Jackson Jambalaya

This is exactly why this crap needs to end. Take the airport away from the moochers.

I hope the Airport bill passes and this crap stops. Hell they could hire their own legal counsel.

No, the lawyers need to be in-house employees of the JMAA. Republicans have done a pretty good job at throwing money at unqualified lawyers as well, right Gerald?

Kingfish, while actually spending $150,000 to get a law degree.....has not practiced a single day....which explains why this concept will be foreign to him.

Entities like the JMAA require outside counsel to keep an arm's length between the decisions and the people who run the place. In future litigation (and there will be plenty) JMAA needs "independent" advice which cannot readily be obtained from a lawyer employed by JMAA and "directed" by JMAA.

All of you who scoff at raw numbers submitted by lawyers are really as vapid as Trump supporters.....these things take time and time is money.

I would note that now that the JMAA is represented by AA lawyers....there seems to be more of a demand for accountability....which is a damn shame.

Yep, Republican Madison County hired a very inexperienced attorney whose Daddy happens to be Phil Bryant. It is about political patronage in Madison County. Always has been and still is.

I am for Jackson keeping their airport, but they should do a lot better than this. If they lose it, they can take part of the blame.

i am asking this not having any clue what the lawyers do. is the employee issues and they are protecting the airport from lawsuits? is the airport being sued by travelers? does the airport have a number of contractual agreements which are changing? I would think one could negotiate legal attendance at meetings for a very modest or no fee basis, something like a alliance, based on having a 'agreement' to use the firm for other work on a agreed upon payment structure? as KF presented the facts this seems like cronyism. somehow this relates to area growth and more air travel? I am just unable to connect the dots.

I'm sick of thieves ahd thugs. They are everywhere.

Madison only pays Katie Bryant $200,000 per year for attorney with 5 years experience.

Madison only pays Pammie Hancock $128,000 per year, and she has to work full time at a general practice firm.

The airport should hire both if they want to continue the concept that one lawyer ain't enuf.

People, we are taking this way to personal. This type of behavior has been going for many years. Now that black attorneys are getting a piece of the pie we cry fowl. Did you know you are getting screwed by politicians from the Gov on down as we sIeep! I say find a Law Firm who can do this Pro Bono. It's not just black politicians it's all politicians that what more and more of your tax dollars. This shit ain't personal.

Bullshit. Read my posts about this subject. I pointed out Baker Donelson was paid very well as well. $1.2 million in one year alone.

I will say this, at least Baker showed itemized invoices. These guys don't because they think you have no right to know what they do.

Assuming they exist, it's the client's decision whether to publish the itemized invoices, not the lawyers'.

The airport "takeover" bill has nothing to do with running the airport, and is a direct result of this website's shining a light on how much money Baker Donelson was making off JMAA. When the other big firms found out, they started raising hell about getting their cut and all of a sudden there's a move to "diversify" who's running the show.

People in power, throughout history, have used race as a way of re-directing the public's attention from who the real bad guys are. If you're worried more about getting ripped off by someone with a different skin color than someone who has the same skin as you, you're a sucker. The only color that matters is green.

Baker Donelson is a first-class outfit. They never overbilled ANY of my tax clients. They have so much work they don't have to sneak an invoice in on you. They have clients waiting for work to be done at all times. If you think their price is too high, move on.

The law has become as specialized as medicine. The questions should be very much the same in choosing a lawyer as in choosing a doctor.
Did this person go to a good, accredited school? Did they graduate with honors or at the bottom of their class? Are they successful and experienced in the problem(s) you need fixed? Have they received recognition in their field? Do you need a specialist or a generalist? Great national firms don't have equally strong branches and you have to hope that the lawyer you hire will call upon his partners at other branches with more expertise and success if he gets in over his head.
That a firm would bring 4 lawyers is not necessarily bad if there 4 areas of expertise are to be addressed on the agenda and immediate advice is needed.
That said, prolonging a case to bill more hours, filing bogus motions to delay or increase billing, excessive and unnecessary use of other partners, associates and paralegals on a case are all unethical and even those who graduate at the top of their class from top law schools can be unethical as can doctors with excellent credentials.
And, with law firms, unlike medical groups, there are firms who have built their initial success on political connections and savvy. Richard Nixon wasn't hired by a prestigious firm for his legal skills but for his political connections that could benefit clients.
In house lawyers can reduce costs but seldom are able to deal with all the legal work . They seldom get enough litigation experience, for example. The exist to keep the " house" from making stupid legal mistakes and to help " the house" keep up with changing rules and regulations.
When an attorney is paid with tax dollars, his or her credentials and areas of expertise, their hourly billing rate, the hours their services are used and how many supporting staff hours are billed and at what rate, should be a matter of public record. None of that information adversely affects the client.
An ad on tv or " word of mouth" is a bad way to choose a doctor or a lawyer.
The Mississippi Business Journal does a good job of listing the top 50 lawyers in the State in different areas of expertise that are business related. They don't list firms for a reason but list " the guy" in a law firm.

I can't think of why JMAA would hire two firms whose specialties are insurance law, personal injury, and criminal law.
I would think they needed a firm with specialties in contract law ( particularly government contracts and federal procurement, construction law, and labor law and that has a partner with political savvy.

Not a lawyer here, so maybe one of the legal experts can explain why the airport board uses three law firms, and why does each firm have to send at least two lawyers to each board meeting and work session?

Now that black attorneys are getting a piece of the pie we cry fowl.

Fowl? Oh, Lordy.....you done injected chickens into this mess. They'll leave a foul odor.

Most alarming to me is the number of lawyers attending board meetings, each of them billing for the meetings while enjoying the catered snacks.

PS: I don't shiv a git how many of them are black or white.

Uh-huh.

These guys charge more than double what the county attorneys each charge Rankin, Madison, and Hinds counties- and those counties have budgets in the $50-60 million range or so. I wrote once about the Blackmons charging the city of Canton around a quarter million dollars a year to be the city attorney. Not even close to JMAA.

You can tell who the attorneys are by the comments. These fees are their divine right and how dare you question a divine right. Sacrilege.

When people spend their own money they stay away from lawyers. It is only when spending someone else's money the lawyers are used .