ABOUT JIM

Jim Anderson is the Senior Founding Member of Anderson Crawley & Burke, PLLC, (www.acblaw.com), a law firm headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi. He served as Managing Member of the firm from its inception until December 31, 2017 when he chose to delegate the role to a younger Member.  Under his leadership, the firm established a solid reputation as the leading firm in Mississippi for the representation of Employers/Carriers in workers’ compensation matters as well as other areas of practice in the insurance defense arena.  Now 17 lawyers strong, the firm continues to grow its status and areas of influence in the representation of businesses and governmental entities within its areas of practice.   
 

Jim is a member of the Mississippi Bar, is admitted to practice before all State and Federal Courts in Mississippi and the United States Supreme Court. A cum laude graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi (BS, 1971) and an honors graduate of the Mississippi College School of Law (JD, 1978), Mr. Anderson is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association, Defense Research Institute (DRI), and the American Bar Association. He has served as Chairman of the Workers' Compensation Section of the Mississippi Bar and has been active in regulatory reform related to workers’ compensation issues. His career has included service as General Counsel for an insurance organization, serving in an administrative capacity for the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, and as a defense attorney.
 

He is a member of the Board of Directors of and Past-President of the Mississippi Workers' Compensation Educational Association, Inc. (MWCEA), the entity which works closely with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission in presenting the annual Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference and other educational efforts focused on workers’ compensation issues.  He has served as Chairman of the annual Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference since 2008.
 

Jim has brought to the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference a variety of opportunities to celebrate what is good about those involved in workers’ compensation.  He spearheaded the establishment of the Ken Perry Professionalism Award to recognize a workers’ compensation claimant or defense lawyer who has exercised civility, professionalism, and integrity throughout his or her career; the Sam Cox Spirit Award to honor a non-attorney who works primarily in the workers’ compensation arena who exemplifies enthusiasm and passion for doing good work within the workers’ compensation community; the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Hall of Fame to honor those who have devoted a substantial portion of their careers to workers’ compensation in Mississippi; the Recovery & Return Award which is given to an injured worker who has demonstrated exceptional motivation to obtain physical recovery and a return to the productive workforce; and Mississippi’s Outstanding Employer in Workers’ Compensation, now offered jointly with the Mississippi Association of Self-Insurers.   
 

Jim is author of and senior editor of the Mississippi Workers' Compensation Claims Guide, now in its 5th Edition.  It is a guide for claims and other professionals offering practical guidance on Mississippi workers’ compensation claims handling.  It is the study guide for a Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Adjuster License offered by the Mississippi Department of Insurance. 

In addition to his work with the MWCEA, he is an active participant in the Workers’ Compensation Institute in Orlando, Florida where he co-chairs the National Workers' Compensation Review, an organization offering high level and cutting-edge programming designed to serve the intersection of industry, medicine claims, and law.  He and his firm also represents Mississippi in the Multi-State program at WCI which operates as the Workers’ Compensation Defense Institute, an organization that offers other programming and training for multi-state adjusters and other claims professionals.  A speaker at national workers’ compensation conferences for organizations such as the DRI and the CLM, he has also been a faculty member for numerous seminars and programs relating to workers' compensation and other employment related issues throughout his career.  Beginning in 1998, he developed and continues to offer a series of STAR® (Smart, Timely, Assertive, and Reasonable) training seminars to the workers' compensation claims community regarding the Mississippi Workers' Compensation Law. 

Jim is the author of “Is it Time for a Model Worker’s Compensation Act?”, a look at political and legal developments over the past several years suggesting the possibility of a takeover of workers’ compensation systems by the Federal Government absent a new focus on standards across the nation.  The article was published by the DRI publication For the Defense in December 2017 and the Mississippi Bar publication The Mississippi Lawyer in its Winter 2018 edition and was republished by The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers and the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary in their respective newsletters.
Jim is a Fellow in the College of Workers' Compensation Lawyers and currently serves on the Board of Governors for the College.  He is Chairman of the Governance Committee the Long Range Planning Committee for the Board.  
He is active within the DRI, and he also currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Community within the DRI and is expected to chair the Community beginning in October 2021.

Jim has carried Martindale Hubbell’s highest rating (AV) since 1990 and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 1995. He has also been named Lawyer of the Year in Jackson, Mississippi for Workers' Compensation Law, Employers, by The Best Lawyers in America and in 2012 was named Lawyer of the Year by the Mississippi College School of Law for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in the Legal Community.  In 2015, he was awarded the Kenneth G. Perry Professionalism Award, an award given annually by the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Mississippi Bar in recognition of Exceptional Professionalism in the practice of workers’ compensation law. 

Jim served 9 years as a member of the Board of Directors for the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.  http://www.mymsaa.org/   He served as Chairman of that Board in 2015 and 2016.

Jim has also been active in supporting the efforts of Kids Chance of Mississippi and was instrumental in bring fundraising efforts for Kids Chance to the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference.  His article “A Charitable Idea for Those of us Who Earn Our Livings on the Backs of Injured Workers” is an effort bring attention to the ways the workers’ compensation community can expand its focus on helping the children of those who are seriously injured or killed in work related accidents by providing food, clothing, school supplies, and the like immediately following the injury.  

 

He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Faith Based Claims Association which was founded by Bill Pipkin and Dr. Chris Brigham.  The FBCA began life at WCI in Orlando, and he has facilitated its expansion to the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference and other regional and national conferences. 

Jim is a member of Northminster Baptist Church in Jackson, MS where he has served as a deacon and as Chair of the Board of Deacons.  He has taught children and adult Sunday School as well.  He is celebrating 45 years of marriage, and has 2 daughters and 2 granddaughters, all living in Austin, Texas.