Jack Dunbar comes out in support of Flip Phillips for Supreme Court

Here's the text of an email from highly-respected Mississippi attorney Jack Dunbar, weighing in on the Northern District Supreme Court race:


Friends: 

     We have an important election on November 6th to fill a vacancy on our State Supreme Court. I ask you to consider the candidacy of Richard "Flip" Phillips for the following reasons:

     1) A seat on the Court should not be filled by someone who is there for "on the job training." There may be no other profession where experience is so important. Flip is 65 years old and has practiced for 40 years, at all levels of our judicial system. He has been lead counsel and argued many cases on appeal before the Supreme Court , and tried even more cases. His opponent has never been lead, or head counsel in any case in any Court. (See article on the candidates in the Tupelo paper, Oct 22, 2012.)

     2) Flip has written definitive text books on legal issues used as reference sources by lawyers and judges. He has often shared his experience and knowledge with lawyers and judges as a panelist
at legal seminars. He is highly regarded in the profession. 

     3) He has been professionally successful and does not need the job for the salary. He has stated a self imposed term limit; that is, he will serve for one eight year term if elected, to cap off his legal career and in my judgment give something back to the profession which respects him. 

     4) His opposition has cast him as a "plaintiff's" lawyer, as if there were something wrong with representing anyone with a meritorious claim. 

     Flip has been primarily a lawyer who tried cases for claimants, but also for defendants. In my career, I was most often on the other side of the table from Flip. I have been primarily a civil defense lawyer, representing doctors, hospitals, manufacturers of products, and corporate interests. I have tried many cases against Flip. I won the cases I should have, and so did he, but never did I feel he took a "frivolous" case or one without merit. He always played it straight, and by the rules. There are many other "defense" lawyers like me, supporting his candidacy because we all agree that he is a lawyer of integrity who will "call it like it is" as a judge on our Supreme Court. 

     I urge you to discuss his candidacy with your own lawyer, or lawyer friends. I believe they will share my views. I hope you will give Flip your vote and support, because it is in the interest
of all of us to have experienced, competent and fair judges, in a respected judicial system. 

Jack F. Dunbar