Co-founder and Managing Attorney
ARlaw Partners
Vanessa Cash Adams is co-founder and managing attorney at ARlaw Partners, a firm with offices in Little Rock and Fayetteville. Adams graduated from the William H. Bowen School of Law in 2007 and was admitted to the Arkansas Bar that same year. Her undergraduate degree in journalism at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville gave her a strong foundation in communication, while other essential skills have come through hands-on experience.
“Throughout my career, I’ve had to learn to take nothing personally and to let trivial things go so I can focus on what’s important: figuring out the ultimate goal for my clients and determining how to achieve and attain those goals,” Adams said.
In 2020, Adams founded ARlaw alongside her partners Charlie Cunningham, Dustin Duke and Katie Freeman. Over the course of 17 years in private practice, Adams has focused primarily on consumer and business transactions, negotiations and bankruptcy. Splitting her time between the firm’s two offices, the bulk of Adams’ work is spent helping her clients through some of the most difficult times of their lives. Sudden unemployment, medical procedures and divorce are just a few of the myriad unexpected circumstances that can upend a family both emotionally and financially, so Adams’ role is just as much about education as it is about empathy. While her depth of experience allows her to provide the best solutions to her clients, it is Adams’ careful and caring approach that enables clients to take those tools and embark on a new chapter.
In addition to serving clients around the state, Adams spends time investing in the future of her profession both inside and outside the firm. She is past president of the Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers, having served on the board and a number of committees over the years. AAWL raises funds to support women law students, as well as supporting law students preparing for the bar exam or seeking interviews and internships.
With her eager involvement in these and other groups, the Little Rock native embodies the advice she would offer to women getting started in their own careers.
“Don’t try to limit yourself. Try new things,” she said. “The more you learn, the better equipped you’ll be to handle things in the future.”
Adams’ work ethic is matched by her own self-confidence, a trait that can make or break any lawyer, let alone a woman frequently facing male-oriented spaces. Adams credits her mother — whom she described as ”one tough lady” — for teaching her how to be a strong woman and to know her own worth. Now a mother herself, Adams said that being a woman and a mother has profoundly shaped how she approaches her work.
“There have been great changes to how we approach motherhood in the workplace, with things like designated nursing areas for new moms, as well as how PTO and maternity leave is structured,” she said.
