About Us

We have been married since 1984. We have twin daughters who are married to ordained ministers of the Gospel. We have seven grandchildren. We have had marital struggles and successes, personal highs and lows and professional ups and downs.

We are saved by the grace of Jesus Christ and our desire is to work out our salvation (not for it) through ministering to others.

Joan became a Christ-follower at the age of 9 years old. Mark became a Christ-follower at the age of thirteen. We have known each other since we were in the same first grade and continued in the same schools through high school, but we didn’t start dating until we were nineteen, married at twenty-two, had twins at twenty-five, moved to Shreveport where we had no family, contacts or influence.

We have been active members of local churches: Shreveport Covenant, First Baptist Baptist Bossier, Summer Grove Baptist, and the Simple Church. Also, we have served in leadership roles with Cross Bayou Emmaus and Celebrate Recovery.

Mark graduated magna cum laude in journalism from Northeast Louisiana University (now ULM) in 1983.   He graduated law school in 1987 from Paul M. Hebert School of Law at Louisiana State University.

“I began my legal career as a prosecutor in Caddo Parish, and I have tried literally hundreds of bench and jury trials.  As a prosecutor, I was one of the first prosecutors in Louisiana to use DNA evidence, which was novel-evidence 1990.”

After serving five years as prosecutor, Mark joined a local mid-sized law firm and he focused on the defense of automobile accidents, premises liability, product and highway defect claims. Also, he handled criminal defense, employment defense and developed a niche for trucking defense. In 1998, Mark started his own law firm continuing in the defense of trucking, premises, product and recreational claims, as well as estate planning, successions and criminal defense. He continues to run that business and provides counsel/defense for Fortune 200 and Fortune 500 companies.

Mark is  member of the following Bar Associations:  American, Louisiana, Texas, U.S. Eastern, Western and Middle Districts of Louisiana, U.S.  Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal and the U.S.  Supreme Court. He is also a member of ABA/TIPS (2022-2023 Chair of the Commercial Transportation Litigation Committee), Defense Research Institute, Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, Trucking Insurance Defense Association, Transportation Lawyers Association, American Trucking Association and Louisiana Motor Transit Association. He routinely writes and speaks  about the defense of trucking.

Joan also attended ULM, but focused much of heart on pre-school ministry and being an amazing mother to Jessica and Erica. Although she describes herself as “Madea,” she is very passionate, generous, wise and caring. She has served on various boards, community organizations and ministries.

Mark has been a member of the Christian Legal Society since 1988. He has attended numerous CLS National Conventions and has represented several individuals, organizations and churches on religious freedom issues; however, around 2019 Mark and Joan felt a conviction to provide means for legal services to people who fall in the gaps because they make too much money for legal aid, but not enough money to retain services of a private attorney.

“We don’t have the means and resources to provide legal services for every person in North Louisiana who is marginalized, but our goal is to provide the services that we can, recruit attorney volunteers, educate the churches and partner ministries about the options, organize and host clinics periodically and raise funds to assist with the legal needs of those we help. We are unique in that we offer these services while sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”