Ridgeland, MS - First South Farm Credit, the largest member-owned land and agricultural financing cooperative in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, proudly announces that Lee Thorne has joined First South as General Counsel. As General Counsel for First South, Lee provides legal guidance, advises on matters regarding corporate governance, and reviews Farm Credit Administration regulations as directed by the First South Farm Credit Board of Directors. “We are thrilled to have someone of Lee’s caliber and experience join our team. His background serving rural communities and his passion for agriculture in our three-state territory will surely be an asset to our Membership.” said John Barnard, President and CEO of First South Farm Credit. 

Previously, Lee served five years at Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation as its Deputy General Counsel and Public Policy Coordinator. Prior to his work at MFBF, Lee was elected as Tishomingo County’s prosecuting attorney while he practiced law in Iuka, Mississippi as an Associate at Phillips and Phillips, P.A. While attending Mississippi State University, Lee served as an intern for The John C. Stennis Institute of Government and United States Senators’ Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Mississippi State University, Lee went on to receive a Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi School of Law. “Agriculture and rural communities are the heartbeats of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and I look forward to supporting them alongside the dedicated team members of First South Farm Credit.”

Currently, Lee resides in Jackson, Mississippi with his wife, Martha Ann, and their son Lee, Jr. 

First South Farm Credit is a member-owned cooperative providing short-, intermediate- and long-term financing and related services to full- and part-time farmers, agricultural-related businesses and rural landowners in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. First South serves over 10,000 member/borrowers with loans outstanding totaling over $2.4 billion through its network of 44 branch offices in its three-state territory. As a part of the national Farm Credit System, First South Farm Credit has been serving rural communities for over 100 years.