Mark A. Chinn
Attorney Profile
Top Rated Family Law Attorney in Jackson, MS
Attorney Mark A. Chinn is the founder and owner of Chinn & Associates, PC, in Jackson, Mississippi. Nationally recognized as among the preeminent lawyers in the country, Mr. Chinn has more than 42 years of total legal experience, and he provides exceptional counsel and support to clients throughout the greater Jackson metro and all across the state who are going through a divorce or have some other serious legal issue affecting their families.
Focusing solely on family law, Mr. Chinn is able to provide the highest level of representation to those going through a high-asset divorce or any other family-related legal challenge, and he has achieved remarkable success helping his clients make the best-informed decisions regarding child custody and support, property and complex asset division, alimony and other related matters. Regardless of his clients' needs, he fights aggressively to help them achieve the favorable outcomes they deserve as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.
In honor of his remarkable professionalism and service, Mr. Chinn has earned an AV Preeminent peer review rating* from Martindale-Hubbell along with consistent recognition from The Best Lawyers in America. In addition, the Mississippi Business Journal has named him among the Top 50 Lawyers in Mississippi, and Corporate INTL magazine voted his practice one of the Best Law Firms in the state. He also holds an excellent rating from ThreeBest, and he was selected for membership into the Outstanding Lawyers of America.
A 1975 graduate of Iowa State University, Mr. Chinn obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1978, and he holds his admission to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th and 7th Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
A leader in his field, Mr. Chinn has written extensively and conducted many lectures and continuing legal education seminars across his region on a variety of legal topics, and he is an active member of the American Bar Association, The Mississippi Bar, the Hinds County Bar Association, and other local, state and national legal organizations.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Best Lawyers® and The Best Lawyers in America© are registered trademarks of BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC. The names, logo, and database are protected under the trademark, copyright, and fair use laws of the United States of America. Any use of name, including in electronic form, must be made only by permission and under the guidelines of BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC.
- 100%Family Law
Custody & Visitation, Divorce
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2006 - 2021
Articles about Mark A. Chinn appearing in Super Lawyers
Additional Sources of Information About Mark A. Chinn
Visit my FindLaw® profile
About Mark A. Chinn
First Admitted: 1978
Professional Webpage: https://www.chinnlaw.com/mark-chinn/
Bar/Professional Activity
- State of Mississippi
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
- Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
- United States Supreme Court
- Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
- Elected Vice Chair of the Mississippi Supreme Court's Gender Fairness Task Force
- Governing Council (two terms) of the American Bar Association's Family Law Section
- Parliamentarian, ABA Family Law Section Council, 2008
- Board of Directors of Divorce Magazine, 2006
- Chairman (Twice), Mississippi Bar Association Family Law Section
- Master of Bench, Charles Clark American Inn of Court
- Served on Ethics, Client Relations, Women in the Profession and Fee Dispute Resolution committees of The Mississippi Bar Association
- Served on the faculty of the American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Trial Practice Institute, 2008
- Fellow, Verasage Institute, dedicated to eliminating the billable hour, 2010
- Member of Publications Board of the American Bar Association Family Law Section, 2017
- Chairman, Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee, Mississippi Bar Association, 1995
- President, Hinds County Bar Association, 1998
- Appointed by Mississippi Governor to the Children's Justice Task Force
- President, Hinds County Bar Association, 1999
- Adjunct Professor of Law, Mississippi College School of Law, teaching a course I designed in law practice management for 6 years
- Parent Rise Magazine Board of Directors, 2011
- President, University of Mississippi School of Law Alumni Association's Lamar Order, 2002
Other Outstanding Achievements
- Private Pilot, Single Engine Land
- Rugby player, referee and coach for 20 years at Iowa State, University of Mississippi and Jackson Football Club
- Married over 40 years to Cathy. Four daughters Courtney Chinn Peters, Dr. Casey Hawes, Carly and Conley. Granddaughter, Savannah Grey Peters and Marshall Peters
- Dedicated member of Olde Towne Church and Choir
- Balck Belt in Karate and Kick Boxing
Pro bono/Community Service
- Leadership Jackson
- Chairman of 10th Annual Jubilee! Jam featuring the Olympic Torch, 1996
- Opera Board
- Lawyer Citizenship Award from The Mississippi Bar for outstanding service to the Community and Profession, 2014
- Chairman, Jackson Urban League Board of Directors, 1995
- Arts Alliance Board
- Mississippi Volunteers Pro Bono Volunteer Award Honoring Dedication to Pro Bono Service, 2011
- Jubilee! Jam Foundation Board, 1986
Educational Background
- Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Iowa State University, 1975
Scholarly Lectures/Writings
- Author, "Constructive Divorce with Value-Based Pricing" in GP Solo Magazine. A description and manual on how lawyers can combine civil and collaborative techniques with value pricing to create an efficient and constructive result for divorce clients, Author, ABA, GP/Solo Magazine, 2009
- Speaker and Moderator, "Value Pricing", ABA Webinar, 2009
- Speaker, Billing Pitfalls and Pratfalls, ABA Family Law Section Fall Conference, 2008
- Speaker, ABA Family Law Section Spring Conference, 2008
- ABA Family Law Section, Speaker, Building a Successful Family Law Practice, 2007
- Speaker, Building the Law Practice of Your Dreams, Florida Bar Family Law Section, 2007
- Speaker, Building the Law Practice of Your Dreams, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Annual Meeting, 2008
- Speaker, The Constructive Divorce and Building the Law Practice of Your Dreams, Indiana Bar Solo and Small Firm Section Annual Meeting, 2009
- Contributing Author, Chapter entitled, "Marketing is Not a Dirty Word." published in How To Capture and Keep Clients, published in 2005 by the ABA GP Solo Section, Contributing Author, How To Capture and Keep Clients, ABA GP Solo Section, 2005
- Speaker, "The Constructive Divorce", Sterling Education, 2009
- ABA, Speaker, Building a Successful Family Law Practice, 2006
- Author, "Marketing for Those Who Hate It", American Journal of Family Law, 2006
- Speaker, "Building the Law Practice of Your Dreams", Iowa Bar Association Annual Meeting, 2006
- ABA Webinar: Getting Paid for the Work You Do: How to Increase Your Income from Domestic Relations Cases, Speaker, Getting Paid for the Work You Do: How to Increase Your Income from Domestic Relations Cases, ABA, ABA, 2009
- Basics of divorce practice in training for attorneys serving the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project, Speaker, Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project, 2010
- Use of technology for delivering superior service to family law clients for the Mississippi Bar Family Law Section “Hot Tips” seminar, Speaker, “Hot Tips” seminar, Mississippi Bar Family Law Section, 2010
- "Using Social Networking Media in Domestic Relations Cases" at The Mississippi Legal Services Statewide Conference Planning Committee, Speaker, Using Social Networking Media in Domestic Relations Cases, Mississippi Legal Services, 2010
- Presented on the topic of, "Work Smart Not Hard, to the American Bar Association family law section meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, May, 2018, Speaker, American Bar Association, Family Law Section, 2018
- Revised, second edition, of How To Build and Manage a Family Law Practice, available at www.shopABA.org, Author, How to build and manage a family law practice, American Bar Association family Law section, 2018
- Presented to the Mississippi Bar Leadership Institute on the value of contributions to the community in the lawyer's role as a leader of society, Speaker, Become a Pillar (Of your community), Mississippi Bar, 2017
- Author, How to Build and Manage a Family Law Practice, American Bar Association, 2006
- Author, The Constructive Divorce, a guidebook for lawyers on how to handle family law cases in a civil and constructive manner, Author, The Constructive Divorce, American Bar Association, 2007
- Author, Prenuptial Agreements, ABA Family Advocate, 2002
- Author, Dumping the Billable Hour, One Lawyer's Experience. This manual is offered for sale at www.chinnandassociates.com and provides a practical manual for lawyers on how to dump the billable hour and adopt alternative pricing strategies, Author, Dumping the Billable Hour, One Lawyer's Experience, 2008
- Author, Forms, Checklists and Procedures for the Family Law Office. This book, published in 2010 by the ABA, provides practice forms, checklists, guidelines and procedures for the family lawyer to run an efficient and proficient family law practice, Author, Forms, Checklists, and Procedures for the Family Lawyer, ABA Family Law Section, 2010
- Author, "The Constructive Divorce", Mississippi Lawyer, Official Publication of The Mississippi Bar, 2009
Special Licenses/Certifications
- Perfect 5.0 score and AV Rating from Martindale Hubbell, 2010
- Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers in Family Law, Martindale-Hubbell, 2010
- Outstanding Lawyers of America, one of 100 selected from Mississippi
- Who's Who in American Law, 1997
Honors/Awards
- 2015 Premier 100 Trial Attorney, Premier 100 Attorney, American Academy of Trial Attorneys, 2015
- Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, Martindale--Hubbell
- Perfect 10 rating, AVVO
- Lawyers of the year in Mississippi as selected by Peer Recognition, Lawyers of the Year, Best Lawyers, 2017
- Nationally ranked Top Ten Attorney award for excellence in the field of family law, Top Ten Attorney Award, National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, 2017
- Recognized as a Top Attorney in North America, Diamond Member status, by Who's Who, Top Attorneys Diamond Member, Who's Who, 2018
- Business Integrity Award Finalist, Mississippi Business Journal, 2004
- Family Law Firm of the Year in Mississippi, Corporate International Magazine, 2011
- Mark Chinn has been distinguished as a preeminent Top 100 attorney, Top Attorneys of North America, Who's Who, 2017
- Exceptional and outstanding client service. 10 Best--Mississippi, 10 Best Attorneys, American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, 2017
- Award of Merit from the Mississippi Bar for "distinguished service to bar and public.", Award of Merit, Mississippi Bar Association, 1996
- Top 50 Lawyer in Mississippi, Mississippi Business Journal, 2010
- Best Law Firm in Family Law, US News and World Report, 2011
- The pinnacle of professional excellence earned through a strenuous Peer Review Rating process that is managed and monitored by the world's most trusted legal resource, AV Preeminent Attorney, Martindale-Hubbell, 2017
- @Beastlyorion You obviously have not been stranded for two days without your luggage!
- @arpjake You were lucky you found out before you got stranded somewhere!
- Go to hell Southwest! When we checked our luggage at Orlando the lady asked if we needed our prescriptions. Odd. S… https://t.co/hGtuxeTWcu
- @BelmontWBB Lol
- Read more of our reviews here! https://t.co/WHiCafdC2o https://t.co/i7Iq812w9y
Last Updated: 12/29/2021