Fred is a senior partner in the general litigation group in the Jackson office of Phelps Dunbar. He is a former circuit judge in Hinds and Yazoo Counties. He is a former Presiding Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court and retired from that position in October 2001 after serving on the court for 11 years. From 1976 until 1985, Fred served in the Mississippi House of Representatives. He currently practices in the areas of commercial litigation, alternative dispute resolution, legislative and governmental relations, and appellate law. Fred is among a select group of lawyers recognized in the category of Litigation: Appellate, listed in a nationwide client survey published in Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business. He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

Fred received his J.D. from Howard University, J.D., cum laude and a B.A. in Business Administration (Accounting) from Howard University.