REEVES & MESTAYER - Key Persons
Jim Reeves was born in Mobile, Alabama. He obtained his undergraduate degree with honors from the University of South Alabama in 1989. Mr. Reeves then attended Tulane University Law School where he graduated cum laude in 1992.
Upon graduation, he began his career working with a large law firm representing large corporations and insurance companies. Mr. Reeves quickly rose through the ranks of the firm and became a partner in less than five years.
In 1998, he left the defense firm and changed the focus of his practice. He began representing ordinary people and businesses who were injured or damaged by the negligence of others. Over the years, he has successfully handled thousands of cases on behalf of working families, veterans, children and individuals. These cases have been against the largest, most powerful companies in the world, including Ford Motor Company, Bridgestone/Firestone, Lloyds of London Insurance Companies, Diamond Offshore Drilling, State Farm Insurance, Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance Company, St. Paul Life Insurance Company, just to name a few. Mr. Reeves continues to represent people and businesses throughout the United States in matters involving serious personal injury, death, fraud, and unfair business practices. Over the course of his career, Mr. Reeves has been counsel in over 100 cases with a recovery of one million dollars or more (among the most in the Nation for attorneys of similar age). Some of these cases include:
$1 Billion on behalf of businesses and individuals affected by defectively manufactured Chinese drywall.
$55 Million on behalf of 75 passengers and drivers injured or killed in tire defect/vehicle rollover cases.
$50 Million on behalf of businesses and individuals affected by the oil spill.
$22 Million on behalf of 7 investors defrauded of their life savings.
$12 Million on behalf of 5 people killed in a multi-vehicle collision.
$10 Million on behalf of school children and teachers poisoned by defective spray roofing.
$9 Million on behalf of family for the wrongful death of father and mother as a result of an accident involving commercial motor vehicle negligence.
$5.5 Million verdict on behalf of a woman who was abducted and raped in a K-Mart parking lot because the store provided no security.
$3.75 Million verdict on behalf of a seaman disabled in an offshore injury.
$3.5 Million on behalf of family of infant for failure to timely diagnose fetal distress resulting in neuromuscular deficiencies and cerebral palsy (brain damage).
$2.2 Million on behalf of the family of a woman killed in a trucking accident.
$1.8 Million arbitration recovery on behalf of a business which was the victim of unfair trade practices.
Mr. Reeves is recognized as a seasoned and highly experienced trial attorney. His reputation has earned appointments from federal judges across the country to handle complex national and international litigation, including:
In re: Chinese-Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation, United States Di str ic t Court, Eastern District, Louisiana, Case No. 2:09-md-02047-EEJ-JCW (Mr. Reeves serves on the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in this case which involved approximately 14,000 plaintiffs and 1,000 defendants including international defendants located in Germany and throughout China. Mr. Reeves also served as Class Counsel).
In re: Atlas Roofing Corporation Chalet Shingle Products Liability Litigation, MDL Docket No. 2495, United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, 1:13-MD-2495-TW T (Mr. Reeves serves on the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in this putative national class action involving defective roofing shingles).
In re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig "Deepwater Horizon" in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010, MDL Docket No. 2179, United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, 2:10-md-02179-CJB-SS (Mr. Reeves serves on the Damages - Economic Models and Property Committee).
Mr. Reeves enjoys an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell Rating Services and consistently receives the highest possible rankings for both ethics and legal ability from private professional surveys of judges and other lawyers. He is an active member of the Harrison County, Alabama, and Mississippi Bar Associations. He was appointed to serve on the Mississippi Bar Tribunal in the year 2002. He is also a member of the American Association for Justice (President's Club), the Alabama Trial Lawyer Association and Mississippi Association for Justice (MAJ). He was elected to the Board of Governors of the MAJ in 2002 and serves in the Leaders Forum. He is active in the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, the American Inns of Court, the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and has achieved the level of Fellow at the National College of Trial Advocacy. He is also a member of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation.
Mr. Reeves is the author of numerous legal articles and frequently lectures other lawyers and law students on the intricacies of handling complex civil cases.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Attorney Profiles
Matthew G. Mestayer was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Springhill College in 1990 in International Business. Mr. Mestayer then attended University of Mississippi Law School where he graduated in 1993.
Upon graduation, Mr. Mestayer, like many lawyers, started his career representing corporations. However, he quickly realized that, he had much more sympathy for hurt indivduals and began to develop a plaintiffs practice.
In 1999, Mr. Mestayer was appointed the Municipal Judge of Ocean Springs and he maintains that position currently. While the City Judge of Ocean Springs, Mr. Mestayer has heard literally thousands of cases involving all types of matters. Furthermore, Mr. Mestayer has been recognized for his work with victims of domestic violence and has received in 2004 the Gulf Coast Womens Center For Non-Violence Judicial Award.
Additionally, Mr. Mestayer has started several programs to help at risk youth deal with alcohol and drug issues. Mr. Mestayer has been a frequent speaker on domestic violence and issues involving minors.
In addition to being a part-time Judge, Mr. Mestayer has a full law practice in Biloxi, Mississippi. He specializes in representing those injured at work or automobile accidents. He especially enjoys the personal satisfaction of helping a family when their livelihood is at risk, and helping them get back on their feet.
He has had numerous successes in representing injured workers. In particular, Mr. Mestayer joins that small group of lawyers who has obtained a verdict over one million dollars. In 2010, Mr. Mestayer, along with one of his partners obtained a 1.5 million dollar verdict representing an injured retired veteran, who was injured at a VA Medical Center.
He is an active member of the Harrison County and American Bar Associations; The Mississippi Bar; Harrison County Young Lawyers Association, and his local community serving on a number of local boards including the YMCA Board, various community boards in Ocean Springs and as well as being a leader in his church.
Mr. Mestayer has a large supportive family and is married with four small children.