40 years of legal work

It was 1967 when I first hung out a shingle and opened my law practice in my hometown of Crystal Springs. For four years I practiced as a private attorney. Then, in 1971, I was elected to three consecutive terms as district attorney.

After being elected to serve the people of Copiah, Lincoln, Pike and Walthall counties for three terms, I returned to private practice in my hometown. I’ve never left Crystal Springs, but I have branched out to include an office in Jackson.

In 1991, I merged my law practice with that of my good friend Margaret Ellis. Together, we founded Kitchens & Ellis Law Firm.

I’m proud of the work our firm has done. We pride ourselves on fighting for individuals, consumers and families. We have fought some of the largest corporations and insurance companies in the nation to make sure people who were treated unfairly were granted justice.

In law school, I was taught that lawyers are ethically bound to provide people the best legal representation possible. For that reason, I’ve taken on tough cases. It’s my belief that I should not limit my work just to the rich and fortunate. Instead, I feel duty-bound to serve everyone fairly.

In 40 years of being a lawyer, I’ve been a part of several landmark cases. I’ve practiced before the United States Supreme Court and in small town courtrooms in rural Mississippi. My clients have ranged from judges to hard-working Mississippians who have fallen on hard times.

Along the way, I’ve been blessed to make great friends and leave a lasting impression on the judicial system. It is my many years of serving our legal system that has led to my desire to serve on the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Upholding the law

Before I was 25, I had been court-appointed to represent poor people in two separate murder cases. It was the most hands-on trial experience you can get, and it prepared me well for things to come.

In 1971, I entered the world of politics when I ran for the district attorney’s office serving Copiah, Lincoln, Pike and Walthall counties. It was the first of three successful races I ran for that position.

Being a district attorney in rural Mississippi in the 1970s is a bit different than what you might see on Law & Order. There were no assistant district attorneys, we had $300 per month for a secretary and the individual counties rarely had county prosecuting attorneys. As district attorney, I handled all the youth court cases, drunk driving and other serious misdemeanors and civil child support cases — in addition to prosecuting the murderers, rapists and drug dealers.

As I’ve often told young attorneys, a good supply of midnight oil was an absolute must. I burned my share of it as district attorney, and my wife tells me I still use a good bit now.

But being district attorney gave me a career-long passion for training prosecutors. In 1973, I graduated from the career prosecutor course at the University of Houston Law School. In 1977, I completed a renowned prosecutor training course at Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago. After that, I became the first chairman for a project that created the Mississippi Prosecutors’ Association Trial & Training Manual. I’m proud to say that I was a key author of the first manual.

This year I have again assisted in training Mississippi prosecutors, teaching young prosecutors tricks of the trade. In April, I did a presentation on jury selection. In my opinion, we must train our young lawyers to be good stewards of the justice system. That includes teaching young lawyers about their ethical, as well as legal, obligations.

I never sought a fourth term as district attorney. My youngest son was diagnosed with cancer, and while the state provided good health insurance, we still had hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. So I entered private practice so that I could pay these bills and provide for my family.

My work with prosecutors, however, has never ceased.

Here’s a short list of some of my work as a prosecutor:

• Former board member of the Mississippi Prosecutors Association.
• Served pro tempore district attorney or special prosecutor in Marion, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Simpson, Rankin, Warren, Winston and Harrison counties.
• Drafted a multi-count indictment against a director of the Mississippi Highway Commission, the first prosecution of a state official undertaken by a Mississippi Attorney General in modern times. The case ended in the official’s conviction.
• Appointed by Gov. William Winter to draft Mississippi’s statutes requiring minimum standards for law enforcement officers.
• Originated the concept of judicial candidates having to complete courses on campaign practices, finances and ethics, now required by the Mississippi Code of Judicial Conduct.
• Was appointed by the Mississippi Supreme Court to serve on the Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions.
• Frequent seminar and law school speaker throughout the United States on civil and criminal practice topics.

Kitch goes to law school

Many of my friends call me Kitch. When you meet me out on the campaign trail, feel free to do the same. I love meeting new people and hope we become friends between now and November 4.

I’m an old country lawyer from Crystal Springs. I’ve never lived anywhere else. My wife, Mary, and I reared our five children in rural Mississippi. We’re now blessed with five wonderful grandchildren, and we’re expecting one more pretty soon. You can read more about them here.

Let me tell you the strange story of how I became an attorney. I’ll confess that it was never my dream growing up. But the good Lord has a way of working things out for His children, and I’m certainly thankful He sent me down the road He did.

I graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1964. When I left Hattiesburg, I headed back home to Crystal Springs to work with my father in our family’s wholesale grocery business.

My younger brother, Lloyd, wanted to be a physician, and he wanted to go to college at Ole Miss. But he was only 17, and our parents didn’t want him to go that far from home.

So my father and I made a deal: If I would go to Oxford with my brother and attend law school, then Lloyd could go to college at Ole Miss. It was the best deal I ever made. Lloyd became a world-class oncologist, and I was introduced to the inner workings of our legal system.

My brother passed away on Aug. 23, 2001. But he will be remembered for his labor of love treating cancer patients. He spent much of his time at Baylor in Dallas, Texas. I only hope that through my work in the justice system and what I do in this campaign that I am half as well remembered as he.

Meet the family

The best thing about me is my family. I’ve got a great one. In no other way have I been as blessed as with my wife, children and grandchildren.

Mary, my wife, is a retired public school teacher, but she hasn’t slowed down much. She organizes Camp Rainbow each year as a retreat for children with cancer. It’s one of her passions, and though I’m biased, I believe just about anyone you ask will tell you she’s good at it. She puts her heart and soul into that camp.

On Aug. 18, we will have been married 40 years. During that time, we’ve had five children, five grandchildren and are expecting our sixth grandchild in June.

Suzy Finch is our oldest daughter. She and her husband, Alex, have a son, Grant. Suzy is a teacher at the Mississippi Job Corps Center, and Alex is a seaman.

Matt is my oldest son. He and his wife, Casey, recently moved to North Carolina. They have a beautiful little girl, Eydi. Matt is a practicing attorney, and Casey is a stay-at-home mom.

Dan is our next son. He is the only single one of the bunch. While I’m out on the campaign trail, he’s holding things together at my law practice with my longtime partner, Margaret Ellis.

Our second daughter is Rebecca. She and her husband, Warren, have two sons, Will and Wes. Rebecca works at the law firm, handling our accounting. Warren is a physical therapist.

John, our youngest, is married to Jessica, a registered nurse. They have one daughter, Grace, and are expecting a son in June. John practices law out of our Crystal Springs office, which is now located in the building where my father once ran our family’s grocery business.

We’re quite the crew on a Sunday afternoon, but nothing quite sounds as good as when we’re all together talking, laughing and having a good time.

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