 1975. When Rainey was wrapping up her time at SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design, he offered her the same deal. She expressed little interest in a European trip and suggested that she would prefer something else. She decided on a year in Santa Fe. Larry agreed to pay her rent for twelve months as she explored the art world in New Mexico. Larry and Rainey loaded up a UHaul and made a cross-country trip to Santa Fe. In Larry's words, "every father should have this type experience; get to know who your child really is and what they care about". Larry did and would not have missed it for the world.



Larry's favorite performer was Diana Krall; Larry and Lou Ellen saw her in Houston, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee, as well as the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. The best trip they had was with their friends Charles and Gigi Gibson flying the Islands in the Bahamas in the Gibsons' Saratoga.



In 2019, Larry took acting classes and had a small part in the movie "Son of a Gun". That led to a bigger part in "Texas Red". The best time he had on a movie set was for the Amazon movie "The Burial". It was inspired by a true case involving Jerry O'Keefe, a funeral home owner on the Mississippi Gulf coast. Maggie Betts, the director, contacted Larry (thanks to Christy Jones) to be the legal consultant because he was familiar with the case. He enjoyed having lunch on set with Tommy Lee Jones. He really got to know Alan Ruck, who played the true character of Mike Allred, who Larry knew. Larry helped Alan portray Mike's mannerisms and helped him understand a lot about the South. Alan had never been to New Orleans, so Larry introduced him to Clancy's, his favorite restaurant. Larry and Alan kept in touch with each other; they last talked in December.



Larry married the love of his life, Lou Ellen, on October 18, 2002 in her beloved Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church, a historical church in Madison, Mississippi. Larry started going to the Chapel occasionally, then more and more. In 2023, he decided he wanted to go through the Confirmation Class. When he was 80 years old, he became a confirmed Episcopalian in May of 2023. Lou Ellen went to the classes with him to re-affirm her faith.



While he was in the ER at UMMC on Thursday, February 13, he received his last rites from the Chapel's Rector, Will Compton and the Associate Rector, Tom Fanning, with Lou Ellen by Larry's side.



Larry is survived by his loyal and caring wife, Lou Ellen, his son Dan and his wife Meredith and their children Sadie and Guy, and his daughter Ellen Rainey and her husband Cooper Lucas.



A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, at the historic Chapel of the Cross, 674 Mannsdale Road, Madison, Mississippi. Visitation will begin at 12:30 in the Parish Hall. Burial will be in the Chapel cemetery immediately following the service.



In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Chapel of the Cross, 674 Mannsdale Road, Madison MS 39110.