Raynetra L. Gustavis

Raynetra L. “Ray” Gustavis is a named partner of Chhabra, Gibbs & Gustavis, P.A. and a Mississippi personal injury attorney serving clients across the state, including Jackson, Gulfport, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She began her career at the firm as a law student intern, joined as an associate in 2016, became a partner on January 1, 2022, and became a named partner in 2025. The Mississippi Association for Justice honored her with its Legacy of Leadership Award and New Lawyer of the Year Award in 2022 and named her a Woman of Achievement in 2025.

Ray represents people injured in car wrecks, 18-wheeler crashes, construction accidents, other work accidents, and unsafe property conditions. She also handles wrongful death, workers’ compensation, and mass tort cases. Her work includes settlements, trials, and appeals.

Raised in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, Ray earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Jackson State University, where she participated in the Honors College. She graduated magna cum laude from Mississippi College School of Law in 2016. During law school, she served as a judicial extern to Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens and interned with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Public Lands Division and the 22nd Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

Ray is licensed in Mississippi and Louisiana and has litigated in state and federal courts.

Ray also handles appeals for injured workers before the Mississippi Court of Appeals and Mississippi Supreme Court. Her cases include Mayberry v. Cottonport Hardwoods, about whether the owner of timber being cut counted as an injured logger’s employer for workers’ compensation purposes; Yates v. Triple D, Inc., about whether a farm worker was covered by workers’ compensation; and Ajinomoto Foods North America v. Moore, about a worker who lost the use of both hands for her job. In Strong v. Acara Solutions, Inc., the question was whether an injured worker could pursue his injury lawsuit after his bankruptcy case was dismissed. In Thornhill v. Walker-Hill Environmental, the Mississippi Supreme Court considered whether a worker who settled his workers’ compensation claim could then sue over how his claim had been handled.