One of the things that’s important to me and what I try to talk to my clients about is to give them a sense of where I come from, and why that’s important to me as I represent them, as I put their case forward, and as I ultimately take it to trial. And I think I’ve benefited immensely from a background that was accidental in the sense that I didn’t have anything to do with it, I was lucky enough to be born to my wonderful parents who have since passed away but were married for 54 years and, you know, provided a home that was just wonderful and supportive.

We come from a very small town in Mississippi, a little town called Kosciusko. It’s about an hour north of Jackson. It’s a magical place in many ways. I mean, look, we all can mythologize our upbringing, but when you grow up in a small town, you realize that you kinda have to get along, because there aren’t that many people around you, and you have to be able to interact with them, engage with them, and know them in a way that I think is a little different than what some folks grow up in different environments.

But, you know, all that taught me of just the wonderful variety and diversity in our country and in our communities. You know, going as a kid to little black country churches out in the countryside where you could just feel the passion and the energy and the spirituality that filled those congregations. You know, going to the Kiwanis Club or town meetings where you get to see the business leaders in town and talk to them about what matters to them and what affects them on a daily basis. I don’t think there is any better environment for a trial lawyer to grow up in, and I’m thankful every day I did.

Mississippi is a wonderful place, and it’s a place I care dearly for. I went to Ole Miss after high school and then, from there, before I went to law school, I ended up doing public relations and fundraising in Washington, D.C. for a while. Certainly, on the PR side, fundraising side, too.

I mean, that type of close interaction with the public and with the constituencies that you’re representing is very similar in many ways to the practice of law and how we approach it. So, you know, I worked for nonprofit organizations in the District of Columbia that represented people with developmental disabilities, and it was a cause I believed in, and it was definitely a cause. And the work we were doing every day was designed to change these people’s lives and to give them opportunities to succeed as they were intended to.

So, having that sort of experience and having that passion really prepared me, I think, well for going and representing clients in the courtroom and taking on their cases and believing in them and taking them to trial.