jim herring

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

James H. Herring is a native of Canton, Mississippi, where he resides with his wife, Beverly. Mr. and Mrs. Herring have a son, James, and two daughters, Caroline and Christine. He is an Elder at Grace Chapel Presbyterian Church of Madison, Mississippi.

After receiving his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Mississippi, Mr. Herring served three (3) years on active duty in the U.S. Army as a J.A.G. Officer. He later served approximately 21 years as a Reservist and eventually attained the rank of Colonel (0-6) in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. Along the way he received the Army Commendation Medal and three Meritorious Service Medals. He was elected District Attorney for the 20th Circuit District of Mississippi in 1971.

His many years of legal practice has included extensive experience in criminal law; general trial practice in State and Federal Courts; Mississippi Public Service Commission litigation involving franchise rights and rates charged by public and private utilities; and municipal annexation litigation. He is an acknowledged expert in litigation involving public and private water and wastewater companies. 

After being appointed by Governor Kirk Fordice to the Mississippi State Personnel Board in 1996, Governor Fordice then appointed him to the Mississippi Court of Appeals in 1997. While serving as a member of the Court of Appeals, Judge Herring participated in over 1,000 decisions on the merits and personally authored numerous majority opinions, a number of which were published. He has also served as a Special Judge on the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Mr. Herring currently serves as senior partner of Herring, Long and Crews, P.C., of Canton, Mississippi. He also serves as attorney for the Mississippi Rural Water Association.  He served as Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party for seven (7) years; as a member of the Executive and Rules Committees of the Republican National Committee (“RNC”); and, through an appointment by the Chairman of the RNC he served as “Chairman of the Chairmen” of all State Republican Parties throughout the United States and its territories.  Mr. Herring was later appointed by President George W. Bush to the Board of Trustees of the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation for a term of six (6) years and served as Vice Chairman of the Foundation Board.  He also served as transition chairman for Mississippi’s Governor Phil Bryant at the beginning of his administration in 2012.