March 2021
MEMBER NEWSLETTER Periodic E-Newsletter Focusing on Arkansas Bar Association Members
ARKBAR HAPPENINGS
March 2021 MONDAY
SUNDAY
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TUESDAY
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WEDNESDAY
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Tax Law
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THURSDAY
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Live Webinar Noon-1:00 Stark Ligon Trivia Night Ethics
11 Live Webinar Noon-1:00 Sach Oliver
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YLS Frank Elcan II Leadership Award Nomination Due
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Techie Tuesday Members schedule free LPM Consultation
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30
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Live Webinar Noon-1:00 FREE for Members
Deadline for ArkBar Voting
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Editorial Advisory Board Meeting
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SATURDAY
FRIDAY
5 Legislation Committee Noon
Joint Award Nominations Deadline
12
6 Regional Mock Trial Competitions
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Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees Legislation Committee 1:00p
19 Legislation Committee Noon
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20 State Mock Trial Competition
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Legislation Committee Noon
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YLS Executive Council Nominations Due
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Oyez! Oyez! Arkansas Immigrant Defense received the Arkansas Business Nonprofit of the Year award. Lawyer Stephen Coger founded the nonprofit organization Arkansas Immigrant Defense in 2015. David Biscoe Bingham of Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. has been accepted into Class II of the Heart of America Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Jason Browning of Wright Lindsey Jennings has been elected into partnership.
Michelle Browning of Wright Lindsey Jennings has been elected into partnership.
Brittany S. Ford of Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC has been named Secretary for the Board of Directors for Pulaski and Perry Counties CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). Ashley Gill of Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. has been accepted into Class II of the Heart of America Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.
Heather B. Hersh of the Law Office of Joseph Paul Smith, P.A. was recognized by the American Bar Association as an ABA Free Legal Answers Pro Bono Leader for providing pro bono advice to at least 50 clients on AR Free Legal Answers in 2020.
Send your oyez to ahubbard@arkbar.com 2
www.arkbar.com
J. Cliff McKinney II of Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC was recognized by the American Bar Association as an ABA Free Legal Answers Pro Bono Leader for providing pro bono advice to at least 50 clients on AR Free Legal Answers in 2020. Laura J. Pearn of Ledbetter, Cogbill, Arnold & Harrison, LLP has been elected as a partner in the firm.
Steve Quattlebaum of Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC has been selected for the Lawdragon 500 Hall of Fame.
Cal Rose of Wright Lindsey Jennings has been elected into partnership.
Brice White recently received the Esther SilverParker Corporate Trailblazer Award for demonstrating dedication to uplifting and building a better future for black lives through business. Daniel H. Wigley has joined the Gibson & Keith, PLLC, law firm of Monticello.
AR Free Legal Answers Clinic
Check out the upcoming dates to volunteer for an upcoming AR Free Legal Answers Clinic. At these clinics, attorneys and law student volunteers work together to answer questions received from low and moderate income Arkansans who can’t afford an attorney. The clinics all take place on Zoom from noon to 1pm. https://www.signupgenius.com/ go/10c0c4ea9ac22aaf9ce9-volunteer
ArkBar Elections Voting Ends March 18 Ballots for positions on the Board of Trustees were distributed Monday, February 15, 2021. Electronic ballots were sent from AssociationVoting.com. The ballot contains candidates for the Board of Trustees in Districts A1 (Benton County), A2, A3 (Washington County), B9-15 (Pulaski County), and C7 covering southeast Arkansas. Also on the ballot are proposed amendments to the Association’s Constitution as approved by the Board of Trustees on January 29, 2021. If you did not receive your ballot please contact Michele Glasgow at mglasgow@ arkbar.com or 501-801-5661.
Call for
Nominations 2021 Joint Awards
These awards will be presented during the virtual Annual Meeting in June. Forms are available at www.arkbar.com/for-attorneys/ award-nominations or you may submit a written letter of nomination in a pdf file to Ann Pyle at apyle@arkbar.com. Please call Ann Pyle at 501-801-5670 with any questions.
Nominations Due Friday, March 5
ArkBar’s new #MoreThanALawyer campaign highlights all the ways Arkansas Bar Association lawyers impact lives within and outside of their profession. ArkBar lawyers are volunteers, mentors, authors, musicians, church leaders, and committed advocates for their communities outside of the practice of law, and we want to spread the good word. In all of these roles, they make a difference in their community. We will share a #MoreThanALawyer story on ArkBar’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Nominate a #MoreThanALawyer by emailing ahubbard@arkbar.com. Meet ArkBar’s #MoreThanALawyer Chris Hussein—avid Razorback sports fan! Chris is eager for the Razorback baseball season to start this spring. Being a sports fan helps him balance his work as a staff attorney for Legal Aid of Arkansas and as ArkBar’s YLS Chair.
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Join the
YLS Executive Council! Nominating Petitions for the Young Lawyers Section Executive Council are due March 31, 2021, for these positions: 1. Chair-Elect 2. Secretary-Treasurer 3. At-Large Representative 4. District A Representative (Northwest Arkansas) 5. District B Representative (Pulaski County) 6. District C Representative (Everywhere Else) Apply Here! http://bit.ly/arkbaryls
Nominate a Young Lawyer
For the Frank Elcan II Young Lawyer Leadership Award Nominate Here! http://bit.ly/arkbaryls
2021 Mock Trial Competiton Starts Saturday, March 6 The 2021 Arkansas High School Regional Mock Trial Competition will take place virtually on Saturday, March 6 and the State Competition will take place on Saturday, March 20. While the competition looks different this year, we still need attorneys and judges to serve as scoring and presiding judges for the competition. A mock trial round lasts approximately 2.5 hours with a 30-minute orientation before the round. If you would like to volunteer to serve as a judge for the Mock Trial Competition, please complete the form here. Mock Trial Committee Co-Chairs Adrienne Griffis and Anthony McMullen
Now Accepting 2021-2022 Committee Appointment Preferences Service on an Arkbar committee, task force, or special project allows members the opportunity to directly support the mission and objectives of the association. Lend your skills to improving your membership experience! Click here to submit your preferences today!
Ask the Tech Expert
TECHIE TUESDAY CONSULTATIONS Book your free consultation with a legal tech expert as part of your ArkBar member benefit Practice Link. Select a time to be booked with a consultant who will answer any question about the management and technology at your firm. This is your chance to meet with a legal tech expert one-on-one. Appointments are available the 3rd Tuesday of each Month throughout 2021.
arkbar.com/practice-link 4
www.arkbar.com
The Arkansas Bar Association is your advocate at the State Capitol. ArkBar works full time to monitor legislation issues affecting justice and the legal profession. In addition to providing a full time lobbyist who represents the Association in the General Assembly, ArkBar maintains a Legislative Resources web page to provide additional resources for members. The Regular Session of the 93rd General Assembly convened on Monday, January 11th. During the upcoming session, the Arkansas Bar Association will be working full time to monitor legislation affecting justice and the legal profession. The Legislation Committee will meet every Friday to review bills of interest on your behalf. Log in to www.arkbar.com to view the Legislative Resources page. “In addition to meeting every Friday, the Legislation Committee also reaches out to you as members of the Association and to the sections and committees of the Association who have expertise on particular pieces of legislation. It is also the Legislation Committee’s job to support the Association lobbyist in the passage of the Association’s Legislative Package which is developed by the Jurisprudence and Law Reform Committee. Taken together, they are a formidable team and do the heavy lifting for the Association. They have in mind in everything they do the best interest of the Association and by extension the best interests of the citizens of Arkansas. We owe them a big debt of gratitude. They are your Arkansas Bar Association at work.” Paul W. Keith, ArkBar President
Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees Called for March 12, 2021 Pursuant to Article VII. Section 3 of the Association’s Constitution, ten trustees filed a proper petition with the Secretary for a special called meeting of the Board of Trustees.
official position from “no position” to “opposed” in relation to proposed constitutional amendments HJR1014 and SJR8 that have been filed by the Arkansas General Assembly.
Article VII. Meetings Section 3. Board of Trustees Special Meetings Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President, by the Executive Committee, or by written petition of ten (10) members of the Board filed with the Secretary. Members may participate and vote in special meetings by electronic means as may be determined by such body.
Click here to view SJR8
The purpose of the meeting is to consider a change in the Arkansas Bar Association’s
Click here to view HJR1014 The special meeting will be held virtually via Zoom at 12:00 pm on Friday, March 12, 2021, and is open to the full membership per Article VII. Section 5 of the Association’s Constitution. Article IV. Section 3 defines voting rights for Trustees and floor privileges for ex-officio and tenured members. 5
SPRING 2021 CLE LIVE WEBINARS AND VIRTUAL CONFERENCES
REGISTER NOW!
APRIL/MAY Thursday, April 8 Noon - 1:00p Topic: Immigration Courts and Recent Changes to the Law Presented by Jonathan Martin, Monterrey Law Firm PLLC
MARCH Thursday, March 4 Noon - 1:00p (ETHICS) Attorney’s Fees and Fee Agreements in Arkansas Presented by Stark Ligon, Chief
Disciplinary Counsel of the Arkansas Supreme Court Office of Professional Conduct and Executive Director of the Committee on Professional Conduct
Thursday, March 11 Noon - 1:00p Focus Groups + Mock Trials = More Predictable Verdicts Presented by Sach Oliver We will discuss the process of conducting focus groups and mock trials. We will outline the critical steps that must be taken to ensure that accurate and usable information is gathered. Then we will cover how to use the data and information collected in discovery and trial. Thursday, March 18 — FREE FOR MEMBERS Noon - 1:00p Cloud Computing - Pros, Cons and Ethical Issues Presented by Affinity Consulting Members register at www.arkbar.com/practice-link
View agendas and register online at ArkBar’s new 2021 home for all things CLE— CLE CENTRAL. Also, the On-Demand catalog is updated with new presentations monthly. ARKBAR.COM/CLE--EVENTS/CLE-CENTRAL 6
www.arkbar.com
Friday, April 9 Construction Law Virtual Conference Watch for agenda
Thursday, April 15 Noon - 1:00p Topic: Federal CDC Eviction Moratorium – Application and Effects on Landlords Presented by Josh Carson, Rausch Coleman Homes
Friday, April 16 Labor & Employment Law Virtual Conference Watch for agenda
April 29-30 Debtor Creditor Law Virtual Conference Watch for agenda
Thursday, May 6 Noon - 1:00p Topic: Ethics and Appellate Court Presented by Judge Bart Virden Date TBA Environmental Law Virtual Conference Watch for dates and agenda
123 AN N UAL ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION
RD
1. REBOOT 2. RECHARGE 3. RECLAIM
MEETING REIMAGINING OUR PRACTICES FOR THE BEST TOMORROW
JUNE 15-18, 2021
VIRTUAL—JOIN US ON CLE CENTRAL
REBOOT RECHARGE RECLAIM FAMILY LAW, BUSINESS LAW, CRIMINAL LAW
FUN VIRTUAL SOCIAL EVENTS
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS HILARIE BASS
President & Founder of the Bass Institute for Diversity & Inclusion; President of the American Bar Association (2017-2018)
STACY LEEDS
Foundation Professor of Law and Leadership, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law; Dean Emeritus, University of Arkansas School of Law
ISAAC WRIGHT JR.
Sponsorship opportunities available!
UPDATES COMING SOON!
Consultant, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Criminal and Civil Attorney and inspiration for ABC’s series “For Life”
Visit arkbar.com/annualmeeting/home ARKBAR.COM/ANNUALMEETING 7
1 in 4 people will become disabled before reaching age 67. If you were suddenly diagnosed with a long-term disability (LTD) would you be able to make ends meet despite losing your paycheck? As a member of the The Arkansas Bar Association, you have access to a Member Group LTD Plan that can help protect your income if you become disabled as the result of a covered accident or illness—including pregnancy. The plan offers up to $10,000 of monthly own-occupation coverage*, and there is no annual fee. Get the protection you need to safeguard your future.
Get an instant quote at memberbenefits.com/arkbar ADMINISTERED BY:
INSURANCE MARKETPLACE 8
www.arkbar.com
*Income and underwriting limits apply. Disability statistics courtesy of the U.S. Social Security Administration. Products sold and serviced by Business Planning Concepts, Inc dba Member Benefits, the program administrator. The Arkansas Bar Association is not a licensed insurance entity and does not sell insurance.