About John
John Nisbett studied biology at the University of Mississippi before turning to the law. He earned his J.D. from Mississippi College School of Law in 2005. The combination of a science undergraduate degree and a law degree shaped an early interest in the intersection of health and legal practice.
After law school, Nisbett built a practice anchored in Mississippi. He is admitted to practice in Mississippi and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He is also admitted in the United States District Court for the Northern and the Southern Districts of Mississippi. Those admissions reflect a practice that moves between trial courts and appellate forums.
Nisbett is a partner at Heilman Law Group. He has served as legal counsel for the Wind Dance Homeowners Association since 2010, handling the kinds of community and governance issues that often arise for association boards. He has also maintained memberships in local and national bar organizations, including the Madison County Bar Association and the Fifth Circuit Bar Association.
His involvement in professional groups leans heavily toward health law. Since 2015 he has served as Vice Chair of the Distance Learning Committee in the American Bar Association’s Health Law Section. He previously held the Vice Chair role for the Health Law Committee for the Young Lawyers Division in 2013–2014. Outside the ABA, he belongs to the American Society of Legal Advocates and has been listed in America’s Top 100 Lawyers in Mississippi since 2018. He was a member of the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association from 2013 to 2015 and has been active on the Mississippi Bar’s Civil Appellate Practice Committee.
Nisbett’s background in biology and his long-running ties to health law organizations inform much of his work. He handles matters that require both an understanding of clinical and regulatory issues and the mechanics of appellate procedure. Colleagues and clients see him in court filings that move from district court to appellate briefs, and in advising small groups such as homeowner associations on governance and compliance questions.
He continues to practice as a partner at Heilman Law Group. He concentrates on health law, appellate advocacy, and civil litigation.
