1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 September 2022 Periodic E-Newsletter Focusing on Arkansas Bar Association Members MEMBER NEWSLETTER ARKBAR HAPPENINGS 11 13 14 15 16 18 20 21 23 17 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 2625 27 28 29 30 September 2022 1219 24 AR Free Legal Answers Clinic AR Free Legal Answers Clinic Bar Center closed for Labor CommitteeExecutiveDayMeeting Uniform Law WebinarUpdates Adobe AffiliateParalegalTraining 22 Arkansas FoundationBarFundraiser
2 www.arkbar.com PRESENTING SPONSOR September 15, 2022 Governor’s Mansion 6:00 - 8:30 pm Presented by the Arkansas Bar Association and Arkansas Business SPONSORS ARKANSAS BA R ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BA R ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BA R ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BA R ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS ASSOCIATIONBAR LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS ASSOCIATIONBAR LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS LEGAL ARKANSAS ASSOCIATIONBAR LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BA R ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAMELEGAL HALL FAME LEGAL OF FAME INAUGURAL CLASS Philip S. Anderson Senator David Pryor Secretary Rodney E. Slater Justice Annabelle Tuck GovernorJudgePOSTHUMOUSRichardS.ArnoldScipioAfricanusJonesSidneyMcMath LittleGROUPRockNine Honoringlegallegacies. The Arkansas Bar Association Hall of Fame recognizes the men and women who have made an extraordinary contribution to the law, society, the administration of justice and legal education. We invite all Arkansans, not just the legal community, to join us in celebrating those who have helped shape justice and positively impacted our profession and state. Thursday, September 24, 2020 Wally Allen Ballroom, Statehouse Convention Center Reception 6 p.m. / Dinner and Ceremony 7-9 p.m. Tickets: $150, $1,500 for a table of 10 For more information and to purchase tickets: Arkansas Business.com/LegalHallOfFame Contact Tiffany Mattzela at 501-455-9334 or TMattzela@ABPG.Com for details and sponsorship questions. ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME LEGAL HALL OF FAME LEGAL HALL OF FAME LEGAL HALL OF FAMELEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION LEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS ASSOCIATIONBAR FAMELEGAL HALL OF FAME ARKANSAS BAR SPONSOR: Pro Bono CLE Opportunities 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. Register at go/10c0d4ea4ac2ca1fac16-novemberhttps://www.signupgenius.com/ The Arkansas Bar Association recently received an Excellence in magazineofforAssociationArkansasAwardCommunicationfromtheSocietyofExecutivestheFall2021issueTheArkansasLawyerwhichfeatured a tribute to members who served in the U.S. Military. The feature was also expanded into a powerpoint slide that was shown during the Association’s Mid-Year Meeting that occurred on Veterans Day. A publication of the Arkansas Bar Association Vol. 56, No. 4, Fall 2021LawyerTheArkansas HonoringInside Those Who Served and Sacrificed to Protect Our Freedom
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Our first Local Social was a success! Thanks to the Washington County Bar Association and Benton County Bar Association for partnering with ArkBar for a fun #localNWAR social on August 25. ArkBar Board of Trustees
District A hosted the social with law students, board members and local attorneys and judges. The Board of Trustees held their quarterly meeting in Fayetteville on August 26. Watch for information on District B’s Local Social in December in Little Rock.
SimpleWill gives all attorneys the comprehensive tools needed to efficiently process and handle basic estate planning cases even if estate planning is outside your main practice area. Often we get interest from trial attorneys who historically have had to refer these clients away due to the lack of bandwidth necessary to service these types of cases.
For this reason, utilizing SimpleWill in your practice opens up new revenue-generating opportunities regardless of practice area or specialty.
Member and Vendor Spotlight
Meet Patrick H. Murphy, J.D., LL.M.
Although “high net worth” clients get a lot of attention in the estate planning space, the overwhelming majority of clients just need the basic, essential estate planning documents such as a Last Will, Durable Power of Attorney and Healthcare Documents to address incapacity. Due to a cap on market rate legal fees as well as cost constraints on the client, traditional law firms usually can’t costeffectively service these basic estate planning cases, forcing prospective clients to use online document generation companies which can lead to unintended consequences without proper attorney oversight.
4 www.arkbar.com
How can SimpleWill help attorneys who may not have much of a probate practice?
Tell us about your education.
Where are you from? I’m a native Arkansan born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas What is your passion outside of work and the law? My wife Mckenzie and three kids (Sawyer, Sutton and Sullivan) keep me pretty busy. Outside of family life I love to play tennis. What or who inspired you to be a lawyer? The job market in 2007 and my Uncle Sonny from Memphis, Tennessee. What is your favorite app or social media outlet? I get a good amount of use out of LandGlide for work and the ESPN fantasy football app for pleasure. Where and what type of law have you practiced? I have practiced at large full-service firms as well as small boutique firms but am now a solo practitioner with a focus on business transactions and estate planning.
How can SimpleWill make law practice more efficient leading to an increase in revenue? Through automation and integration of all facets of the client lifecycle, SimpleWill is designed to increase your effective hourly rate by reducing the amount of time spent on any given case. Although the total legal fees charged for the service may be decreased to accommodate cost-conscious clients needing basic estate planning services, the actual profit margin on each case is substantially higher, turning this area of your practice into a profit center rather than a loss leader.
In 2003, I graduated from Catholic High School for Boys (Little Rock, AR). In 2007, I received a B.S.B.A. in Finance from the Sam Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR). In 2011, I received a J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law (Fayetteville, AR). In 2012, I received an LL.M. in Taxation (with an emphasis on Estate Planning) from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Tx)
Tell us about your new company SimpleWill. What motivated you to start this company? SimpleWill is a legal software platform designed to give traditional law firms the ability to offer affordable, attorney-vetted estate plans to the general public. This is made possible by automating and integrating all facets of the client life cycle from new client intake, document drafting, meeting scheduling and payment. SimpleWill gives you the ability to enter the market of cloud-based legal document generation by creating your own online environment to service clients needing basic estate plans while remaining fully compliant with all ethical rules of professional responsibility.
SimpleWill was truly designed by attorneys for attorneys to use in their practice. As such, we did all the necessary due diligence to make sure an attorney’s use of SimpleWill is in compliance with the Arkansas Rules of Professional Conduct. Other online document generation companies may feign to offer “attorney assist” plans for additional fees but SimpleWill clients are your clients with 100% of legal fees paid directly to the attorney for the services rendered. In fact, an engagement letter is signed by the client with your firm outlining the scope of legal representation. In this way, the general public is protected and given the appropriate attorney oversight needed to effectively counsel clients rather than being an afterthought needed to comply with state rules on the unauthorized practice of law.
Can I get new clients through SimpleWill? SimpleWill does have an Employer Referral Network that you can join which currently consists of over 125, 000 employees and growing. If you opt into this program you would agree to charge a discounted legal fee as these plans are being provided as an employee benefit. Even with discounted legal fees, it is our goal that attorneys maintain an effective hourly rate of $300-450 for all Employer Referral Network cases. That said, unlike the other online competitors in the market, there is no obligation to offer ongoing free consultations in exchange for a client referral.
Once engaged, SimpleWill clients are your clients for 100% of all legal matters you handle for them in the future. What is the cost structure of SimpleWill? There is a one-time technology integration fee to plug in to your existing “tech stack” which varies depending on your desired level of customization. Unlike other legal technology companies that have monthly payments with annual contracts, ongoing licensing fees to use SimpleWill are on a pay per use basis. In other words, if you’re not finding it beneficial then you’re simply not paying for it. ArkBar members receive a 40% discount and pay $110.00 per use. As SimpleWill clients are your clients, you are free to set your own legal fees for the services provided through the SimpleWill platform. Can SimpleWill assist with the provision of any annual pro bono services? Absolutely. Attorneys using SimpleWill can partner with the ArkBar and Wills For Heroes in the Spring of 2023 to offer pro bono estate planning services to our invaluable first responders. What other software tools would you recommend to solo attorneys looking to be more efficient? LawPay and Clio ■ Learn
https://0at4qsjbf5wq.swipepages.morenet/simplewill_arbar
Can you describe how SimpleWill will help attorneys be forward thinking and more productive?
How is SimpleWill different from outsourcing? This is AI and automation right?
In my opinion, outsourcing would be having someone else oversee the case, draft documents, conduct client interviews, etc.
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With SimpleWill, the attorney is not outsourcing these functions but rather using automation and technology to streamline their own workflow processes to increase efficiency as they oversee and service their own clients’ needs.
Generally speaking, time is the most precious asset that all of us have regardless of profession. If we can free up time for legal professionals to spend on other productive things or with family, friends, and loved ones while not giving up effective representation of their clients then we have accomplished something special. In this light, SimpleWill can add to your personal productivity, however it is defined. Are there other SimpleWill type products out there that do the same thing AND include attorneys in the process? There are certainly products available for each individual function that SimpleWill performs in the typical client lifecycle; however, there is nothing on the market that integrates the comprehensive functions that SimpleWill provides to attorneys for use in their practice. How does SimpleWill help protect the public? Will the use of SimpleWill in my practice be compliant with the Arkansas Rules of Professional Conduct?
6 www.arkbar.com 1:00p - 2:00p 2:00p - 2:15p 2:15p - 3:15p 3:15p - 3:30p 3:30p - 4:30p Uniform Easement Relocation Act John Lovett, Loyola University Cliff McKinney, Quattlebaum, Grooms, & Tull PLLC UniformBreak Disposition of Community Property on Death Act David English, University of Missouri Ron Scalise, Tulane University 2022BreakUniform Commercial Code Amendments William Henning, Texas A&M Member $145 Non Member $215 PRICES UNIFORM LAW UPDATES BY THE EXPERTS September 22, 2022 1:OOpVIRTUAL4:30p 3.0 ProgramCLE Planner Cliff McKinney REGISTER ONLINE
7 Arkansas Bar Association 2022-2023 Board of Trustees State Bar District A NW Corner of the State State Bar District C Rest of the State State Bar District B (Pulaski County Only) A1A2, A3 A4 C5 C6 C7 C8 B9-15 Joe F. Kolb LittlePresidentj.kolbRock Margaret Dobson President-ElectSheridan Brant Perkins TheTreasurerPerkinsLawFirm,P.A.Jonesboro Brent J. Eubanks Humphries,ParliamentarianOdum & Eubanks, Little Rock Glen Hoggard HoggardSecretaryLawFirmLittleRock OFFICERS Bob Estes PastImmediatePresident Law Offices of Bob FayettevilleEstes ATJudge Hamilton H. Singleton Arkansas Judicial CouncilCamdenPresident TheresaDeanM.Beiner UA Little Rock Bowen School of Law CynthiaDeanE.Nance University of Arkansas School of Law DeniseHoggardReid Rainwater, Holt & DelegateLittleSextonRocktothe ABA Eddie Walker Walker Law Group, PLC Fort Smith Delegate to the ABA EX-OFFICIO William J. Ogles YLS Chair Wright Lindsey & Jennings LLP Little Rock Karen K. Hutchins Executive Director Edward T. Oglesby Arkansas Bar Foundation President AT-LARGE ArkBar’s Mission Statement: To support attorneys; advance the practice of law; advocate for the legal profession; foster professionalism, civility, and integrity; and protect the rule of law. Jay K. Robbins Lobbyist Christopher Hussein Legal Aid of SpringdaleArkansas YLS Delegate to the ABA
8 www.arkbar.com Jason B. Hendren Hall Booth RogersSmith Ryan Scott Bailey & RogersOliver Evelyn E. Brooks Tolley & Brooks Law Firm, FayettevilleP.A. Matthew Benson Hogue Law FayettevilleFirm Jason M. Hatfield Law Office of Jason M. Hatfield, P.A. Springdale MichelleJaskolskiRené Jaskolski Law FayettevilleFirm Sarah C. Jewell McMath Woods P.A. Fayetteville Kristin L. Pawlik Miller, Schneider,Butler,Pawlik,RozzellRogers George M. Rozzell Miller, Schneider,Butler,Pawlik,RozzellRogers Russell B. Winburn Odom Law FayettevilleFirm Kelsey Bardwell Sprott, Golden & BardwellHarrison Craig L. Cook The Law Offices of Craig L. OzarkCook BrinkleyCampbellCookThe Law Offices of Craig L. Cook, Fort Smith Dusti Standridge Fort Smith Kesha Zaffino Zaffino Law Firm Bentonville Geoff Hamby Bailey & RogersOliver DISTRICT A1 DISTRICT A4 DISTRICT A2-A3 DISTRICT A2-A3
9 Thomas CarpenterM. CityLittleAttorneyRock Tim J. Cullen Cullen & Co., PLLC Little Rock Bob Edwards The Edwards Firm, LittlePLLCRock Casey Rockwell University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock Steve Harrelson Harrelson Law Firm Little Rock MichaelHarrisonM. Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP Little Rock Chase Mangiapane Law Offices of Peter Miller, P.A. Little Rock Anton L. Janik, Jr. Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. Little Rock JamieJonesHuffman Friday, Eldredge & Clark, Little Rock JessicaMallettVirden Law Offices of Peter Miller, P.A. Little Rock Skye Martin DepartmentArkansas of Human Services North Little Rock Kathleen McDonaldM. Aristotle Unified CommunicationsLittleRock J. Cliff McKinney II GroomsQuattlebaum,&TullPLLCLittleRock MollyMcNultyMcGowan Arkansas Court of LittleAppealsRock M. Stephen Bingham Cross, Galchus,WitherspoonGunter,&LittleRock Randall L. Bynum WrightLittleJenningsLindseyRock DISTRICT B William C. Mann III Arkansas Municipal League, North Little Rock Victoria Leigh Lion Legal Services North Little Rock Stefan McBride Mann & Kemp, PLLC Little Rock Jeremy M. McNabb Rainwater, Holt, and LittleSextonRock Meredith S. Moore Rainwater, Holt, and LittleSextonRock David S. Mitchell, Jr. Rose Law Firm Little Rock John Ogles Ogles Law Firm, P.A. Jacksonville George R. Wise The Brad Hendricks Law LittleFirmRock Carter C. Stein McMath Woods P.A. Little Rock Patrick D. Wilson WrightLittleJenningsLindseyRock Emily M. Runyon Munson, Rowlett, Moore & Boone Little Rock Danyelle J. Walker Law Office of DanyelleLittlePLLCWalkerRock
10 www.arkbar.com Bryce D. Cook Law Offices of Bryce JonesboroCook Paul Ford The Law Offices of Paul JonesboroFord Ryan M. Wilson Womack Phelps Puryear Mayfield & McNeil, JonesboroP.A. Paul D. Waddell Waddell, Cole & Jones,JonesboroPLLC S. Taylor Chaney Chaney Law Firm, ArkadelphiaP.A. Carol Dalby Representative,StateDistrict1Texarkana Amy Freedman Law Offices of AmyTexarkanaFreedman Taylor King Taylor King ArkadelphiaLaw Kandice A. Bell Office of Governor AsaWhiteHutchinsonHall Laurie Bridewell Circuit Judge 10th LakeDivisionDistrict,2Village Connie L. Grace Minton Law Firm Little Rock DISTRICT C5 DISTRICT C6 DISTRICT C6 DISTRICT C7 J. Tyler Henderson J. Tyler AttorneyHenderson,atLaw,PLLC Joe A. Denton Denton & ConwayPLLCZachary, Todd C. Watson Law Offices of Watson & NewportWatsonandFayetteville WilliamWhite“Zac” Attorney and Counselor at Law Heber Springs DISTRICT C8 Wm. MontgomeryBlake Montgomery Law Firm,HopePLLC
11 THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ARE NOW AVAILABLE: How to order: Go to bar-associationshop/?publishers=arkansas-fastcase.com/https://www. • Find the handbook you want, and choose “Select Option.” • Choose from print copy or pdf download, and then add to cart. • Click on “View Cart,” enter your discount code* in the “Coupon” box, and then click “Apply Coupon.” Handbooks are available in new print editions, as PDFs and within the Fastcase legal research system member benefit. ArkBar Deskbooks Retail Price Member Price Arkansas Business Associations Handbook $275.00 $175.00* Arkansas Construction Law Manual $275.00 $175.00* Arkansas Elder Law Desk Manual $225.00 $125.00* Arkansas Probate System $225.00 $125.00* Arkansas Workers Compensation Desk Book $225.00 $125.00* Guide to Arkansas Statutes of Limitations $300.00 $25.00* Handling Appeals in Arkansas $225.00 $150.00* Revocable Trusts Handbook for Arkansas Practitioners $225.00 $125.00* Standards for Examination of Real Estate Titles in Arkansas $75.00 $45.00* Arkansas Bar Association Handbooks Note: ArkBar Handbooks are also available through the Fastcase legal research tool for a yearly subscription. *Call Michele Glasgow at the Arkansas Bar Association at (501) 801-5661 to obtain discount code.
