Stories for the State Bar - Part Two

At the 2025 Mississippi State Bar Convention, former State Supreme Court Justice Dawn Beam interviewed over 20 people in 3 days to bring you a special 7-part series of her Hope Mississippi podcast.

The foundation of hope often lies in the belief that tomorrow can be better than today—and that you can play a role in making it so.

This powerful concept comes alive in Part Two of our Stories from the State Bar series, through intimate conversations with three Mississippi Chancery Judges who reveal how justice, fairness, and personal commitment create pathways to hope across our communities.

Judge E. Vincent Davis opens with profound insights on consistency from the bench. "When people feel like they got a fair shake, they're okay with it," he explains, highlighting how perception shapes hope. Davis doesn't shy away from acknowledging the challenges facing rural Mississippi, where fewer attorneys mean barriers to court access. His response? Planting seeds in young people's minds about legal careers—seeds that may take years to sprout but eventually bear fruit, just as they did in his own journey.

From the small town of Lucedale comes Judge Mark A. Maples, whose story embodies service-oriented leadership. Raised by a circuit judge father who asked nightly, "What good deed did you do today?" Maples carries this legacy into his approach to family conflicts. With wisdom from his 36 years in private practice, he views each case as good people at difficult crossroads seeking solutions. "Find your passion. Try to leave things better than you found them," he challenges listeners, offering a straightforward formula for creating hope.

Judge Cynthia L. Brewer's remarkable journey from a broken military family to the chancery bench demonstrates resilience in action. Moving constantly as a child, she developed a mission "to make people like me" that evolved into making a difference through law. Her late husband's charge to "uplift everyone who comes into your life" continues to guide her judicial philosophy. A recipient of the prestigious Susie Buchanan Award (2025), Judge Brewer advocates for supporting women in law while celebrating the joy of mentoring new attorneys.

These conversations illuminate how hope flourishes when people believe in fair processes, commit to serving others, and dedicate themselves to improving their communities. What difference will you make today? How might your actions create ripples of hope that extend far beyond what you can see? The path begins with a simple commitment: leave the world better than you found it.

Hope Mississippi's Mission: The sobering reality remains: one in four Mississippi children lives in poverty, and one in five experiences food insecurity. These statistics aren't just numbers—they're our collective challenge. Through these conversations, we discover that Mississippi's transformation occurs through individual commitments to mentor, encourage, and be present for others. The small acts of hope accumulate into the broader "miracles" we celebrate.

Join us for new episodes on the 1st and 15th of each month as we continue sharing stories of transformation from across Mississippi. Each story reminds us that when we contribute our unique gifts, Mississippi rises together.