Joel Gatlin is a Mississippi native, reared in Laurel, educated at Mississippi State University and Mississippi College School of Law. Under the tutelage of his grandfather, who twice served as President of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, he developed a love for the law and its potential to help others wronged by those in positions of privilege and power. After graduation from law school in 1996, he served as law clerk to the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, learning first-hand how to prosecute and argue cases before the State's Highest Court, where he has returned numerous times to argue successfully for the benefit of his clients. With fifteen years of trial experience, Joel has taken numerous cases to trial before judges and juries in both State and Federal Court, and his accomplishments include multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts. He has previously handled complex cases involving medical malpractice, wrongful death, nursing home neglect, bad faith insurance and contract disputes, serious automobile and trucking accidents, finance fraud and defective drug litigation. In 2010, Joel joined Morgan & Morgan, where he represents clients throughout the Southeast. Joel lives in Jackson with his wife, Cheri Turnage Gatlin, who is also a lawyer, and with their four sons, Jack, Louie, Asa and Joe. He is a Little League baseball coach and active member of Saint James Episcopal Church.