Ford wins award

Tim Ford, former speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, was recently awarded the University of Mississippi Distinguished Alumni Award in Public Service. Ford graduated with a B.A. degree from the University of Mississippi in 1973. He went on to attend the University of Mississippi School of Law and graduated with a J.D. in 1977.

After obtaining his law degree, Ford served as a law clerk for the presiding justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court and then as an assistant district attorney. He was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1980 and was elected speaker of the House in 1988. He served as speaker until his retirement in 2004. He holds the distinction of being the second-longest-serving speaker in Mississippi history.

Ford is the first House speaker in the nation to receive the William M. Bulger Excellence in State Legislative Leadership Award. Ford was also given the Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Award in 2003._ Today, he is a partner with Balch & Bingham LLP. He serves as general counsel to the Mississippi Home Corporation, the Mississippi Business Finance Corporation, the Mississippi Development Bank and Momentum Mississippi.