Christopher “Stopher” Haug

Across nearly a quarter century in law, Christopher C. Haug has helped clients throughout the Gulf South in a broad variety of legal fields, most recently with a focus on personal injury and motor vehicle accidents. No matter the case, though, he makes it a point to never forget the kind of people he does it for — and the kind of people he and his law partners are.

“When you think of our area, you think of shipyards and ports,” says the lawyer who goes by “Stopher.” “Blue-collar and hard-working. I think you could say we are like that, too. We are going to go to bat for you, getting down to business, grinding on your case, being in the trenches.

“We aren’t some sort of billion-dollar lawyer in a fancy suit,” he adds. We are in the courtrooms where you live and work. We are tapped into the local judiciary down here on the coast. We are ‘hyper-local.’ And the key is to have a great team — and we have a great team here, where everyone works together for the benefit of our clients.”

Stopher has a book of victories in state and federal courts as well as extensive experience in matters before mediation and arbitration. Before partnering with Todd Farrar (and, later, Jonathan Franco), Stopher ran his own practice in Ocean Springs, The Haug Law Firm. His background also includes time with two regional law firms in Mississippi and Alabama and being in-house counsel for one of the largest companies in the Gulf South.

He says running a small practice makes a difference in how clients get treated. Stopher believes that quality work always beats quantity-driven caseloads, and that an intimate connection with clients and their needs should come first and foremost.

“If you call the big billboard law firms, you’re going to talk to an intake staff person stationed in some other state, who is likely not a lawyer or won’t be your lawyer,” Stopher explains. “Their whole job is to just sign people up. Here at HFF, you will likely talk to your lawyer on the very first day, who will be your lawyer throughout the case.”

“We also aren’t going to force you to settle a claim for pennies on the dollar,” he adds. “Here, our lawyers are leaders in litigation and ready, willing, and able to take your case to a jury trial.”

A graduate of Leadership Mississippi, Stopher earned his law degree from the Hugo L. Black School of Law at the University of Alabama in 2000. This came after he graduated with an honors and a double major from Mississippi State University in 1997, after having grown up in Starkville, Mississippi.

Stopher enjoys giving back to the community. He has served as an Ocean Springs election commissioner and has held various positions on the executive board for the City of Ocean Springs’ 1699 Historical Society, which works to preserve and promote the region’s heritage. Stopher also is Past Commodore of the Ocean Springs Yacht Club.

He and Lauren, his wife for over 23 years, reside in Ocean Springs with their three children, Nate, Nolan, and Caroline, along with Teddy and Jack, the family dogs, and Loki, the family cat. They enjoy reading, traveling, and playing on the water of the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast.