Arkansas Money & Politics needed a good lawyer — our readers came through. They gave us a lot more than one. We present the 2022 Legal Elite as chosen by AMP readers — 50 or so go-to attorneys representing the spectrum of specialties in Arkansas.
Vanessa Cash Adams
ARlaw Partners
Adrienne Baker
Wright, Lindsey & Jennings, LLP
Adrienne Baker is the chief operating officer for Wright Lindsey Jennings and a partner in the firm. Her practice centers on commercial litigation, focusing on banking and lending issues, complex business disputes, creditors’ rights and collections and contract issues. Baker has been named a Rising Star by “Mid-South Super Lawyers” several times, and she recently completed her ninth year as a member of the board of directors of the American Red Cross Serving Greater Arkansas, including a term as Chairman of the Board. She is also a graduate of Leadership Greater Little Rock, Class XXXI, and the Arkansas Business Executive Leadership Academy.
James Bargar
The Bargar Law Firm, P.A.
Katherine Blackmon Carroll
Law Offices of Katherine E. Blackmon
Katherine Blackmon Carroll is the owner and managing attorney of the Law Offices of Katherine E. Blackmon, a trauma-informed family law firm, with an emphasis on helping clients navigate difficult times with empathy and expertise. Carroll earned her bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University and her juris doctorate from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. After Carroll passed the bar exam and received her license to practice, she began renting a one-room office in the Centre Place building in downtown Little Rock in 1997. The firm’s goals are to walk clients through difficult domestic situations and to provide representation tailored for each individual client. Blackmon’s firm serves the unique needs of each client and works toward fair resolutions while vigorously protecting its clients’ rights and needs. Under her leadership, Carroll’s team continues to fight aggressively for clients and, just as frequently, talks clients through the emotions that go hand-in-hand with experiencing a divorce or custody matter.
Will Bond
McMath Woods, P.A.
Will Bond is a partner at McMath Woods P.A. His practice is concentrated on representing individuals on a contingency fee basis in any type of personal injury, wrongful death or insurance dispute, including car wrecks, 18-wheeler wrecks and medical negligence cases. Bond graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1995 after receiving his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt. He has previously served as an Arkansas state representative and state senator.
Beau Britton
Schnipper, Britton & Stobaugh
Brian Brown
Laser Law Firm
Little Rock native Brian Brown graduated cum laude from Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College) in 1984, where he was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa. After passing the CPA exam, he entered the University of Arkansas School of Law at Little Rock, graduating in 1988. He then joined the Laser Law Firm and became a partner in 2000. Brown is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as all state and federal courts in Arkansas. He is a member of the Pulaski County, Arkansas and American Bar Associations. His practice focuses on legal research, motion practice and appellate law, and he has taught a number of continuing legal education seminars on insurance-related legal issues.
Arkie Byrd
Mays, Byrd & Associates, P.A.
Andy L. Caldwell
Caldwell Law Firm, P.A.
Andy L. Caldwell is the principal attorney at the Caldwell Law Firm, P.A. His primary focus and area of practice is workers’ compensation. Caldwell has lectured to Fortune 500 companies, insurance carriers and members of the bar on the topics of workers’ compensation, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and legal ethics. He is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association and the Pulaski County Bar Association. He is also a member of the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association as well as the American Association for Justice, the Association for Trial Lawyers. Caldwell was admitted to practice in 1999 in all Arkansas state and federal courts. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville, in 1999, and his bachelor’s degree in political science from Henderson State University in 1995.
Craig Cook
Law Offices of Craig L. Cook
Brandon Crawford
Brandon Crawford, Attorney at Law
Hugh E. Crisp
Crisp Law Firm
At his Little Rock practice, Hugh E. Crisp exclusively handles personal injury litigation, with an emphasis on medical malpractice and catastrophic injuries in the Mid-South. Crisp is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating for an attorney practicing in the United States. He has been selected by his peers as a Mid-South Super Lawyers honoree for the past 10 years, and is a fellow in Litigation Counsel of America.
Skip Davidson
Davidson Law Firm
Skip Davidson is an Arkansas native from Lake Village, where he grew up on a farm and worked in the construction industry before attending college. He established Davidson Law Firm in 1973 as a full-service firm with an emphasis on business transactions and business litigation. Today, the firm has expanded to four locations, serving hundreds of clients all around the state. Davidson fully embraces the motto “work hard, play hard.” He believes being a successful attorney means more than working hard from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. five days a week. When he is not in the office, he can almost always be found at working hard at Davidson Ranch, his 300-head cattle farm.
Amber Davis
Entergy
Amber Davis grew up on a goat farm in Grapevine, Arkansas, where she lived with her grandparents. In 2005, she graduated magna cum laude from Hendrix College with a Bachelor of Arts in history. For the next few years, she worked as a reporter for “The Daily Record” in Little Rock. Davis graduated from law school in 2011, ranked first in her class. She also earned the highest score on the July 2011 bar exam. Immediately after passing the bar, she became an associate at Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull, PLLC, where she handled cases in a wide variety of areas, including complex litigation, torts, products liability and employment. In 2018, Davis became associate general counsel at Heifer International, a nonprofit organization that seeks to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. While working there, she handled general litigation, employment and contract matters. Missing the world of litigation, Davis came to Entergy in September 2021, where she is senior counsel. When she is not working, Davis enjoys creative writing, practicing yoga and playing with her dog, Cookie.
Joe Denton
Denton & Zachary, PLLC
Joe Denton is an Arkansas native and attorney, practicing law in the public interest to represent Arkansans against large corporations, government and other entities. He takes pride in standing with the little guy. Denton fights for his clients in court every week, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a trial lawyer with more courtroom experience. Denton has represented numerous clients through settlement, administrative hearings and before a jury, and is passionate about trying cases. He studied law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law, and lives in Central Arkansas with his wife, Kelli, and son, Hays.
Pam Epperson
Epperson Panasiuk Law
There isn’t much that Pamela Epperson isn’t ready to tackle head-on for her clients. Epperson practices state and federal defense work, along with personal injury and Social Security Disability cases. Currently the owner and sole practicer of her firm, Epperson has worked alongside some of the state’s best lawyers, where she developed strong approaches for the courtroom. Guiding her clients through their rights every step of the way and representing them with a firm presence is all part of Epperson’s mission to go the extra mile.
Karey Gardner
Mallard Gardner
Tim Gauger
Arkansas BlueCross BlueShield
Erika Ross Gee
Wright, Lindsey & Jennings, LLP
Erika Gee is the primary drafter of Responsible Growth Arkansas’s ballot initiative to authorize adult use cannabis, which will be voted on in November 2022. She has been representing cannabis businesses since December of 2016 in a broad variety of matters, including regulatory and legislative lobbying, compliance counsel and general counsel for licensed dispensaries, cultivation facilities, processors, licensed hemp growers and processor and ancillary businesses. Gee leads a multidisciplinary team of attorneys at Wright Lindsey Jennings who provide representation in tax matters, mergers and acquisitions, capital raises, employment law and other issues affecting the industry. She has been recognized as the “Lawyer of the Year” for Government Relations in the 2023 edition of Best Lawyers in America© and is a sought-after speaker on the legal and regulatory aspects of cannabis in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and the surrounding region.
Gary Green
Law Offices of Gary Green
Kayce Green
Law Offices of Gary Green
R. Seth Hampton
Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull, PLLC
R. Seth Hampton joined Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC in 2014. His practice primarily focuses on real estate, agriculture, commercial finance and environmental compliance. He is recognized in the 2023 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch in the areas of Banking and Finance Law, Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law and Real Estate Law. Hampton is licensed to practice in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and the United States Court of Federal Claims.
Charles Harrison
McMath Woods, P.A.
Attorney Charles Harrison has been with McMath Woods in Little Rock for over 20 years. He is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Pulaski County Bar Association, Arkansas Bar Association Alternate Dispute Resolution Section and American Bar Association. He earned his J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1979.
Haley Heath
Fuqua Campbell, P.A.
Aaron D. Heller
OMG Law Firm
Josh Hurst
Hurst Law Group
Justin Hurst
Hurst Law Group
Jonathan D. Jones
Jonathan D. Jones, Attorney at Law, P.A.
Jonathan Jones runs a boutique law firm in Hot Springs focusing on divorce, child custody and other family law matters. He has also worked in civil litigation, personal injury litigation and property and real estate law with a focus on wills and trusts. Jones graduated from Hendrix College in 1998 with a degree in political science, and from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law in 2001.
Will Jones
Pulaski County Prosecutor
Keith Kannett
Law Offices of Craig L. Cook
Taylor King
Taylor King Law
Samuel E. Ledbetter
McMath Woods, P.A.
Samuel E. Ledbetter is an attorney at McMath Woods. Ledbetter specializes in Environmental Law, including litigation in state and federal courts and appearing before state and federal regulatory agencies. He also focuses on representation of individuals, businesses, state and local government and environmental groups in a variety of matters including toxic tort cases, pollution-related property damage cases, cost recovery actions and administrative permitting and enforcement actions. Ledbetter earned his B.A. from Hendrix College and University of Colorado in 1979, and his J.D. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in1983.
Gabriel Mallard
Mallard Gardner
Taylor Martin T.D.
Martin Law
Clark W. Mason
Clark Mason Attorneys
Dustin McDaniel
McDaniel Wolff, PLLC
Dustin McDaniel is an attorney and founding partner in the firm of McDaniel Wolff, PLLC. He was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2004, serving from 2005-2007. In 2006, McDaniel was elected as Arkansas’s 55th Attorney General. At the time, he was the youngest Attorney General in the United States. In 2010, he was reelected. He is a graduate of the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, where he was Interfraternity Council President and a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.
Quincy McKinney
McKinney & McKinney
Michael S. Moore
Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP
Mike Munnerlyn
Mike Munnerlyn, P.A.
Lonoke native Mike Munnerlyn graduated cum laude from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1991, with an undergraduate degree in accounting. He received his law degree in 1994 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, and earned a Master of Law degree in taxation (LL.M.) from the University of Florida College of Law. Munnerlyn practices statewide, primarily in the areas of Estate Planning, Taxation, Business Planning, Probate and Trust Administration.
Richard L. Mays, Sr.
Mays, Byrd & Associates, P.A.
Tiffany Mays O’Guinn
Mays, Byrd & Associates, P.A.
Jessica Middleton
Stephens
Jason Owens
Jason Owens Law Firm
W. Lance Owens
OMG Law Firm
Dalton Person
Jones, Jackson, Moll, McGinnis & Stocks, PLC
Carrie Quraishi
Quraishi Law Firm
Mike Rainwater
Rainwater, Holt & Sexton
Landon T. Sanders
The Sanders Firm, PLLC
Bob Sexton
Rainwater, Holt & Sexton
Kevin J. Staten
Laser Law Firm
Pine Bluff native Kevin Staten has been an attorney for over 35 years, has tried over 400 jury trials and is considered one of the finest defense attorneys in the state of Arkansas. He is a member of the Pulaski County, Arkansas and American Bar Associations, and the Defense Counsel Bar of Arkansas. He specializes in personal injury defense cases and other matters concerning insurance defense. Staten graduated in 1984 with a juris doctorate from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and has been in practice with the Laser Law Firm since 1985.
Ashley Stepps
Rippy, Stepps & Associates
Taylor A. Stockemer
Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP
Chad Trammell
Trammell-Piazza Law Firm
Marcus Vaden
Marcus Vaden Law
Vince Ward
McDaniel Wolff, PLLC
Vince Ward is managing partner and co-leads tax and corporate law practice at McDaniel Wolff, PLLC. Ward’s practice focuses on a wide range of taxation and business law matters involving a diverse group of industries, regularly providing counsel to multi-state retailers, manufacturers, logistics companies, commercial real estate developers, regulated lenders and many others. A native of Fayetteville, Ward moved to Little Rock after obtaining his Master of Law in Taxation from Southern Methodist University.
Brad J. Williams
Bennett & Williams
Rufus Wolff
McDaniel Wolff, PLLC
Rufus Wolff is a founding partner and co-leads tax and corporate law practice at McDaniel Wolff, PLLC. His practice focuses on a wide range of taxation and business law matters, regularly counseling private individuals, emerging technology companies, real estate developers, oil and gas companies, securities firms and many other types of entrepreneurs whose needs require a creative yet practical approach to their complex legal matters. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (inactive), and has served as an adjunct professor of law at the William H. Bowen School of Law in Little Rock, teaching Corporate Income Taxation from 1989 to 1996. He has been actively involved in the PEO industry since 1987, representing numerous PEOs throughout the country.
Justin Zachary
Denton & Zachary, PLLC
Practicing law in the public interest, Justin Zachary has helped the people of Arkansas go up against some of the largest corporations in the world. His passion for helping those in need is what inspired him to pursue a career as a trial lawyer. Zachary earned his degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law, where he set himself apart from his peers with his service to the community and ability to effectively present complex legal arguments in a simple way. Super Lawyers magazine recognized Zachary as a rising star, awarded to only 2.5% of lawyers practicing within the state. The National Trial Lawyers Association also named him one of the Top 40 under 40 trial lawyers. When Zachary is not in the courtroom or working on a case, you can find him with his wife, Heather, and three children, Grace, Shepard and Cecelia.
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