John Cox | Cleveland Litigation Lawyer

• Sports Lawyers Association Member
  2012 - Present
• Mississippi Bar Board of Commissioners
  2007 - Present
• American Bar Association Member
  1999 - Present

• Rising Star Super Lawyers Magazine
  2014
• Rising Star Super Lawyers Magazine
  2013
• Top 40 under 40 Mississippi Business Journal
  2003

We represented a client in a criminal case in federal court where the Justice Department had cracked down hard on him and some of his work colleagues. Although he had an otherwise spotless record and was in the proverbial wrong place at the wrong time, the evidence truly painted him in the worst light of all of the co-Defendants, and it appeared that he was facing a great deal of prison. We worked tirelessly for him, and gave our best effort at the sentencing hearing to show the Court that he should not receive a long sentence. The Court ultimately gave him the lightest sentence of all of the Co-defendants, and he was able to resume his job in a very short time after the sentencing hearing.

There is no substitute for hard work. Clients recognize hard work, and your fellow lawyers appreciate another attorney who is willing to put in the effort for the case.

Clients should look for an attorney who will work hard to represent them, and always tell them what they need to be told, regardless of if it makes the client happy. Sometimes, the best attorneys are the ones who have to deliver hard news.

I think that it's very important. The law is the law, but how to present the law in the best manner is the key to successful advocacy. The "how" is usually best learned through knowing the lay of the land in a particular location. Each court is different, and knowing how that court operates is invaluable knowledge.

I tend to just get basic information on the phone such as a conflict check, and then try to set up an appointment.

We check for conflicts in our phone consultations.

We are blessed with some great attorneys in our community, but the one thing that separates me from the other attorneys is that I try to be very practical and real to my clients. A judge told me when I first began practicing that a good lawyer will tell a client what they want to hear, but a great lawyer will tell the client what they need to hear. I have always tried to be very straight-forward with my clients, and advised them of the law and the ""real-life"" consequences of our actions.

I enjoy helping people. As corny as that sounds, that is the greatest aspect of my job. I enjoy the feeling of knowing that I had a small role in helping someone when they needed help.

I have always been a huge sports fan, and I love watching sports with my family.

My late father, who started our firm, always preached community involvement and I volunteer at our local Chamber of Commerce and the Delta State University Foundation Board as well as being a past National President of the Delta State University Alumni Association.