Raynetra Lashell Gustavis

Raynetra “Ray” Gustavis is a named partner at Chhabra, Gibbs & Gustavis, P.A. She was born and raised in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. She received her bachelor’s degree in Music: VocalPerformance from Jackson State University, where she was a member of the Honors College. Ms. Gustavis is a 2016 magna cum laude graduate of MC Law, where she served in numerous leadership positions on the Moot Court Board and many other organizations. While pursuing her J.D., she externed with fellow Copiah County native, Justice Kitchens of the Mississippi Supreme Court.

After law school, Ms. Gustavis took both the Mississippi (Fall 2016) and Louisiana (Spring 2017) Bar exams and began her career as a plaintiff’s lawyer with the firm formerly known as Chhabra & Gibbs in Jackson, Mississippi. She became a partner at the firm in 2022 and became a named partner in 2025. Ms. Gustavis built her career on empathy for working families, especially those whose lives are turned upside down by preventable tragedies. Known for her relentless advocacy, Ray has built a reputation for securing multi-million-dollar results in cases involving 18-wheeler crashes, wrongful death, catastrophic work injuries, and insurance bad faith.

In 2025, Ms. Gustavis was named Mississippi Association for Justice’s “Woman of Achievement”. She was also chosen as “Best New Lawyer” by the Mississippi Association for Justice and received their “Legacy in Leadership” award following her tenure as the President of the Women’s Caucus. She has been recognized by Thompson Reuters as a Super Lawyers: MidSouth Rising Star and voted Best Local Lawyer by the Jackson Free Press.

Ms. Gustavis currently serves as the Vice-President of Kids’ Chance of Mississippi, a non-profit that provides scholarships for children of Mississippi workers who were killed on the job. Ms. Gustavis currently serves on the Legislative Committee of the Mississippi Association for Justice. She has served as the Secretary of the Magnolia Bar Association, an organization for Black Lawyers in Mississippi for several years. She has also served on the Public Information Committee of the Mississippi Bar. She was chosen as a member of the 2026 Leadership Mississippi Bar class.

In her fleeting free time, Ray enjoys traveling, reading, singing, cooking, spending time with her son and family, & JSU football.