Hope Mississippi
A bimonthly podcast educating Mississippians about the needs of fellow citizens, encouraging residents to work together to change the trajectory of our families and children, and sharing success stories.
Hope Mississippi
MS State Bar 6 - “How Many Kids Did You Jail Today?”
At the 2025 Mississippi Bar Convention, former State Supreme Court Justice Dawn Beam sat down with more than twenty leaders in law, policy, and public service—capturing three days of extraordinary conversations for a special seven-part series of her Hope Mississippi podcast. This is Part Six of Seven.
What does it really take to keep kids safe and families whole when poverty, addiction, and untreated mental illness pull them apart? In this episode, we begin with Judge Walt Brown of Adams County, then move into candid, heart-level discussions with family law attorney Jeremy McNinch and former Mississippi Bar President Blake Teller. Together, they trace a line from the youth court bench to private practice, showing how hope isn’t abstract—it’s built daily through practical tools, patient relationships, and courageous choices.
Judge Brown opens the curtain on youth court’s real center of gravity—neglect, not delinquency—and exposes the everyday obstacles most people never see: no car to reach court, no childcare for class, no path out of generational poverty. He shares how a local coalition extends treatment beyond a thirty-day stopgap and why peer-support specialists transform outcomes by walking alongside families between hearings, answering late-night texts, and speaking truth as people who’ve lived it. He also faces the most challenging question head-on: when does a child’s stability require severing parental rights—and who will step forward to love, and then let go?
With Jeremy McNinch, the lens shifts to family law's emotional and spiritual weight. He reveals why listening can be as powerful as litigating, how faith steadies families in crisis, and why leaving the door open to resolution often heals more than courtroom brinkmanship ever could.
Finally, Blake Teller widens the view to the profession—the Mississippi Bar’s renewed focus on civility, mentorship, and closing rural justice deserts through law-school outreach and internships that lead young lawyers into small-town practice. Expect grounded wisdom and actionable hope: fund a treatment program, mentor a struggling parent, consider foster care, or—if you’re a lawyer or student—bring your skills to a Mississippi community that needs you most.
Subscribe, share this conversation with a friend who cares about kids and communities, and leave a review with one action you’ll take to spread hope where you live.
Join us for new episodes on the 1st and 15th of each month as we continue sharing stories of transformation from across Mississippi. Each story reminds us that when we contribute our unique gifts, Mississippi rises together.
Hope Mississippi's Mission: The sobering reality remains: one in four Mississippi children lives in poverty, and one in five experiences food insecurity. These statistics aren't just numbers—they're our collective challenge. Through these conversations, we discover that Mississippi's transformation occurs through individual commitments to mentor, encourage, and be present for others. The small acts of hope accumulate into the broader "miracles" we celebrate.
One in four kids live in poverty.
SPEAKER_03:One in five food prize.
SPEAKER_01:Build collaborations and build hope with those who are struggling.
SPEAKER_00:Hope, Mississippi.
SPEAKER_02:Hello and welcome back to the Mississippi Bar. I am here with my dear friend Walt Brown, who is a judge in Adams County. Welcome.
SPEAKER_04:Hey, Don, it's always great to see you.
SPEAKER_02:Well, it's great to see you. You know, you go to law school and you have no earthly idea what you're gonna do when you get out. Did you think you would be a judge? I never dreamed of that.
SPEAKER_04:Ironically, I never dreamed about to be a prosecutor. I I did that for a while and and I certainly, but I ha always kind of had in the back of my mind that I might want to be a youth court judge. And I always really enjoyed talking to Judge Hudson and all the stuff he did for Adams County in the state of Mississippi, and and uh so here we are.
SPEAKER_02:Well, we want to give a shout out to John Hudson. He was the youth court judge in Adams County for 31 years, then went on to help Mississippi and and lead the way in very positive change in the area of youth court and in protecting children and youth. And so he is just a fabulous person.
SPEAKER_04:Yes, and I had the advantage of walking into a a really nice, well-oiled machine there, as best as as you can be as a youth court. Uh he had a great staff, most of them are still with me, and all the programs, you know, he didn't shy away from any grants or programs and was one of the first courts to have a family drug court and parent rep and all the other things that go with that. And some things have come and gone, but he he laid the predicate for me and I've I I eased into it, so I had a great advantage in that regard.
SPEAKER_02:Well, Judge, I want to talk about that a little bit. You know, I say I felt most helpless when I was sitting on a bench in a black robe with a little gavel hammer type thing. I was seeing people that did not have housing, that didn't have mental health care, and so many things. And that's what we need in court is we need a tool chest, a judge does, to be able to help people overcome obstacles and become healthy parents and then can provide good care for their children. Can you just talk a little bit about that?
SPEAKER_04:We take so many things for granted. Some days we're in court and we're going, where is so-and-so? They're not here. Well, judge, they don't have a car. You know, they don't have a ride. Or their ride can't pick them up, or they charge them five bucks to take them to court every time. So there there there are there's a segment of our population that really lives just day to day. You know, I don't know what the solution is. It's not gonna happen overnight. A lot of it has to do with education. A lot of this is generational, you know. Some of the older people that I'm work with in in uh youth court will say things like, Well, Judge, his mama was in youth court and we were here, you know, or his mother was a foster child, and now this child's in danger of becoming a foster child. And it's cyclical. You know, we do see some success stories. You know, every once in a while I run into somebody and I barely remember, and they'll they'll give me a big hug and say, Judge, we're doing great now. I got three kids and I got a job, and you know, and uh, but for every one of those, there's eight or ten that we can't seem to get over the hump, but we're working on it.
SPEAKER_02:Well, this podcast is about hope, Mississippi, and we certainly celebrate. I totally agree with you, when you see somebody that's overcome, boy, that only not only they are not only are experiencing hope, but that gives us hope as we try to serve the public. But in Mississippi, where one in four of our kids lives in poverty, one in five are food deprived. Your job as a youth court judge in the area of neglect is huge.
SPEAKER_04:Well, it's it's the part that a lot of people don't understand about youth court. And I didn't, quite frankly, you know, when I you know, when people say, Well, I'm a youth court judge, or you're the youth court judge, you know, how many kids you put in jail today, or how many what about those bad kids? And I said, It's the it's not the bad kids that we deal with, it's the the bad parents or the parents that just can't seem to get it together. You know this, the abuse and neglect side in youth court is 75% of what we do. You know, but the delinquency part is it happens, but it's not as common and it's not as time consuming. But a lot of it's connected, you know. Some of these children that are being found to be delinquent or not going to school, they are victims of abuse and neglect because their parents just are not raising them. I think of one case we got right now involving a mother working a couple jobs, she's never home, and the children aren't going to school, and the oldest child is staying home and raising the younger children, and and we just can't seem to get her out of that. She's one of the ones I just talked about that doesn't have a car.
SPEAKER_02:Poverty is real and it is driving a lot of this and generational poverty. You talk about she was a foster child and now her child is a foster child, and Mississippi needs to break that cycle of generational poverty. And one way it's done is through collaborations like what you have in Natchez, where the community comes together and provides those resources.
SPEAKER_04:Well, and you and then you throw drug addiction, substance abuse, alcoholism on top of that, mental health mental health, you know, a lot of these parents are suffering from substance abuse disorders and mental health disorders, bipolar, you know, and these these kids just don't have a chance, you know. And sadly, you know, we occasionally have to terminate those rights just so that baby or that child can have some stability, you know. And so that's that's part of it. But you you mentioned community involvement. That's something I'm trying to get a little more into because I've I've I've kind of haven't done that as much as I would have liked. We do have a a c a children and families coalition down there. We've had a we have a fundraiser every year at we call it Trucks on the Bluff, but it's a such a truck event that is growing each year. The money we raise from that used to send parents to treatment. I mean real treatment. I mean the kind that that lasts three to six to nine months. You know, the state provides a service for that, but it's only thirty days normally. And and a lot of the best treatment places we found to be are faith-based. We're told that we can't force people to go to faith based. If we if we recommend a faith base, we have to recommend, you know, something that's not faith-based. But we've we've got had some decent, pretty good luck with a couple of places around the state. We need about twenty more. You know, and I wish the state could fund a place for parents like this to go to to get clean, to spend some real significant time there. But it like I tell them, it's not a magical place. It's not like when you go to M.D. Anderson, you get cured of cancer. You know, this cure is every day. I'm talking too much here, but we recently got a grant for a peer support specialist.
SPEAKER_02:Tell us what that is.
SPEAKER_04:The job description called for someone who's been in recovery for over a year, or maybe two years. And we got a guy, uh we don't we did have a lot of money in this grant, so and ironically, we reached out to one of those parents that told you about that the success story we had, and they had a better job than what we could offer at at our place. But we we've got a a guy now that's come in, he's from Jackson. He tells his story. I mean, he was a drug addict, he was well educated, but just fell into the throes of drug addiction and was homeless and in jail. And he's kind of been able to actually relate to these people better than I can. You know, it's easy for me to sit up there and say, you know, I know how I know how you feel because I don't but this guy does. And so having a peer support specialist on board now, I think I I highly recommend that to any intervention court because uh he he's done wonders with a lot of these people. He talks to him, he text them every day, how you doing? You know, something we don't, you know, we see them a lot in court, but not every day. And and they call him sometimes and say, Look, I I feel like I need to use. What should I do? You know?
SPEAKER_02:But that's what AA and addiction, they've recognized the importance of somebody that has experienced that.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, it's like a sponsor.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. They can help them understand, even the youth court system can be so traumatic. And so to have somebody that's walked through that is helpful. Okay, Walt, we're we're wrapping up here. We've got two more minutes, but I want to ask you folks that have encouraged you along the way. You're helping lots of people, but you didn't get there on your own. Tell us a little bit about the folks that have helped you get to where you are.
SPEAKER_04:Well, my dad was a lawyer, and I went to college specifically with the idea of not becoming a lawyer. A little bit of a rebel, so to speak. Grew up in an old miss family, went to Mississippi State. About halfway through school, I said, you know what, I I really love history, political science, that thing. So decided to go to law school and I came back home and worked for him for a long time. He and his law partner, Philip Carby, is a lawyer down in Natchez. I worked with him for a while. Got an opportunity to go work at the district attorney's office. One of our former classmates who was an assistant DA said, you know, if you ever get a chance, this is a great job. And I said, Well, I don't know anything about criminal law other than the little bit I've appeared in court helping folks trying to help people. And I worked for Ronnie Harper, who was uh assistant DA for eight years and a DA for twenty-something years. Really did a good job down in Adams County. I was real fortunate to work for him. But I got to see the judges and all. Judge Johnson, Judge Sanders, I worked with them and uh Judge Hudson. You know, like I said, I was always sort of attracted to what he was doing in the community. So my grandparents, my mom, you know, just I had a lot of support. And that's what a lot of these children don't have. And a lot of these families, you know, the family support is important. Occasionally we have people fighting over kids in youth court. I want him no, you you take him, I I want him, I'll take him. But a lot of times we don't have anybody there. And that's that's the sad thing when children, you know, like me growing up had a lot of support like you talked about. I wish a lot of these children had more support, but especially in this day and age, because it's a whole different world we're living in now with technology and social media and things just moving so fast. But I I you know, my dad and my mom and those other lawyers and judges, I think, guided me along pretty well.
SPEAKER_02:So as we close out here and we want to encourage people, get involved. If you have an opportunity, contact your local child protective service officer, the court, and see how you might can be a mentor or a tutor or a foster parent. There are just lots of opportunities to make a difference, and the court is counting on the community to surround that family, right?
SPEAKER_04:We're in dire need of foster parents. That's gotta be the hardest job, way harder than any job I can think of, because you take on a child, you fall in love with that child, and then you have to give that child up. It's because it's so emotional. And so I, you know, I I've had a couple of friends call me, so I'm thinking about being a foster parent. I say, Well, there's some classes you gotta go to, but just understand this is this is life-changing for you and for them, and and I'm still working on a couple of them.
SPEAKER_02:But well, it's a certainly a great way to spread hope across Mississippi. Well, thank you for joining me today and for all you do for South Mississippi and helping our children and youth.
SPEAKER_04:Well, Don, thank you for everything you've done. It's hard to believe. A couple of law students from class of 89 have risen to the levels you've risen to and done a great job in the state of Mississippi, and the youth courts appreciate what you did while you're on the Supreme Court.
SPEAKER_02:I so appreciate that. Y'all have a great day and make a difference in Mississippi and spread hope. Hope Mississippi is your salvation. Hello, and welcome to the Mississippi Bar Convention. I am so delighted to have Jeremy McNich here. Hello, Jeremy.
SPEAKER_03:Good morning, Your Honor. How are you?
SPEAKER_02:I'm a lot happier since I'm not on the bench, dear. It is so good to see you. Jeremy is a attorney in Rankin County. And one thing that I have to say is a big thank you to you. When I went back into private practice, you were the first to help me with legal forms and things. And that's really what lawyers are all about is helping one another.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, back in the, they say the old days, lawyers really tried to work together in all ways. I mean, whether it was just, you know, on cases or whether it was in the community, it was very collegial. And I think that's something that is might be lacking in some situations. So I hope that we can all learn a lesson from that. Uh, you know, I I was more than more than happy to help you with that.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I'll be glad to pay back the favor anytime. The the average layperson really oftentimes doesn't understand how lawyers we work together, but that's important for them when we talk about trying to resolve their problems. Can you talk about that just a little bit?
SPEAKER_03:You know, there are those lawyers in my experience that, you know, really try to do that in almost every case, to work together, to do what's best for clients. And I love working with lawyers like that. And we need to be ready to go into the courtroom to you know, duke it out in front of our great chancery circuit and county court judges across the state. But I think it's really important to always keep that door open. And, you know, for anybody who's looking for a lawyer, thing I I like to tell my potential clients is we we we get ready for court, but I am always you know ready to work something out with the other side because once you put the case in the hands of a judge, you you don't have as much control over the outcome.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. Now, are you the family law chair now?
SPEAKER_03:I I am. This today is my last day as the the the chair of the family law section of the Mississippi Bar. So in a few in just in a little while, I'm gonna go hand the uh the the gavel over to our next chairman.
SPEAKER_02:So we got the big dog today for a little bit longer. But let's talk about the uniqueness of family law. Very emotional.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, ma'am. You know, it it people like to say that family law attorneys are part counselor, part lawyer. And of course, you know, some some family law attorneys actually were counselors before they began the practice of law. The emotions really can affect the case in so many ways. People may not be at their best when they're going through one of life's biggest challenges and changes, whether it's a child custody case, a divorce case, they are so, so emotional. And, you know, that really is one of the most difficult things to deal with in one of these cases. One thing that I get asked a lot when somebody says, you know, what do you do for a living? I'm a lawyer. Don't hold it against me, is what I always say. And when they say, What kind of law do you practice? I say, Well, I do, you know, divorce and child custody, and they look and they say, Oh, I ha how do you do that? I used to get offended by that, but I understand where people are coming from. And what I like to tell people is that when I am meeting with people, when I'm meeting with clients, if they mention, I pray that it works out this way, or you know, I just am leaning into my faith, I try to seize that opportunity to really talk with them about their spiritual life and to try to approach it from that standpoint. And I just feel like sometimes I feel like the Lord speaks through me. And I'm not saying I'm anybody special. I think we all have that opportunity as lawyers to really speak to people about their innermost thoughts and problems, and and I like to talk to people about their faith. I really do.
SPEAKER_02:Jeremy, you beat me to the punch. I was I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_03:I knew I probably learned it from you.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I knew that you were a member of my brother's church, Pine Lake, and I also know your heart. And that is so true. You know, God gifts us with different gifts, and we're the challenge is to use those and be faithful. And not everybody is cut out to be a family lawyer, but those of us that have that gift, it's a a gift to help speak wisdom and to help them to make wise choices. It's the gift of listening, because a lot of times they just need a listening ear, someone to understand. And then there are times they need a fighter. To me, that's a gift to be a fighter and to go in the courtroom and and help the court to make the right decision. Having been a judge as well as an advocate, I can say at the end of the day, everybody in the courtroom wants to do the right thing.
SPEAKER_03:I just gotta say this, you know, God has worked a miracle in my life through Pine Lake. I mean, really. It's amazing. It really is. And our chancellors in Rankin County, I and I know so many across the state are are people of faith, and I know that helps them in making their decisions, and I know that they lean on their faith in doing that. And it's important. It's so important because at the end of the day, that's that's what it's all, that's what our life should all be about. Being a fighter, yes, very, very, very important. Being having the ability to go in there and do what's right for your client, fight for your client, and help the judge make the right decision, but that listening ear, you you said it so well, that is what we can really bring to to our clients in the community as family law attorneys.
SPEAKER_02:And you know, Christians need somebody has a strong faith to help them because I know we all want to make wise decisions. I I remember one time I was listening to a preacher and he talked about that God hates divorce. I hate divorce. I absolutely hate it. But I called my dad one time and I mean, am I aiding and abetting a sin by, you know, doing this? And Daddy said, Sugar baby, by the time they get to me or you, all they need is a peaceful burial. The marriage is so broken. And so our challenge, your challenge, my challenge, is to be a godly lawyer who helps them to make wise decisions that not only impact them, but their children and their family.
SPEAKER_03:And you know, I heard uh one of our in Rankin County, one of our judges, Judge Roberts, once I heard him say that, you know, we all as Christians, Christian lawyers and judges, we we I think we all struggle with that, that God it I mean, it's said in the New Testament, you know, God hates divorces. I share that that question that you said. I mean, my aiding and abetting and your dad's awesome, by the way. Um and I and I love what he said, and I and I heard Judge Roberts say something similar. He said, you know, when people are going through a divorce, sometimes they try to inject the Lord into the marriage when it was never there in the first place. So if it wasn't there when they got married. It's it's a little disingenuous to now think that, you know, it that now I I'm not saying it's impossible. Maybe, maybe the Lord entered the marriage or whatever, but a lot of times, like you said, it it was never there to begin with. On that note, I mean, I would say one thing that I've I've found is that, you know, sin is sin. I mean, that's what I'm learning in my in my life, in my spiritual walk into my practice, that whether it's adultery, right, that's that's the one that that people, you know, they always think about. But whether it's uh adultery or whether it's abusing a substance or whether it's abusing another person physically or emotionally, I mean, sin is sin. It just comes out in different ways, and Satan is looking for every chance that there is in a believer's life or believers' marriages to separate them.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03:Every every any little way, just any little crack, married people have to be on guard for that. I love talking to people about not getting a divorce. Amen. That is my favorite thing. When I'm talking to somebody, I always try when they come into my office, I try to say, if they say, you know, I wish we could just work things out, I say, whoa, whoa, whoa, let's stop. I I'm like, okay, what can we do? Let's talk about that. What what can we change about the way you do things? You know, what can what can you set aside that is that is impeding you you and your spouse from getting back together? How can I help you lay that down? Because if you get a divorce, if you decide to get a divorce, it is going to change your family tree for all of eternity. If you think about it, as long as there's human beings on the earth and you've decided to separate your family that way, it's it's going in a different direction.
SPEAKER_02:You're so right, but it happens where I'm I I one of the hardest things I ever learned is that the only person I can make decisions for is myself. God gives us an opportunity to help people, and what a blessing. It really does bring hope in the most difficult of times. And I so appreciate your sharing your experience in this. One final question. When we talk to young people about the joy of practicing law and being able to make a difference, children's young people out there who are thinking about practicing law, how rewarding it can be, how you really can minister through it.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I would say I have been teaching at MC Law for over 10 years, and I've had the the distinct honor of being allowed to do that. And I just want to say thank you to the administration at MC Law for letting me get into the lives of so many students over the years. It's been an amazing experience. And and what I would say to you know, anybody that's thinking about entering the practice of law, that it is not what you think it is, number one, so be careful. And and what you should do is find a lawyer that practices the kind of law that you're thinking about doing and shadow them, get a job with them, volunteer whatever, so you can see what they do. And then the the other thing is it is probably the most difficult, you know, postgraduate type of degree to get once you get out of there in the world, because you are struggling with everybody else's problems all the time, especially in what we as family law attorneys do. But it can be so rewarding that, you know, you can you, like I said, you really can speak to people about their faith, listen, and try to help them solve problems from a practical standpoint. And I just want to tell you the thing I like to say, and anybody is welcome to use this line that I got from your brother in church, is that at the end of the day, we're supposed to care about our families, our spouses, our jobs. We have all these responsibilities that we got to care for. But at the end of the day, if you are a believer, it is this life is about you and Jesus. It it's that relationship. We got and we got to let everything else pass away and focus on that. Again, care for care for your people. Do what you're supposed to do. But if you are a believer, you have to remember it is God and you. And and if you can approach life from that way, which it is, I'm working on it, and everybody else is. But that is what I try to tell people who are going through these struggles. It will provide hope. It will provide peace and joy if you try to approach your life and your problems from that perspective.
SPEAKER_02:I rest my case based on what you said, okay? Just what a blessing. Folks out there, leave the world a better place. I don't know about you, but I want to hear well done when I cross that final finish line. And that really is the only finish line that matters. So have a great day, and I hope that you've can hear something today that you can take away and apply to your life. Hope Mississippi is your salvation. Welcome back to the Mississippi Bar Convention in Sandestin. I am so thrilled to welcome Blake Teller to the show today. Good morning, Blake.
SPEAKER_05:Good morning, Justice Beam. It's good to see you again. It's been a long time.
SPEAKER_02:Good to see you, dear. Blake is attorney in Vicksburg, but could you just kind of tell everyone about yourself?
SPEAKER_05:Sure, just a little brief background. I am an attorney in Vicksburg. My grandfather was an attorney in Vicksburg, Landman Teller, then my dad, who everyone knows is Landy Teller, was as well. And after I graduated law school, I worked in Jackson for three years at the Brunini Law Firm and then went back to join them and had a fun year uh with my granddad still coming into the office practicing at age 87, and then he passed away, unfortunately, but he was with it throughout his whole life and career, and that's somebody that uh was a big role model for me as long as as as well as my dad. So that kind of got me into the legal profession.
SPEAKER_02:When we think of Hope, Mississippi, isn't it a generational thing? Isn't it great that we have great roots that we can then pass on that to other generations?
SPEAKER_05:We really do. That's what the great things about the state of Mississippi is our family within the family and outside the family. We're a small state and everybody knows everybody, it seems.
SPEAKER_02:So you're right. You know, we're here at the Bar Convention and this really is a family. It's kind of hard for lay people to understand how we may fight back and forth, plaintiffs and defendants, it but at the same time, we all recognize we're part of a much bigger justice system.
SPEAKER_05:Yes, I agree with that, and and that's one of the great things about our bar, the Mississippi Bar, is special in that regard, and we do look at it as a very important factor for camaraderie amongst attorneys so that the justice system can work in a better way rather than having uncivil actions toward each other during litigation, especially where you see that, but in other fields as well. But it's important for us to get along and work for solutions for our clients and and the people of Mississippi.
SPEAKER_02:You know, I recently re-entered the law practice, and I just absolutely love helping people solve their problems. It's important that lawyers work together. I don't know about you, but I have my list of folks that I can work with and I can trust, and they're just a few of them on the list that I have to make sure that I put everything in the record.
SPEAKER_05:Right. I know that that is, yeah. We probably all have that a little bit, but it is much more pleasant to work through an issue with people that you can get along with and work with, and usually your clients are happier at the end too when you can get a resolution and let them move on with life from those issues.
SPEAKER_02:So when we talk to the average citizen in Mississippi, the vast majority of the bar are all in that effort at the end of the day to receive justice. And we don't claim to be perfect in the bar. We we have a discipline system that makes all of us work together, right?
SPEAKER_05:We self-discipline attorneys, and that's all done through the Mississippi Bar.
SPEAKER_02:So when we talk about the justice system, you can trust it because we are self-regulating. We want to make sure that everybody is dealing fairly, right?
SPEAKER_05:Correct. We have a great uh general counsel staff at the Mississippi Bar, Missy Scott, and she's doing a really good job. She took over for Adam Kilgore, and they have some other staff as well that work hard for that to make sure attorneys are playing by the rules and doing things the right way.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, I'm gonna let y'all know a secret. Blake was a past recent past president of the bar. So you know firsthand this, right?
SPEAKER_05:That's right. We I've worked closely with the bar staff uh for that year. Well, really three years because you're president-elect, then you're president, and then immediate past president. So it's it's a three-year commitment, really, to work in that position. But um, it's a real honor to be there and to work with them and to work for the all the attorneys of the state and to try to address issues that everybody's facing. You raised one before we went on the air about uh access to justice, and we called it desert areas where you have a lot of rural communities, especially in states like Mississippi, where there's not many attorneys. Some counties may have one attorney. I remember holding a virtual local bar meeting online when I was president and I was speaking to one of the attorneys and I might have been Itawamba County or somewhere up there in northeast Mississippi, and I said, Well, so how many members of in the bar for for your county? And the lady said, I'm it.
SPEAKER_02:So actually, my husband's from Itawamba County. And so when I was looking at going into private practice, I thought Itawamba, but they now have another lawyer.
SPEAKER_05:So they they've doubled their population of attorney.
SPEAKER_02:But my Summerall, where I live, they didn't have a lawyer that was really active, and so I stubbed. My law firm there, and it's just been amazing. It's so important that lawyers, that that the communities have lawyers all across our state. Our cities need lawyers to help them follow the law. We have municipal courts that need judges and prosecutors. That is a huge need in Mississippi.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. So a couple of programs that we were worked on even before my term as president, they were in the works, but we started having our Access to Justice Committee go to the law schools and speak to them about opportunities for rural practice where make them aware that if you go into a rural community, I mean you might not be pay paid the big bucks like a big firm could do immedi immediately, but you're going to have opportunities that that you're you don't even realize to be a part of a community, to be in the governmental arena if you want to, to to provide services that that community needs, and and you can do just fine financially. It's not all about the big money and the big cities.
SPEAKER_02:And there's nothing like those Perry Mason moments at the local level, small towns, small communities, and yet we're all about doing good.
SPEAKER_05:That's right. And uh you do have great opportunity, and I I would encourage our law students, our young attorneys to try to go spend a little time in a a smaller community. Uh, we have a program, it's a summer internship program that the bar does with the law schools as well to give students an opportunity during the summer to spend to shadow or intern with a rural attorney, and they have some little bit of money to help pay for living expenses and and a little bit of a salary, maybe if you want to call it that, but and then give them that experience and hopefully hook them in to say, I do want to practice in a small community.
SPEAKER_02:Well, from my perspective, it's been a huge blessing to practice in a small community. It's so exciting because you never know from one minute to another what you're gonna see. So it it's really great. We got two more minutes. So who influenced you along the way and encourage folks out there to encourage other people, not just in law practice, but just to bring hope across Mississippi?
SPEAKER_05:I mentioned that my grandfather and father were attorneys before me, and they were certainly huge influences in my life, obviously, and they were very big on the Mississippi bar and what it means to not just attorneys, but to Mississippi and our communities because of service to others is really what it's all about, and service to our clients, our community, trying to improve life as it is. So they were my big influencers, if you will, and the programs we talked about today, I I try to use those to reach out to the young attorneys coming up and encourage them to be community involved, not just focused on what they can earn a living, but to focus on service to others and a part of that is their job, but part of it is just being a community involvement person that making sure our communities are just bet get better through those services.
SPEAKER_02:You know, when I think about that, I think about that Bible verse about layup for yourself treasures in heaven, and I certainly am making decent money and uh because that's just what you have to do. You gotta cover it everything. But when you help someone, you're laying up treasures in heaven, you're making a difference.
SPEAKER_05:I agree with that, Dawn. That's a great point. And uh certainly God and Jesus are very important to me, gets into a whole nother arena there, but uh I think that people need to be involved from church to community to their careers and always be focused on serving others.
SPEAKER_02:Well, Blake, thank you so much for joining me today. And if you are listening, don't just sit there. Find out how you can bring hope across Mississippi. Thanks a bunch.
SPEAKER_05:Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:Hope, Mississippi.
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