Throughout his career, managing partner Merrida Coxwell has developed a reputation as a fierce critic of social and legal injustice. This drive has compelled him to accept many criminal cases that other lawyers shunned or were afraid to accept. When a person has a legal problem and needs help, Mr. Coxwell believes it is his job to set aside personal views in order to provide quality and aggressive legal representation. His dedication and drive has earned him a strong reputation in the fields of criminal defense law, personal injury law, and in financial fraud litigation.
Merrida Coxwell has distinguished himself in the area of personal injury law. He obtained a verdict in a product liability case working with two other attorneys that totaled over $144 million. He and his partner Chuck Mullins won a hard fought Federal Civil Rights case against the city of Jackson, collecting a $2.1 million verdict on behalf of a family who lost a child to the excessive force of Jackson police officers. Countless other injured people have been helped by Merrida Coxwell.
The criminal defense work of Merrida Coxwell has been recognized for its consistency by a listing for over ten consecutive years in the publication The Best Lawyers in America. Recently, he was listed in the publication Super Lawyers of the Deep South. He is also an AV rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell. An AV rating is the highest rating an attorney can receive for skill and ethical conduct.
When Merrida was a new lawyer, he represented eighteen (18) death penalty clients. Through hard work and dedication, Merrida developed a reputation for honesty, aggressiveness and fairness. He was asked by the Hinds County Circuit Court to defend Byron De La Beckwith, who was charged in the 1964 murder of Medgar Evers. This was a high profile case that became a major movie. Merrida also had successes defending two major alleged drug conspiracies in Federal Court. In both cases, set approximately one year apart, the juries found the defendants not guilty.
J. D., Mississippi College School of Law, 1980
Jackson, Mississippi
B.S., University of Alabama , 1977
Graduated with a B.S. in psychology and literature
Mississippi: All state and federal courts
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
West Virginia
Arkansas
Washington D.C.
Southern District of Texas, United States District Court
Pro-Hac Vice in Tennessee, Texas, and Illinois
Professional & Bar Association Memberships
JAMPAC organization
Criminal Defense Organizations:
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL).Life-time member.
Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (GACDL)
Texas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (TACDL)
Louisiana Association Criminal Defense Lawyers (LCDA)
Alabama Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (ACDLA)
Past President and Founding Member of the Mississippi Attorneys for Constitutional Justice, a state affiliate of NACDL
Member of the California Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
Civil Legal Organizations:
Mississippi Hispanic Association, past attorney
Past President of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, now the Mississippi Association for Justice. Also served as Voir Dire Editor.
Chairman of JAMPAC organization, a political action group dedicated to protecting the civil justice system and the right to trial by jury.
Received the Trial Lawyer of The Year from MAJ in 2007. Previous recipient of the Stone Pony Award.
Member of the American Association for Justice, the American Trial Lawyers Association, and the Southern Trial Lawyers Association.
Member of the Million Dollar Forum.
Member of Public Justice and the Center for Justice and Democracy
Personal
Merrida Coxwell is married to Tara R. Coxwell.
Children:
Cole H. Coxwell
Grant Vanlandingham
Beckett A. Coxwell
Gabriella R. Coxwell
