Professor Jeffrey Jackson has passed away.
Professor Jackson, famed and feared for his instruction on Civil Procedure and Ethics at Mississippi College School of Law, author of multiple treatises, law review articles, books and an encyclopedia on Mississippi law, died on Tuesday April 26, 2016.
Professor Jackson was the quintessential law school professor. The Socratic method employed, he used his unequivocal understanding and knowledge of the law to challenge would-be lawyers who may well have been trying to “fake it until you make it.” His goal, to dispel those faking it.
While fear may have been instilled in his first year classes it was for the enviable goal to prepare the legal minds matriculating from MC Law School. Professor Jackson was listed in the National Jurist’s 23 Law Professors to Take before you Die.
I expect many memories and tributes about Professor Jackson to be shared. This posting can not do justice to what he has done for MC, the law students, the Mississippi legal community and for me.
Personally, Professor Jackson played a significant role in my legal career. I had him as a Professor, but it was after lawschool when our relationship changed. Prof Jackson helped me to become and continue to this day as an Adjunct Professor of Law at MC. MC offered the requisite Adjunct Orientation, but it was Prof. Jackson that helped me set the structure for my class, how to prepare an exam, and how to make sure that it was fair. He cautioned me to not smile the first two weeks of school at the students (for fear of being thought of as too easy) and that if I ever met their parents or significant other to make sure they knew that so-and-so was my best student, ever.
Professor Jackson was instrumental in me becoming an author. I have taken over the book writing responsibilities for retired Professor Shelton Hand, based on Prof. Jackson’s recommendations to the Publisher.
Interestingly, just this past Friday night MC Law celebrated the 40th anniversary of the law school. Professor Jackson was honored for his many years of dedicated service. He was great. He gave an impassioned acceptance speech and shared his irascible wit. MC formally announced the Professor Jeffrey Jackson Scholarship Fund, with monies earmarked for deserving students with financial need.
Friday night was also the first time that my wife and Prof. Jackson met. We visited for several minutes and as we were parting he told her that I was his “best student, ever, bar none.”
Professor Jeffrey Jackson Scholarships Fund
Matthew Thompson is a Family Law litigation attorney in Mississippi and is grateful for having known and been under the tutelage of Prof. Jeffrey Jackson and is a better lawyer for it. You may honor Prof. Jackson’s memory by making a contribution at the above link.
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You may also contact Matthew with your family law case, question or concern at (601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms.
I’m not talking about playing with your children. Too often I see adults playing games with the other parent’s time. It’s not a game. It’s not really even the other parent’s time. It’s the children’s. 
