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.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
When you need some hope and inspiration To build
collaboration.
Hope Mississippi is yoursalvation.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
One in four kids live in poverty.
One in five are food deprived.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
Build collaborations and build hope With those who
are struggling.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
Hope Mississippi.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Hello and welcome back to the Mississippi Bar
Convention, where I am sittinghere visiting with Judge Vincent
Davis.
I'm reminded that now you're aChancery Judge and you're seeing
it from a different position.
Nothing like sitting on thatbench and trying to do the right
thing every day.
Tell me how you approach that.

(00:58):
How do you have the answersthat so many people need to hear
day to day?

Speaker 4 (01:08):
Well, you know, I try to be practical.
The thing about chance forequity is you know that we are a
court of equity.
You know that basically meansthat it's doing what we think is
fair, although we have factorsand we must always follow the
law.
Equity in my mind sometimesjust boils down to common sense
and I always tell myself thatI'm going to call it the way I

(01:29):
see it, regardless as to who youare or where you live or
anything else.
I'm going to call it the waythat I see it, and sometimes
people don't care for that, butwhen I do that, at the end of
the day I feel comfortable.
I had a guy just last week.
He's filed a lawsuit against aI'm just going to say, a large

(01:53):
company.
He is representing himself.
His question to me during aconference call with himself and
the attorney for the companywas you know, he told me that
I'm representing myself.
Will you be lenient towards me?
And I just told him I said well, I understand that you are not

(02:15):
an attorney and I have to takeinto consideration.
However, at the end of the day,you know, if I let you not
follow the law when everyoneelse does, then I'm not keeping
my oath, because I have an oaththat I must keep and I must
treat everybody the same.
If I allow you to not followthe rules of evidence, I have to

(02:36):
allow the company to do thesame thing.
If I do it in this case, thensomebody else is going to say
well, judge, you did it.
In that case, then you know youneed to allow me to do it and I
try to be consistent across theboard that when people come to
Fort Ming they see and know whatthey're going to get, because I
try to be consistent and whenyou're consistent, that tells

(02:58):
people that you know there ishope.
They don't have to worry aboutwhether you're going to be one
sided.
But you know there is hope.
They don't have to worry aboutwhether you're going to be
one-sided.
They don't have to worry aboutit.
Depends upon, again, whatlawyer you get or whatever.
If you have a judge who'swilling to apply the law.
And sometimes what I'vediscovered and not always, but
most times I've discovered thatas long as you give people their

(03:21):
day in court, you give them theopportunity to be heard.
If they feel like they got afair shake, they're okay with it
.
You know they are okay with it.
You know, as long as you feellike they feel like you have
been fair and you have giventhem a fair shake, and that's
what I've tried to do, I guess,my whole life.

(03:41):
What I have discovered, though,I guess I'm in chance record.
You know there's a bigdifference between chance record
and circuit court.
Usually the ones in circuitcourt I mean chance record.
You know, a lot of times theydon't, they don't care for
losing they.
You know it's a different worldthere, because there you're
talking about taking awaysomebody's stuff you know their,
you know their children orwhatever and giving it away to

(04:02):
someone that they can't standanymore, whereas in circuit
court, for the most part, youknow I never had those kinds of
issues.
You know I've been part ofprosecuting people for murder
cases that have been foundguilty and you know they've
written me nice letters fromparts of the predatory I totally
agree.

Speaker 3 (04:22):
You know, I'm reminded that a lot of our
violence in the courtroom is inthe, because the emotions are
just so raw.
Looking at your role as achancellor and looking at
Mississippi, what do you see arethe challenges to bring hope
throughout Mississippi?

Speaker 4 (04:43):
The challenges.
For the most part, again, Iwould probably think it's going
to go back to, probably,perception.
You know, if people have theperception that they're going to
get a fair shake, then theywill have hope.
You know, in the United States,you know, we saw a lot of
differences either at thecourthouse or at the ballot

(05:04):
boxes and if people feel likethey've participated in a fair
process, then they'll have hope.
You're talking about chancerecord, it being a, I guess,
volatile situation sometimes.
I guess volatile situationssometimes, but in the end, if

(05:26):
they feel like, although theymay really dislike the result,
if they feel like it was fair,they may be disappointed, they
may be angry, but they'll moveon.
So I think a lot of it dealswith perception.
The problem I have is thatsometimes attorneys will give

(05:47):
their clients false hope.
They will blame the courtsrather than themselves or rather
than the facts.
I think I'm seeing where moreand more attorneys are probably
realizing, you know, the errorof their ways, or realizing what
some of the other attorneys mayhave been doing, and they're

(06:09):
trying to correct that.
Because the more you go toseminars and CLEs where they
talk about these kinds of thingsand attempt to address these
types of problems.
You know the ethics classes.
That talks about their ethicalresponsibilities and their
obligations.
Hopefully, the better thingswe'll get.

(06:33):
We have a unique problem, Iguess, in rural counties as
opposed to the more urban areas,because we do not have as many
attorneys and we have fewer andfewer attorneys and the
attorneys that are retiring ordying or whatever, there's no

(06:54):
one to replace them and if wedon't have attorneys to
represent people, then peoplemay have those obstacles getting
into court and if they faceobstacles getting into court
they will have the perceptionthat they have no hope.
So I think part of what's goingto be trying to interest more

(07:20):
people into going into the legalfield we don't have as many
people going to law as they usedto be.
Just a few weeks ago well, thisis July the week of June 9th
through the 13th or so, I held a.
Well, I didn't do it, but I waspart of a pre-law academy a

(07:42):
mislead pre-law academy that Isort of spearheaded to try to
interest high school studentsinto going into the field of law
, whether it be attorneys orcourt reports and so on and so
forth, to try to plant that seedinto the minds of young people,
just like.
When I was in high school,someone planted that seed.
It didn't take, you know.

(08:03):
It didn't start to grow at thatpoint.
But as time passed, that seedthat was planted, some could
swear along the way, it gotwatered, and then, somewhere a
little later along the way youknow, the sun started shining on
it.
And somewhere later, you knowthat seed popped out the ground
and you know you had growth.
And next thing you know, youknow that seed popped out the
ground and you know you hadgrowth.
And next thing, you know, youknow there was fruit, and that

(08:26):
fruit is sitting in front of youright now.

Speaker 3 (08:29):
So our challenge to our audience is to number one.
If you're a young person outthere, we need good lawyers, we
need good judges, and if youknow someone that has those
qualities, encourage them to bea part of the legal system.
We celebrate the judges and thelawyers and all the folks that

(08:49):
are part of the judicial systembecause, you're right, there is
hope when everyone is dealt within a fair manner and as much as
we can.
There's not a perfect trial,there's not a perfect judge, but
when people know that they willreceive justice and that
everybody's doing their verybest, that's when there's hope

(09:11):
in Mississippi and it'srewarding for all of us, isn't
it?

Speaker 4 (09:14):
I totally agree with you.
I totally agree with you.

Speaker 3 (09:17):
Well, thank you so much for joining me today, judge
Davis, and I hope you have agreat time at the bar.

Speaker 4 (09:23):
I want to thank you for your service and I want to
thank you for this podcast.
I think that what you're doingis something great, it's
something that's needed and Ithank you, Hope.

Speaker 1 (09:31):
Mississippi is your salvation.

Speaker 3 (09:38):
Hello and welcome back to the Mississippi Bar
Convention.
I am thrilled to have ChanceryJudge Mark Maples here.
Judge, welcome.

Speaker 2 (09:47):
Thank you, Justice Beam Glad to be here.

Speaker 3 (09:50):
Well, we were just talking out in the hallway about
the blessing of our familiesand how, when we talk about our
roots and are raised to bringhope to other people, it's just
a natural thing.
Tell me a little bit about yourfamily, where you're from.

Speaker 2 (10:07):
Thank you, ma'am.
I was born and raised inLousetail in George County,
mississippi.
Both of my parents were fromthat area.
My father was a circuit judgefor about 30 years.
My mother was a registerednurse all of her working career.
So my brother and I grew upseeing their example of helping

(10:29):
people and we were taught tohelp people.
My daddy every night asked uswhat good deed we did for
someone that day.
So that was instilled in me atan early age and as I was
graduating high school andentering college, trying to
think about what career path Imay travel on, I thought about

(10:53):
law because I'd been able to seemy dad and what all he did in
my working career.
Having grown up in Losedale, oractually on the outskirts of
Losedale, I wanted to go as faraway from there as I could and I
came to Pascagoula and I workeddown in Jackson and Harrison
County for four years and then Ireturned to Losedale where I

(11:15):
had a solo practitioner office.
I did that 36 years and now I'mworking with the Chantry Court
office.

Speaker 3 (11:22):
I did that 36 years and now I'm working with the
Chantre Court.
Wow, you know, a judge one timetold me, george Warner from
Lauderdale County.
He said your greatest joy willcome in serving others and as I
think about the practice of law,that is a great way to serve
others and make a difference.

Speaker 2 (11:40):
It is.
It is One time when I was in myfirst year of law school I was
having a conversation with nowdeceased former Supreme Court
Justice Gillespie VirgilGillespie and I asked him what
this was in 79 or 80, and Iasked him what advice he would
have to give to a young lawyer.

(12:04):
In a couple of years I'd begraduating.
He thought a minute.
He knew I was from Lousetail.
He was from a small town northof Meridian and he said if I had
it to do over again, I would goto a small town like Lousetail.
He said you won't get rich, butyou will make a good living and

(12:26):
you will be able to getinvolved in your community, take
part in things that help peopleand benefit those in the
community, and you will make agood living.
That is what I did in my lawcareer.
I was able to get involved inthings.
I didn't get rich, but my wifeand I have had a good family and

(12:48):
provided a good living for ourthree children and it's a
wonderful, wonderful time toserve and be of service to other
people.

Speaker 3 (12:57):
Absolutely.
You know, I was telling youthat I recently went back into
private practice and the otherday I got a load of watermelons.
Somebody gave me and you never,know, Dollars are not always
what you trade in.
That's right.
That's right to be able to be apart of taking somebody from a

(13:20):
crisis to come and order, andthat's just one wonderful thing
about law practice.

Speaker 2 (13:27):
Right and you know, justice Beam.
You previously served on theChantry bench yourself and
that's where I am now.
I'm in my seventh year andpeople, as you know, in Chantry
court are usually good peoplethat are at a spot, a point in
time in their lives they have aproblem, whether it's a divorce

(13:51):
or an estate or whatever it maybe, but good people at a spot
where they need help solving aproblem.
And I approach each and everycase that way.
For example, john and Mary arebrothers and sisters in an
estate.
We've got a problem.
What is our problem?

(14:12):
What is our disagreement?
What is our common ground?
What can we do to solve thisproblem?
Resolve the case so they canliterally exit the door of the
courtroom and the courthouse andgo on with their lives.
And I approach every case thatway.

Speaker 3 (14:29):
Well, that's the great thing about the United
States and our judicial systemis we resolve conflict through
the court system, and so itbrings number one you can
contract knowing that you can goto the court and they can
enforce that, that everybodystands on equal footing, that it
does rich, poor, all of thosethings are part of our oath.

Speaker 2 (14:53):
That's right.
That's right.
I encourage people, often inthe courtroom, to learn how to
treat each other with dignityand respect, especially in
family situations and whenpeople can do that and
communicate with each other.

Speaker 3 (15:13):
Communication is such a key thing, I think sometimes,
when we allow them to testifyand get all of that out, there's
healing there.

Speaker 2 (15:22):
Yes, absolutely, absolutely.

Speaker 3 (15:25):
This podcast is a part of Hope Rising Mississippi,
the idea that tomorrow can bebetter than today and you can
help make it so day.
And you can help make it so aswe think about folks listening
to this, whether that be lawstudents or lay people that just
are trying to find how they canmake a difference in

(15:47):
Mississippi.
What's your challenge to them?

Speaker 2 (15:50):
Well, I would encourage them to find their
passion.
Find things they are passionateabout causes, issues.
Get involved in the community.
Try to make a difference.
Try to leave things in a betterway than in which they found a
situation, and do not be afraidto get involved.

(16:12):
Be a part of finding solutionsto whatever problems or issues
may exist.

Speaker 3 (16:18):
You help folks, but at the same time there's a
tremendous amount of blessingthat comes with that.

Speaker 2 (16:23):
That's right, that's right.

Speaker 3 (16:24):
What your mom and dad wanted you to understand.

Speaker 2 (16:27):
That's exactly right Give of yourself to help others.

Speaker 3 (16:30):
I know they would be proud of you today.

Speaker 2 (16:32):
Well, thank you.

Speaker 3 (16:32):
Thank you so much for sharing with Mississippi your
own experience with hope andalso the challenge for other
folks to get involved, to bethat blessing, to be that hope.

Speaker 2 (16:43):
Well, thank you, Justice Beam, for this
opportunity to speak with youand to help encourage people
along this way.

Speaker 3 (16:51):
Thanks so much.

Speaker 2 (16:51):
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (16:59):
Welcome back.
We're at the Mississippi BarConvention and I am here with my
dear friend, judge CynthiaBrewer.
Hello today.

Speaker 5 (17:08):
Hello back.
Thank you for that dear friendpart, because you are my dear
friend.

Speaker 3 (17:14):
When I saw you out there in the hallway I said I
have got to get that sweet ladyon.
Let's talk a little bit aboutyou.
And then I want to talk aboutCharlie Brewer.
Where did you grow up?
Just a little bit about yourbackground.

Speaker 5 (17:27):
Surely I'd be glad to .
I am a person who has been inpractice since 1985.
So I do have a long history,not only in the membership of
the bar, but I also have aninvestment in life.
I come from a broken family.
My father was a military manand I followed him from base to

(17:49):
base.
So we moved a lot and it becamemy mission in life to make
people like me.
And it became my mission inlife to make people like me
whether it was a new school or anew location, a new state,
people who didn't want a man tohave a child by himself.
I made them like me.
So I moved from California toArizona, to Georgia, to

(18:14):
Tennessee, and then my dad hadsome circumstances where he let
my grandmother rear me forseveral years in Mobile, alabama
.

Speaker 3 (18:25):
You know that reminds me that none of us stand alone.
There are lots of people thatcome into our lives to pour hope
and encouragement into ourlives, and a lot of us have
grandmothers that were like that.

Speaker 5 (18:40):
The extended need for family members in today's
society is greater than everbefore.

Speaker 3 (18:46):
Well, you as a chance re-judge.
I'm sure you see that every day.

Speaker 5 (18:49):
As you did when you were a chancellor.

Speaker 3 (18:52):
Absolutely, and so we say thank you to those folks
that invest in our kids, and younever know who might change the
world.
The goal is for all of us tochange the world right.

Speaker 5 (19:05):
Exactly, and we want every generation to be better
than what I saw or what I wasable to achieve.
I want this next generation todo great things.

Speaker 3 (19:17):
The idea to leave the world better than you found it.
That's a great way to describeit.
Well, we certainly want toencourage folks that are
listening that, as you hearJudge Brewer's story, think
about how you might, could, bethat person.
Now.
I knew your husband, judgeCharlie Brewer, before I met you

(19:39):
, and just tell us a little bitabout Judge Brewer and his
charge to you.

Speaker 5 (19:44):
Charles was my boss when I was a prosecutor.
So when we became husband andwife, he told me.
He said every person that comesinto your life you need to
uplift them, whether they'rehaving a bad day, need something
from you, and there will betimes for you to be able to do
that.
I want you to do it, promise me.
So.

(20:04):
He had seen this young lawyerin front of him and her first
name was Dawn.
So then he finds out that she'sgoing to be a justice on the
Mississippi Supreme Court andthat I should take care of her.
I'm like what?

Speaker 3 (20:21):
Don't.

Speaker 5 (20:23):
And you did.
Well, when you were goingthrough the process to be the
nomination before it all becameready, and you were a chancellor
and we were talking that nightand you were going through the
process and I said what will ittake?

Speaker 3 (20:42):
Charles, and I want to do this.
He told me to take care of you.
Well, all of us are a productof women or people that have
invested in us.
But I'm reminded that here, atthis bar convention, you are
getting the Susie Buchanan Award, so let's talk a little bit
about being a female lawyer, theimportance of females

(21:03):
encouraging other females.

Speaker 5 (21:04):
What a great thing.
Obviously, when I startedpractice, we had fewer females
and we had a conversation aboutwhat will it take to have your
male counterparts appreciate youmore rather than look down upon
you as someone who's justlooked to get a husband or will

(21:25):
make babies and leave so quicklyand will never see again and to
be able to uplift one anotherin times of crisis, whether it
be like my husband passing awayor getting sick, or whether it
might be when you need to takesome time off with a baby.
Children need that empathy timeand if we can give it to the

(21:47):
mothers or to the women lawyers,that's what we do best Women do
that best, absolutely.

Speaker 3 (21:55):
You know, I'm reminded so many people came
before us Evelyn Gandy, governorGandy, she used to encourage me
along the way, but those womenreally took those hard steps to
pave the way for me and for you.
But we still, women aredifferent from men.

(22:15):
We have differentresponsibilities and men are
different from me.

Speaker 5 (22:17):
We have different responsibilities and men are
different from me because theyhave a different unique
viewpoint that comes either bybiologic means or by the method
by which they were reared.
I had a unique circumstancewhere I did not have a female in
the home, less than except thethree years with my grandmother,

(22:38):
and all I knew was male things.
So I knew how to change a tire,knew how to change the oil,
those things, but I neverlearned to cook and the empathy
I get from women now is likewell, I can teach you.
I don't get offered the otherway around, but you will see
that if you work hard and youdedicate whatever it is that you

(23:02):
have a desire to dedicate.
I want to be a prosecutor andthen a judge and make it your
mission to be good at it or atleast be educated at it.
People respect that, whetherthey be male or female.

Speaker 3 (23:17):
Right, and you know, I'm reminded that we don't just
charge forward with what weaccomplish, but the more folks
that we can bring along the way,the better we all are.

Speaker 5 (23:30):
Amen, Amen.
Well spoken and truly.
That is the goal in life is totreat our brother as we would
have them.
Treat me Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (23:40):
So, as we celebrate you, this bar convention, with
this prestigious award, weencourage the folks out there be
the difference, pull somebodyalong along the way.
Who knows, they may end upbeing a chancery judge or a
supreme court justice oranything, just to make the world

(24:01):
better than we found it.

Speaker 5 (24:03):
The best thing is to swear in a new lawyer, see them
go into practice, see themblossom their practice, expand,
and then turn around and see meand run toward me and give me a
hug there.
There is nothing better thanthat.

Speaker 3 (24:19):
I could not agree more.
Thank you all for joining usand thank you, my sweet friend.

Speaker 1 (24:32):
My honor.
Thank you for asking Hope.

Speaker 5 (24:39):
Mississippi.