"As a second-year law student, I was sworn in for limited practice in Hinds County Chancery Court to help handle adoption cases. I am not only gaining real world experience, I am in a position to serve the best interests of the children. I am so thankful to MC Law for giving me this opportunity."
— Angela Cole, MC Law Student
"Six months ago, if you handed me a case file and said, ‘Go try this case,’ I would not even have known where to sit in the courtroom. After competing nationally for MC Law, I would grab the file and jump at the opportunity. That kind of confidence and ability only comes through superior instruction and repeated practice. The Moot Court program at MC Law offers both."
— Clay Baldwin, '09
"Since joining the Supreme Court, I have hired many law clerks and externs from MC Law. Based on that background, as well as my professional interaction with MC Law graduates for the past 28 years, my opinion is that MC Law has an excellent law school that provides students an opportunity for legal training second to none."
— Justice Jess Dickinson, Mississippi Supreme Court
"I owe a tremendous debt to MC Law. As a native Californian, I was welcomed to the South with open arms by this school, and its professors instilled in me a sense of pride and responsibility for participating in the legal profession. I’m proud to have graduated from Mississippi College School of Law. I hope I’m able to communicate that sense of pride to my own students." — Jim Craig ‘85,
Partner, Phelps Dunbar, LLP, MC Law Adjunct Professor
Professor Jonathan Will heads MC Law's new Bioethics and Health Law Center. The center connects MC Law students and faculty with members of the medical, legal, and policy-making communities to address healthcare issues and the changing role of the law in emerging medical issues.
Professor Judith Johnson serves as chairman of the Judicial Advisory Subcommittee charged with reforming the Mississippi Penal Code. Johnson coordinates the efforts of some 20 judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys working to develop a penal code with uniform, clearly defined terms and sentencing.
"One advantage of MC Law is that it’s small. Everyone here knows me. I doubt there’s another law school where the dean not only knows you by name, but also gives you a daily high-five."
— Kelvin Pulley, MC Law Student
"MC Law has a real presence in the legal community. Everything the law school does to get faculty involved in forums on legal issues, sponsor programs for the legal community, support Mission First Legal Aid, bring in nationally renowned legal experts and federal judges, and field moot court teams with resounding success on the national stage demonstrates to the legal world that MC Law provides a legal education second to none in the country." — Judge Kent McDaniel
La'Verne Edney '96 has taken a two-year leave of absence from her work as a partner at Brunini, one of Mississippi’s most prestigious law firms, to serve as general counsel for the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project, an organization that matches low-income Mississippians with lawyers who handle their cases pro bono.
"It’s refreshing to realize that you can attend a private law school and still feel encouraged to do what you feel makes a difference. Through the LRAP program, MC Law is saying, 'It's not all about making money or working for the most prestigious firm. We care about and value the kind of work you’re doing.'"
— Lee Willoughby ‘09, Assistant District Attorney, Clarksville, Tennessee
First recipient of the MC Law Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP)
"Outside the realm of litigation, my most satisfying professional accomplishment has been my service as chair of the pro bono committee for the Jackson Young Lawyers bar association. My service has opened my eyes to the great need for pro bono legal services in our state, provided avenues for me to volunteer, and put me in contact with many other young lawyers who do the same."
— Michael Bentley, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
As an assistant district attorney, Patricia Bennett racked up a conviction rate of 98 percent. Bennett also pursued justice as a member of the JAG Corps, an assistant U.S. Attorney, and a circuit judge. Today, Bennett is a fulltime professor, sharing the skills she honed in the courtroom with MC Law students and proving that the prosecution never really rests.
"The location of MC Law was a tremendous attraction for me. Being in Jackson gave me the ability to interact with many current judges and attorneys. That interaction allowed me to better absorb the principles I was learning in class, opened many doors for me, and ultimately helped me land my first job."
— Scott Jones ‘06, Adams & Reese LLP
