Skip to Content
Adams and Reese was recognized with the Mission First Legal Aid Office for extraordinary services on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves during the 2016-17 year during the ministry’s Night of Light on Tuesday evening.

The firm originally received the award at the Mississippi Bar Association Convention in July, and Mission First Ministries took the opportunity on Tuesday to formally present the hardware and show its appreciation to providers of legal, medical, dental and physical therapy services at its event. The law firm award was presented to Adams and Reese as a result of the firm’s pro bono services in a number of cases for Mission First clients, including substantial work by Jackson Partner Powell G. Ogletree, Jr., in a complex real estate matter.

One of the significant pro bono matters involved We Will Go Ministries, a faith-based 501(c)(3) which serves the downtown community in Jackson. Following several years of leasing of property, We Will Go purchased a building known as the “Teen Center.” However, it later learned that despite the purchase, title had never been formally transferred during the transaction and that title problems originated many years ago.

During the long and arduous process, Adams and Reese worked with several federal and state government entities – including the Internal Revenue Service, the Jackson Police Department, the Hinds County Sheriff, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the U.S. Marshalls – to formally acquire the title so the Christian organization could continue its ministry on the premises.

The award was based largely on work handled by Ogletree. Others in the Jackson office who contributed hours to the pro bono matters through Mission First Legal Aid Office included partners Elizabeth Lee Maron, William C. Brabec, R. Jarrad Garner, Laura Ford Rose and Matthew R. Dowd, along with staff attorney H. Richard Davis, Jr.