Millennium Magazine_2ndEd

A Marquis Who's Who Magazine 291 A n expert in oil and gas law, Mary Libby Payne retired in 2012 after serving as a scholar in residence and professor at the Mississippi College School of Law, positions she held for nearly a decade. While serving in these roles, she was a judge with the Mississippi Court of Appeals for six years. Throughout her career, she has been involved in leadership positions with the State Attorney General’s Office, where she served as the assistant attorney general, and the Mississippi House of Representatives, where she acted as the chief of drafting and research. In addition, she was a solo practitioner in Brandon, Mississippi, and a freelance researcher in Pearl, Mississippi, after beginning her career as a partner of Bickerstaff & Bickerstaff in 1955. Judge Payne holds a BA in political science, with distinction, and an LLB from the University of Mississippi. After gaining valuable experience in the field, she received an honorary LLD from the Mississippi College School of Law subsequent to attaining emerita status. Demonstrating versatility in her areas of expertise, she authored “A Goodly Heritage: A Memoir of Mississippi College School of Law” in 2011, as well as an autobiography, multiple essays on World War II, and articles in peer- reviewed journals. A devout Christian, Judge Payne has lent her time to religious organizations, including as counsel of the Christian Action Committee with the Rankin Baptist Association, founder and director of the Christian Conciliation Service, and an advisor of the Covenant Ministerial Fellowship. She was also on the national board of directors of the Christian Legal Society. Judge Payne has been named to the Hall of Fame of the Christian Legal Society and the Alumni Hall of Fame of the University of Mississippi School of Law. She received two Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Mississippi Women Lawyers Association and the Mississippi Bar, and was named Judicial Woman of the Year by the Mississippi Commission on the Status of Women. MARY LIBBY PAYNE, JD, LLD (HON) EMERITA DEAN, PROFESSOR, JUDGE (RETIRED) Mississippi College School of Law Pearl, MS