Attorney Profiles
Biloxi, MS Jones Act - Maritime Law Attorneys
Mark D. Lumpkin
Mark Lumpkin is a Mississippi native, born in Pascagoula, in 1956. He attended University of Southern Mississippi, earning his B.A., cum laude, in 1980. Mr. Lumpkin attended law school at Louisiana State University earning his J.D. and admission to the Louisiana State Bar Association in 1989. In 1991 he was admitted to the Mississippi State Bar Association.
From 1989-1990, Mr. Lumpkin was Law Clerk to Justice Michael D. Sullivan, Mississippi Supreme Court. From 1990-1991 he worked as Law Clerk to U.S. District Court, Southern District of Mississippi U.S. Magistrate Judge.
Mr. Lumpkin is also a member of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association (Board of Governors, 1996-2001; Lifetime Member), Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions, Mississippi Bar Tribunal, and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
His practice areas include admiralty & maritime law, personal injury, insurance bad faith, products liability, medical malpractice, litigation, and appellate practice.
Mr. Lumpkin’s credits as a speaker and author include
- "Use of Focus Groups to Develop Demonstrative Evidence and the Presentation of Your Case," Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys, June 12, 1998
- "Cross Examination of a Defendant Doctor/IME," Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, Oct. 20, 1999
- "Late Breaking News from the Tire Front-Firestone/Ford Update," Mississippi Trial Lawyers Assn., No. 17, 2000
- "Preparing for and Assisting at Trial," Half Moon, LLC, March 24, 2000
Jim Reeves
Jim Reeves was born in Mobile, Alabama, in 1965. He with honors from the University of South Alabama in 1989 and then attended Tulane University Law School graduating cum laude in 1992. He began his law career representing large corporations and insurance companies in a large law firm where he became partner in less than five years.
In 1998, Mr. Reeves chose a more fulfilling career path, representing ordinary people who have been injured. He has succeeded in helping individuals, families, children, and veterans obtain just compensation from large corporations including Ford Motor Company, Bridgestone/Firestone, Lloyds of London Insurance Companies, Diamond Offshore Drilling, State Farm Insurance, Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance Company, and St. Paul Life Insurance Company.
Mr. Reeves is a member of the Harrison County, Alabama, Bar Association, Mississippi Bar Association, American Association for Justice (President's Club), Alabama Trial Lawyer Association, and the Mississippi Association for Justice (MAJ), American Trial Lawyers Association, Southern Trial Lawyers Association, American Inns of Court, Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and is a Fellow of the National College of Trial Advocacy.
Some of Mr. Reeves’ successes include:
- $55 Million on behalf of 75 passengers and drivers injured or killed in tire defect/vehicle rollover cases.
- $22 Million on behalf of 7 investors defrauded of their life savings.
- $12 Million on behalf of 5 people killed in a multi-vehicle collision.
- $10 Million on behalf of school children and teachers poisoned by defective spray roofing.
- $5.5 Million verdict on behalf of a woman who was abducted and raped in a K-Mart parking lot because the store provided no security.
- $3.75 Million verdict on behalf of a seaman disabled in an offshore injury.
- $2.2 Million on behalf of the family of a woman killed in a trucking accident.
- $1.8 Million arbitration recovery on behalf of a business which was the victim of unfair trade practices.
Matthew G. Mestayer
Matthew Mestayer was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi in 1967. He graduated Springhill College in 1990 earning his degree in International Business. Mr. Mestayer then attended University of Mississippi Law School graduating in 1993.
Like Mr. Reeves, Mr. Mestayer started out representing corporations, but quickly realized that he would rather dedicate his efforts to helping everyday people who had been injured. Among his successes helping people and families, Mr. Mestayer, along with one of his partners obtained a 1.5 million dollar verdict for an injured retired veteran, in 2010.
Mr. Mestayer has started several programs to help at risk youth deal with alcohol and drug issues. He has been a frequent speaker on domestic violence and issues involving minors. In 2004 he received the Gulf Coast Women’s Center for Non-Violence Judicial Award.
Mr. Mestayer has been the Municipal Judge of Ocean Springs since 1999. He is a member of the Harrison County Bar Association, American Bar Association, Mississippi Bar Association, and the Harrison County Young Lawyers Association.
If you or a loved one is in need of legal assistance in Biloxi, Mississippi or anywhere on the Gulf Coast, please call Reeves & Mestayer, PLLC at (228) 374-5151 or toll free (877) 377-5152 or submit an online questionnaire. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary recovery of funds. In many cases, a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. Please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.