Family cases in Mississippi are heard in chancery court. From Hattiesburg, Lowrey, Fortner, & Miri P.A. handles divorce, custody, child support, modification and contempt across South Mississippi: the Tenth Chancery District (Forrest, Lamar, Marion, Pearl River, Perry), the Nineteenth (Jones, Wayne), and on the Gulf Coast the Eighth (Hancock, Harrison, Stone) and the Sixteenth (George, Greene, Jackson), plus the Jackson metro. Partners Kimberly-Joy (KJ) Miri and Shawn M. Lowrey lead the practice, which the firm has handled since 1980.
- Gulf Coast chancery courts: Gulfport, Biloxi and Bay St. Louis (Eighth District), Pascagoula, Lucedale and Leakesville (Sixteenth District)
- Where to file follows § 93-5-11: the defendant's county for fault grounds, either county for irreconcilable differences
- Served papers run on two clocks under Rule 4(i): thirty days for custody and support actions, seven days for temporary relief, modification and contempt
- Initial custody orders entered after July 1, 2026 start from a rebuttable presumption of joint custody with equal parenting time under § 93-5-24(2), with the Albright factors deciding contested cases
- Jackson metro: Hinds, Rankin and Madison counties, each with its own page
One Family Law Team for the Pine Belt and the Coast
A divorce in Gulfport and a divorce in Hattiesburg follow the same statutes, the same Albright factors and the same chancery rules. What differs is the courthouse, the clerk, the docket and the local practice of the chancellor, and that is what a family lawyer has to know. We appear in the chancery courts of the Eighth and Sixteenth districts on the coast and the Tenth and Nineteenth around our office, and we know how each one sets temporary hearings, handles guardians ad litem and schedules trials.
Partners Kimberly-Joy (KJ) Miri and Shawn M. Lowrey lead the family law practice. Between them they handle contested and uncontested divorce, custody and visitation, child support and its modification, paternity, contempt and enforcement, and the property and alimony questions that come with a long marriage. KJ Miri wrote the firm's guides to Mississippi custody and divorce, including the 2026 changes to the custody statute.
The firm has handled family cases in South Mississippi since 1980. Highway 49 runs from our office to the Gulfport courthouse and Highway 98 to Lucedale and Pascagoula, so a coast hearing is a normal part of the week for us.
How a South Mississippi Family Case Moves
The statutes are the same in every chancery court. The courthouse, the clerk and the chancellor's practice are not, and that is what we bring to a coast case.
Venue follows § 93-5-11. We tell you which chancery court is available when the two of you live in different counties, and which one is better for your case.
A divorce complaint is served with a standard summons (thirty days to answer). Custody, support and contempt actions are served under Rule 4(i), with a date already set. We read the papers and calendar the first setting before anything else.
Who stays in the house, who has the children on which days and who pays what while the case is pending is decided at a temporary hearing, often within weeks. It is the most important hearing most people never prepare for.
Financial statements, Rule 8.05 disclosures, and in contested custody cases a guardian ad litem. We gather what the chancellor will want to see before the chancellor asks.
Most cases settle once both sides see the numbers. When they do not, we try them. Contested custody turns on the Albright factors, with the 2026 rebuttable presumption of joint custody as the starting point for new orders.
Modification when circumstances change, contempt when an order is ignored, and relocation handled through the custody order. The court that entered the order usually keeps it, and we appear there.
The Chancery Courts We Appear In
Hancock, Harrison and Stone counties (Miss. Code § 9-5-27). Harrison County: the Gulfport courthouse, 1801 23rd Avenue, and the Biloxi courthouse, 730 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Hancock County: 152 Main Street, Bay St. Louis. Stone County: the courthouse in Wiggins.
George, Greene and Jackson counties (§ 9-5-49). Jackson County Chancery Clerk, 2915 Canty Street, Pascagoula; George County in Lucedale; Greene County in Leakesville.
Forrest, Lamar, Marion, Pearl River and Perry counties (§ 9-5-35). Forrest County at the Paul B. Johnson Chancery Court Building, 641 North Main Street, Hattiesburg; Lamar County at the Gamble Chancery Building, 403 Main Street, Purvis; Marion in Columbia; Pearl River in Poplarville; Perry in New Augusta.
Jones and Wayne counties (§ 9-5-55). Jones County in Laurel and Ellisville; Wayne County in Waynesboro.
Hinds, Rankin and Madison counties, each with its own page below naming the chancery courthouse and the local practice.
The case stays where it was filed, and modification and contempt usually go back to the court that entered the order. We appear in every chancery court on this page, so a move across the region does not mean a new lawyer.
Your South Mississippi Family Law Team
Pages for Each Court and Each Question
The family law hub: divorce, custody, support, alimony, property, modification and contempt.
Forrest County and the Tenth Chancery District at the Paul B. Johnson building.
Custody and visitation in Forrest County under the 2026 statute.
Poplarville and Picayune in the Tenth Chancery District.
Wiggins, in the Eighth Chancery District with Harrison and Hancock.
Jackson and the Hinds County Chancery Court.
Brandon, Pearl, Flowood and Richland.
Canton, Madison and Ridgeland.
What the summons means, the Rule 4(i) clocks, and what to do first.
The 2026 guide to the Albright factors and the joint-custody presumption.
How support is calculated and changed in Mississippi.
When the other side ignores the order.
What Families Say About Our Team
Rated 4.7 out of 5 on Google
“… [KJ Miri] is extremely professional, knowledgeable, and hard working. She truly has her clients’ and their children’s best interests in mind…”
Google Review
“Highly recommend KJ Miri! She was upfront and honest with me during the entire process, and fought for what was best for my child! Her office has a very good response time and does not leave you waiting for a reply!”
Google Review
“KJ is a great attorney! I always felt like a priority. She was easy to talk to, and answered every question I had.”
Google Review
Reviews are from actual clients on Google and Avvo. Every case turns on its own facts and law, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions About Divorce and Custody in South Mississippi
Do you handle divorce and custody cases on the Mississippi Gulf Coast?
Yes. From Hattiesburg we handle divorce, custody, child support, modification and contempt in the Eighth Chancery Court District (Hancock, Harrison and Stone counties) and the Sixteenth Chancery Court District (George, Greene and Jackson counties), as well as the Tenth (Forrest, Lamar, Marion, Pearl River, Perry) and Nineteenth (Jones, Wayne) districts around our office. Family cases in Mississippi are heard in chancery court, never circuit court, so the district that matters is the chancery district.
Which chancery court hears a Harrison County divorce?
The Chancery Court of Harrison County, in the Eighth Chancery Court District (Miss. Code § 9-5-27). Harrison County has two judicial districts: the Gulfport courthouse at 1801 23rd Avenue and the Biloxi courthouse at 730 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Which one hears your case depends on where you live within the county. Hancock County's chancery court sits at 152 Main Street in Bay St. Louis, and Stone County's at the courthouse in Wiggins.
Where is a Jackson County divorce filed?
In the Chancery Court of Jackson County, part of the Sixteenth Chancery Court District (§ 9-5-49), which also covers George and Greene counties. The Jackson County Chancery Clerk's office is at 2915 Canty Street in Pascagoula. George County's chancery clerk is in Lucedale and Greene County's in Leakesville.
Which county do I file in if my spouse and I live in different counties?
Mississippi's divorce venue statute, § 93-5-11, controls. A fault-ground complaint is filed in the county where the defendant lives, or in the county where the couple lived when they separated if the plaintiff still lives there. An irreconcilable differences divorce can be filed in either spouse's county. If one of you is on the coast and the other in the Pine Belt, we tell you on the first call which chancery court is available and which is better for you.
I was served with divorce or custody papers in Gulfport. How long do I have?
It depends on what the papers are. A custody, support, paternity, termination or grandparent-visitation action served under Rule 4(i)(1) of the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure can be heard thirty days after service. A request for temporary relief, a modification, an enforcement or a contempt served under Rule 4(i)(2) can be heard seven days after service. A divorce complaint served with a standard summons gives you thirty days to answer. Read the summons for the date and call us before it; a party who is properly served and does not appear at the first setting gets no further notice.
Does the new joint-custody presumption apply on the coast?
Yes, statewide. For initial temporary and initial final custody orders entered after July 1, 2026, Mississippi starts from a rebuttable presumption of joint custody with equal parenting time under § 93-5-24(2). It does not apply to modifications of orders entered before that date, and a finding of family violence changes the analysis. The Albright factors still decide contested custody.
Can you modify or enforce an order from a coast chancery court if I have moved to Hattiesburg?
Usually the court that entered the order keeps jurisdiction over modification and contempt, so a Harrison County order is modified in Harrison County even if you now live in Forrest County. We appear in both. Mississippi has no relocation statute; moving a child a significant distance is handled through the custody order and, if the other parent objects, a modification based on a material change in circumstances.
Do you take family cases in the Jackson area?
Yes. We handle divorce and custody in Hinds, Rankin and Madison counties and have a page for each. Partners Kimberly-Joy (KJ) Miri and Shawn M. Lowrey lead the family practice, which the firm has handled in South Mississippi since 1980.