Jessica Massey Carr

Criminal Defense Attorney

Jessica specializes in felony criminal defense in Circuit Court in nine counties in northwest Mississippi.

Jessica is a native of Olive Branch, MS. She earned her B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Mississippi in May of 2009 and her Juris Doctor from Mississippi College School of Law in May of 2012. Jessica stays active in the Mississippi Bar Association as a member of the Women in the Profession Section as well as the newly formed Criminal Defense Section.

Jessica practices law with her husband, Michael S. Carr, of Cleveland. She has a nine-year-old step-son, Henry, and a two-year-old daughter, Caroline. Jessica is an active member of First Presbyterian Church, Vice President of the Bolivar County Democratic Party, Vice President of the E.F.P.H.I.C. Women’s Club, Vice President of the Mississippi Public Defenders Association, Treasurer of the Bolivar County Bar Association, elected to serve as the Mississippi Bar Commissioner for the 11th Circuit - 2025-2028,  and is currently fundraising to bring a child advocacy center to the Delta.

During law school, Jessica worked for the Mississippi Office of Indigent Appeals, Hinds County Public Defender’s Office, Mississippi Attorney General's Office - Criminal Appeals Division, and The Law Offices of Vic Carmody. She received a Pro Bono Service distinction upon graduation for her dedication to public service. 

After graduating law school, Jessica spent two years clerking for Circuit Court Judge Lester F. Williamson, Jr. of the Tenth Judicial District. Since her clerkship, Jessica has worked for the past decade as a salaried and contract public defender for Lauderdale, Desoto, Bolivar, Sunflower, and Leflore Counties. In addition to retained criminal defense clients, Jessica also works as an attorney for the Mississippi Center for Violence Prevention, the Mississippi division of the JULIAN civil rights organization, and assists with the firm’s Southern States Police Benevolent Association defense work. Jessica is a certified MLEOTA instructor.

In the Spring of 2018, Jessica moved back to Desoto County to be closer to family and opened a law office in her hometown. After running her own law office and practicing law as a private criminal defense attorney and part-time felony public defender in Desoto County Circuit Court for several years, she met her husband, Michael “Mike” Carr, while on a statewide Zoom meeting for public defenders at the beginning of the pandemic.  In 2021, Jessica moved to Cleveland, MS and joined Carr Law Firm.

Shortly thereafter, Mike and Jessica rode to Las Vegas on a motorcycle and eloped at The Little White Wedding Chapel.

Over the course of her career, Jessica has represented hundreds of people charged with felony and misdemeanor crimes. She has taken many felony cases to trial for a wide range of offenses, including: First-Degree Murder, Attempted First-Degree Murder, Armed Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Kidnapping, Sexual Battery, Statutory Rape, Grand Larceny, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Aggravated Domestic Violence.  

Areas of practice

  • Criminal Defense

  • Law Enforcement Defense

Education

  • Mississippi College, J.D.

  • University of Mississippi, B.B.A. Managerial Finance

Bar Admissions

  • All Mississippi State Courts

  • All Mississippi Federal Courts