Sometimes we doubt our abilities and ourselves and then an acknowledgement gives us the encouragement that we may be on the right track.

The Mississippi Business Journal named 40 leading attorneys in Mississippi, and three of the attorneys acknowledged on the list have Warren County ties.

District Attorney Ricky Smith was announced as a part of the top 10 attorneys last week at the Leadership in Law awards reception in Jackson. All three assistant district attorneys attended the reception to support Smith.

“I’m very humbled and appreciative of the recognition,” Smith said.

Local attorney Kim Nailor was also in the top 40 along with Gayla Carpenter-Sanders, a Vicksburg native who works as executive director and general counsel of the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project in Jackson and is the sister of Warren County Assistant District Attorney Angela Carpenter.

“When I found out I was selected I was actually shocked to say the least,” Nailor said. “I was like really? Me? Because I know there are so many other attorneys who are more seasoned and more deserving. I was just really very humbled and honored because I don’t practice law for any awards. I just do it because it’s a calling.”

The top 40 were told in advance that they had been accepted for the award, but the top 10 were announced at the ceremony.

Smith said from some of the biographies he heard read at the ceremony, he wasn’t quite sure why they accepted him in the top 10.

“There were some very impressive individuals there that were being recognized,” Smith said. “I’m not sure how they selected me to be in the top 10 of that group.”

This is the sixth year the journal has recognized leaders in law.

“We were told they were just looking for attorneys actively engaged in the practice of law and also who have ties to their community,” Nailor said.

All honorees are nominated by someone and are asked to possess the following qualities listed on the MBJ website “are astute, wise, knowledgeable and successful; exemplify the noble tradition of the legal profession; win cases and solve problems with the utmost integrity; inspire and lead others with their skills and character; be role models and mentors; and be passionate and aggressive on behalf of clients and the community.”

Neither Smith nor Nailor knows who nominated them.

“It was absolutely out of the blue,” Smith said. “They accept nominations, and I’m not even sure who nominated me. I don’t know how the nomination took place, but I thank whoever did it.”

Nailor, who has been practicing law for nine years, said just the nomination itself gave her the assurance to keep working hard to make a difference.

“Sometimes you just kind of doubt yourself and you doubt when you’re working in your profession. Am I doing enough? Am I doing the right thing? And you second guess yourself, and you lose confidence,” Nailor said. “Just to know that someone out there thought enough of me to even nominate me, that was all that I really needed to know to say OK I need to keep doing what I’m doing and making a difference.”