Wilton V. Byars, III

Wilton V. Byars, III is President and a shareholder at Daniel Coker Horton & Bell, P.A., where his practice focuses on civil rights and governmental liability, general litigation and insurance defense, insurance coverage and bad faith defense, and products liability. Byars represents businesses, insurers, governmental entities, and other clients in matters ranging from automobile accidents to complex product and insurance disputes. He has tried cases to verdict and has served as firm president since 2020.

Byars earned his J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1992, where he participated in the Mississippi Law Journal and Moot Court Board. He received his B.A. cum laude from Millsaps College in 1989. His academic training and decades of litigation experience support a practice involving complex factual records, insurance questions, governmental immunity, product liability claims, and trial strategy in Mississippi state and federal courts.

Byars has handled significant governmental, insurance, premises liability, and appellate matters. In 2026, he helped obtain summary judgment for a city in litigation under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act and participated in a successful Mississippi Court of Appeals matter involving a zoning classification dispute. His representative work also includes obtaining judgment for the City of Starkville in a police-pedestrian collision case and securing dismissal of a premises liability action against a grocery store.

Wilton V. Byars, III has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America since 2011 and has received Lawyer of the Year honors in product liability defense, personal injury defense, and insurance law. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. His leadership and trial experience support clients facing complex civil, insurance, product, and governmental disputes.

Law Office Affiliations

• Shareholder, Daniel Coker Horton & Bell, P.A.
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, American Board of Trial Advocates
• Member, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Member, Defense Research Institute
• Member, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel
• Member, Lafayette County Bar Association
• Member, Mississippi Bar Foundation
• Past President, Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association
• Member, Mississippi Bar Association

Licensed State

• Mississippi

Education

• University of Mississippi School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Millsaps College
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)