Jim has been a practicing attorney in Desoto County since 1979. He has defended 46 Death Penalty cases, over 5,000 DUI cases, and innumerable other felonies and misdemeanors. He previously served for 10 years as the Youth Court Prosecutor for Desoto County, and currently serves as the Desoto County Mental Health Facilitator. He is an attorney for the Police Benevolence Association, and is an attorney for six private psychiatric care hospitals in Mississippi and Tennessee. Jim is a former President of the Desoto County Bar Association, and currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Healing Hearts Child Advocacy Center. He is a founding member of the Desoto County Juvenile Drug Court, and is a member of the Desoto County Arts Council and the Historic Desoto Foundation. Jim is a former Hernando High School debate coach, and is a Trustee and Elder of Hernando First Presbyterian Church.