Mississippi Association for Justice

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
640563833
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Jul 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Jackson, MS, USA
Phone
601-948-8631
Rating confidence
Limited

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$509,394
Expenses
$503,945
Assets
$142,732
Liabilities
$31,734

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

59 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRANDI GATEWOOD (SECOND PAST PRESIDENT)
  • CHRISTOPHER WINTER (PRESIDENT-ELECT)
  • JONATHAN FRANCO (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • PHILIP HEARN (PRESIDENT)
  • TRIPP SEGARS (IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT)
  • MARY ETTA CARNER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARY ETTA CARNER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $59,712 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Mississippi Association for Justice works to protect the rights of individuals and consumers, preserve the civil justice system, and promote a fair and accessible legal system for all Mississippians.

What it reported doing in 2024

During 2024, Mississippi association of justice accomplished:-provided continuing legal education (cle) programming to strengthen trial advocacy skills and promote professionalism among members, including multi-credit seminars, a judicial panel series, and specialty practice programs.-advocated for access to justice and consumer protections through legislative engagement, policy monitoring, and coordinated member outreach at the state capitol.-supported professional development and mentorship through the new lawyers division, women's caucus, minority caucus, and leaders forum leadership network.-published voir dire magazine and member communications to share legal updates, case law, scholarship, and professional resources with the trial lawyer community statewide.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: Limited
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1.1%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.28; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.8%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -21.4% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.5% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment
  • Leadership: top reported pay $60K · 59 people listed
  • Consistency: 10 of 10 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 39/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 13/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 30/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.