About Me

Hi, I’m Lindsay Arevalo, an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Mississippi.

I am a born, raised, and educated Mississippian, and I understand the importance of knowing about a person’s background before hiring them for professional services.

I grew up in Vicksburg, Mississippi as an only child. My father worked as a civilian engineer for the Army, designing and blast testing defensive structures. My mother taught elementary school. Both are now happily retired and have followed me to Hattiesburg. My parents raised me at The Church of the Holy Trinity, and I have been a practicing Episcopalian for my entire life. I earned my high school diploma from Saint Aloysius High School in 2007.

Most everyone in my family who has had the privilege of going to college attended Mississippi State University, and I maintained that tradition. As a college student, I joined Delta Delta Delta sorority and the Pre-Law Society. Even at 18 years old, I was singularly focused on becoming an attorney. I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2011. I immediately moved an hour up the road to Oxford to attend Ole Miss Law School. (Don’t worry, I still bleed maroon and white.)

I thoroughly enjoyed law school. Many of my classmates were studying to become second and third generation attorneys; however, I was the first person in my family to attend law school. I genuinely had no idea what to expect upon arrival. Through my participation in the Pro Bono Initiative and the Mississippi Association for Justice, I learned just how widespread of an impact that poverty has on Mississippi. By my second year of law school, I knew that I wanted to pursue a legal career that emphasized the importance of access to our legal system for all Mississippians, whether they were financially affluent or not. During my last year of law school, I had the privilege of working with David Calder in the Guardian ad litem clinic. That was my first introduction to child advocacy, which was also a formative educational experience for me. I went on to graduate with my Juris Doctor from Ole Miss Law in 2014. I passed the Mississippi Bar Exam on my first try and became a licensed attorney in September of 2014 and have been practicing law ever since.

I have worn many hats as an attorney, and I believe that I have earned a vast amount of experience in a widespread spectrum of legal issues while wearing those hats. After I passed the Bar, I moved to Hattiesburg and began my career as an attorney. Initially, I helped people in the Pine Belt achieve final divorces, establish parental rights, and achieve child custody and/or visitation. I defended against termination of parental rights actions, child support actions, and I filed petitions to change legal names. I was also frequently appointed by our chancery court judges in the 10th Chancery Court District to represent the best interest of children involved in custody disputes as a Guardian ad litem. When I earned a few years of real-life experience, I was hired as a felony public defender in Forrest County Circuit Court and began representing people who were accused of crimes by the State of Mississippi. My clients could not afford legal representation, so it was my job to uphold the United States Constitution that provided them with the right to competent legal counsel. I argued pretrial motions, conducted defense investigations, negotiated plea deals, and represented clients in jury trials. Eventually, I discovered that my passions for child advocacy and criminal defense could work hand-in-hand in a youth court setting, and I pivoted to representing parents in Child Protection Services cases, and teenagers who were arrested by law enforcement in delinquency cases. Many attorneys avoid youth court due to the complex rules and time limits imposed upon these proceedings by Mississippi Law; however, I immediately enjoyed becoming a scholar of youth court. After working full-time in youth court for 5 years, I joined Tangi Carter & Associates, PA and represented clients privately in criminal and youth court matters. In 2026, I made the decision to begin my own practice focused on advocating for Mississippi’s youth both in and out of the courtroom.

Continuing my legal education is incredibly important to me. The law is a living, ever-evolving entity and I would not be an effective attorney if I did not keep up with new developments in the law. In addition to the annual education required to maintain my Mississippi Bar license, I have participated in many educational opportunities at my own expense. In 2018, I attended Gideon’s Promise in Atlanta, Georgia to learn how to best implement client-centered representation in criminal and youth defense cases. I studied under the guidance of the best defense attorneys in the country for two intense weeks, and then continued to return twice a year for two years to complete the Core 101 Program. I obtained certification as a Guardian ad litem in 2014 and have maintained it annually ever since. I have obtained and maintained state certifications in parent defense and youth defense in CPS and delinquency cases in youth court since 2019. In 2025, I was selected to attend the Youth Defender Advocacy Program (YDAP) through the Gault Center in Washington DC. That week-long program strengthened my skills in defending young people in youth and circuit courts, focusing especially on engaging experts and scientific studies on the differences in cognitive abilities between young people and adults. For as long as I practice law, I will continue to seek out learning opportunities to improve my skills as an attorney. I am currently working towards becoming certified by the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) as a child welfare law specialist.

As someone who has experienced so much support from my community throughout my lifetime, leadership and community service are incredibly important to me. I have also dedicated time to giving back both personally and professionally. For instance, I have served on the board for the Mississippi Public Defenders Association; currently serve on the board for the Domestic Abuse Family Shelter; Completed the Leadership Mississippi Bar program in 2024; currently serve as the child advocacy chairperson for the Young Lawyers Division of the Mississippi Bar; currently serve as the secretary for the Young Lawyers Division of the Mississippi Bar; served on the vestry for Trinity Episcopal Church from 2020-2023; served on the rector search committee for Trinity Episcopal Church in 2020; served as the alumna advisor for Tri Delta at the University of Southern Mississippi from 2016-2023; currently serve on the board for the South Central Mississippi Bar Association; and I have served on the board for the Longleaf Heights Neighborhood Association.

I am a member of the Mississippi Bar Association (as well as the criminal defense, child advocacy, and women in the profession sections), the South Central Mississippi Bar Association, the Young Lawyers Division of the Mississippi Bar, the Hattiesburg Area Young Lawyers Association, the Mississippi Public Defenders Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the National Association of Public Defenders.