Jerry is a partner in the business group in the Jackson office. He practices in the areas of business and corporate law, agricultural law, biotechnology, acquisition transactions, bankruptcy, taxation, casinos and gaming law, intellectual property licensing, commercial litigation and employment advice and litigation. Jerry served as a law clerk to the Honorable Charles Clark, United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit in 1972-1973. He is also among a select group of lawyers, recognized in the category of Corporate/Commercial, listed in a nationwide client survey published in Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business.

• Oxford University, M.A., 1974
• Yale University, J.D., 1972; Associate Editor, Yale Law Journal
• Oxford University, B.A., first class honours, 1969
• Rice University, B.A., summa cum laude, 1967

• Member: The Mississippi Bar; Federal Bar Association; American Bar Association; Washington County Bar Association; American Judicature Society; American Law Institute; Phi Beta Kappa; Chairman, Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions; Member, Board of Trustees, National Conference of Bar Examiners (1989-2000), Chairman (1998-1999); Chairman, Section of Corporate, Finance and Commercial Law of the Mississippi Bar Association (1989-1990); Member, Council of Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of American Bar Association (2000-2006).

• General Counsel to world's largest cotton seed company.
• Representation of U.S. companies in establishing joint ventures and other business entities in non-U.S. countries including Peoples Republic of China, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and Singapore.
• Representation of biotechnology venture capital fund in acquisition of debt and equity positions in cutting-edge biotechnology companies.
• Lead counsel in financing and merger transactions for river-based casinos.
• Negotiation of numerous patent and technology licenses with international chemical and genetic-engineering companies.
• Lead outside counsel in liquidation of agricultural loan portfolio of regional federal land bank in its receivership.
• Successful constitutional challenge before the Mississippi Supreme Court of assessment of business real property, equipment and inventories at less higher rates to its true value than other types of property, after which on request of the Mississippi Legislature he drafted new provisions of the Mississippi Constitution on classification of property for ad valorem taxation (constitutional amendment adopted in state general election).
• Successful challenge before the Mississippi Supreme Court of the Mississippi State Tax Commission's allocation procedure employed in assessment of property taxes of multi-state utilities.
• Redrafting on behalf of multi-state industrial taxpayers of Mississippi franchise tax assessment statutes (adopted by the Mississippi Legislature).