Make no mistake: our firm is aggressive in its pursuit for justice. Every day, we wake up with a fire in our bellies, ready to fight for what is right. McHard’s origins and values, however, are rooted in a deep and abiding love: a love for the law, Sam and Erica McHard’s love for each other, and our team’s love for Mississippi and the people who call it home.

A lifelong native of Illinois, Sam McHard never saw a reason to travel to a place like Mississippi. Then, his most important client was sued in Jones County. Initially, Sam told his employers he did not want to go to Mississippi. After all, he wasn’t even licensed to practice there. Despite his best efforts, however, Sam had to make the journey down south, and, once there, he fell in love with this unexpectedly beautiful place. “I like to say Mississippi adopted us,” Sam McHard said, “From the moment I stepped foot in the state, people greeted me with uncommon kindness and empathy. The woman who worked the front desk of the hotel where I was staying could tell I was tired from working long hours on the case, and every day she would tell me she was praying for me. Everybody down here was like that, from the other attorneys on the case to the people I met at the grocery store. I wanted to become part of the fabric of a community like this.”

Sam knew that Mississippi was calling his name, so he started to tell his wife and fellow attorney Erica about the beauty of this place. “This whole Mississippi pipedream wasn’t going to work if Erica wasn’t on board,” Sam said, “So I brought her down here and prayed she would love it as much as I did.” And she did. “When we got to Mississippi, I knew this was the place that Sam and I wanted to put down roots,” Erica said, “This is where we needed to start our practice and our family.”

In Mississippi, neighbors help neighbors. People are invested in one another. When one member of the community suffers, others work hard to help them rise up again. Both raised on farms, Sam and Erica recognize Mississsippi values as their own. “We grew up poor farmers,” Sam said, “I saw people in my community suffer when they became injured. I saw people battle financial hardship and fight to keep their farms. When I became an attorney, I knew I wanted to help people maintain and improve their quality of life in the face of hardship. I wanted to be the advocate people called in the midst of trials. Erica and I know what it means to put everything else aside and rebuild the barn, so to speak.”

Sam and Erica both believe in fighting for what is right, in helping their neighbors, and in doing whatever it takes to win justice. “My family were abolitionists in Illinois. In the Civil War, they fought for the Union on the principle of abolishing slavery.” In the McHard family, prejudice, bullying, and intolerance were simply not tolerated. Even though the McHards were not wealthy, they gave what they could—and sometimes more—to help others and to see justice done. “That’s what I love about Erica,” Sam said, “She has that same fire in her belly to do the job and do it right.”

Today, Sam, Erica, and their partner Manion Anderson take great pride in serving Mississippians who deserve justice. “Mississippi has always been my home,” Anderson said, “In Mississippi, people are often reluctant to ask for help. When it comes to legal issues, however, people need an ally who can help them navigate the difficulties of the legal world. We are honored any time someone calls us or walks through our doors and asks for help. We aren’t here for any reason other than to help our neighbors.”

Although McHard fights for justice, its heartbeat is love. Without love, without empathy, without community, legal victories wouldn’t matter. “I never understood bullies,” Sam said, “I never understood the people who felt they could take what wasn’t theirs. It’s simple: treat other people how you would like to be treated. Fight for them how you would want someone to fight for you.”