Joshua Little
MERCURY GENERALAbout Joshua E. Little
Independent director of Mercury General Corporation since 2017; age 54 as of April 1, 2025. Little is a shareholder, President, CEO, and Chairman of Dentons Durham Jones Pinegar P.C., and since January 2024 serves on the Dentons Global Board of Directors; prior experience includes Latham & Watkins LLP. The Board has determined Little is independent under NYSE standards, and he owns 3,250 MCY shares (<1% outstanding). His qualifications emphasize corporate governance, insurance industry advisory work, and public company counsel experience.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latham & Watkins LLP | Attorney | Prior to 2006 (exact dates not disclosed) | Corporate and governance advisory experience supporting board effectiveness |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dentons Durham Jones Pinegar P.C. | Shareholder; President, CEO, Chairman | Since 2006 | Firm leadership; governance experience; insurance industry advisory |
| Dentons Global Board of Directors | Director | Since Jan 2024 | Global governance role; information flow across large professional services network |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments (2025): Audit Committee member; Compensation Committee member; Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee Chair (appointed Feb 7, 2025; previously chaired by Martha Marcon). Audit Chair is Marcon; Compensation Chair is Ramona Cappello.
- Independence: Board determined Little is independent under NYSE listing standards.
- Attendance and engagement: In 2024, each director attended at least 75% of aggregate Board and committee meetings; Board met 4 times, Audit 4, Compensation 3, Nominating/Corporate Governance 2. Executive sessions of non-management directors were held 4 times in 2024 (5 times in 2023), presided by Lead Independent Director Martha Marcon.
- Leadership structure: Separate Chair (George Joseph) and CEO (Gabriel Tirador); Lead Independent Director role held by Marcon.
- Risk oversight: Little’s committees oversee key risks—Audit (financial reporting/internal controls), Compensation (comp plan risk), Nominating/Corporate Governance (independence, conflicts, related party policy).
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees earned or paid in cash ($) | 87,000 | 95,200 |
| Equity compensation to directors | None (no equity awards to non-employee directors) | None (no equity awards to non-employee directors) |
| Fees schedule (board/quarterly/meeting) | Quarterly $7,500; Board meeting $7,500; Audit Chair $7,500; Audit member $4,500; Compensation Chair $4,300; Compensation member $2,700; Nominating Chair $4,300; Nominating member $2,700; Investment Chair $4,300; Investment member $2,700; Lead Independent Director retainer $24,000 | Quarterly $7,800; Board meeting $7,800; Audit Chair $7,800; Audit member $4,700; Compensation Chair $4,500; Compensation member $2,800; Nominating Chair $4,500; Nominating member $2,800; Investment Chair $4,500; Investment member $2,800; Lead Independent Director retainer $25,000 |
Performance Compensation
| Performance Metric | Applies to Director Compensation? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Equity awards (RSUs/Options/PSUs) | No | Company does not grant equity to non-employee directors |
| Performance-tied cash metrics | No | Director fees are per-quarter and per-meeting; not performance-based |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed |
| Committee interlocks | None; no current member of Compensation Committee is a current/former MCY officer; no executive officer served on another entity’s board/comp committee with reciprocal overlap in 2024/2023 |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Extensive experience advising public companies and insurance industry clients on governance; long-tenured law firm leadership (Dentons DJP) and global board role at Dentons.
- Demonstrated governance competency via chairmanship of Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee, overseeing independence standards and related party policy.
Equity Ownership
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Shares beneficially owned | 3,250 | 3,250 |
| Ownership as % of outstanding | <1% (flag per proxy table) | <1% (flag per proxy table) |
| Hedging/pledging policy | Prohibited for directors | Prohibited for directors |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independence status; multi-committee service including Audit and Compensation; elevation to Chair of Nominating/Corporate Governance enhances influence over board composition, independence, and conflict oversight. Board and committee meeting cadence and executive sessions indicate regular oversight, and Little’s committees met their schedules (Audit 4; Compensation 3; Nominating 2 in 2024).
- Alignment: Little holds 3,250 shares; company prohibits hedging/pledging, supporting alignment. However, MCY does not grant equity to non-employee directors, limiting stock-based alignment relative to peer norms.
- Conflicts: Related party transactions involve Joseph family members; no transactions disclosed involving Little, and related party approvals are overseen by Nominating/Corporate Governance (chaired by Little in 2025), mitigating conflict risk.
- Engagement signals: Each director attended at least 75% of meetings in 2024; executive sessions held regularly under a Lead Independent Director. Shareholders supported say-on-pay strongly (96% approval in 2024; 94% in 2023), indicating broader governance stability.
RED FLAGS: None specifically tied to Little disclosed. Structural consideration: absence of equity grants to directors may reduce direct ownership alignment, though personal share ownership and anti-hedging/pledging policy partially offset. Family interlocks exist elsewhere on the Board but are subject to related party oversight by Little’s committee.