Arkansas

Every justice on Arkansas’ top court paid bar license fees late; are three ineligible for service?

All seven justices on the Arkansas Supreme Court have paid their bar dues late some time in the past, a possible issue for three justices because of an Arkansas constitutional provision requiring appeals judges to be licensed lawyers for at least eight years before taking office. The Arkansas Blog of…

Apr 11, 2014 12:48 PM CDT

Does failure to pay license fee on time disqualify judges from office? Issue rocks Arkansas

A provision in the Arkansas Constitution is causing some problems for judicial candidates who failed to pay licensing fees on time, including a court of appeals judge who is running for the state supreme court. A state constitutional provision requires appellate and supreme court judges to have been licensed lawyers…

Apr 8, 2014 1:03 PM CDT

Lawyer pleads not guilty to manslaughter, gets 15 days in jail for unrelated contempt charges

An Arkansas lawyer who hit the headlines last year after the state attorney general publicly admitted the two had an “inappropriate” relationship is back in the news again. Andrea Davis, 36, has been charged with manslaughter concerning a 2012 death at her Hot Springs home that authorities say was related…

Mar 28, 2014 8:25 PM CDT

Survey leads to multiple federal complaints of widespread discrimination against deaf renters

A yearlong national survey showed a “disturbing” amount of discrimination against deaf and hard-of-hearing would-be renters and led to the filing of nine federal fair-housing administrative complaints by advocacy groups and calls for better training of those who deal with individuals with hearing impairments. So-called matched-pair testing by the National…

Jan 27, 2014 7:40 PM CST

Lawyer accused of hiding real estate client funds in trust account is convicted of bankruptcy fraud

An attorney accused of helping a client who was once a successful real estate developer conceal a substantial sum of money in a law firm trust account has been convicted in federal court in Arkansas following weeks of trial. K. Vaughn Knight, 46, of Fayetteville was convicted Monday of eight…

Nov 19, 2013 10:20 PM CST

UPL suit against LegalZoom must go to arbitration, Arkansas Supreme Court says

Customers who claim LegalZoom’s document-preparation services amount to the unauthorized practice of law won’t be able to take their case before a judge. The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that a mandatory arbitration clause in LegalZoom’s customer agreement must be enforced, the ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct…

Oct 24, 2013 5:03 PM CDT

Lawyer fights $25K contempt fine, says it couldn’t be imposed on Sunday

An lawyer for a former Little Rock police officer charged with manslaughter in the death of a 15-year-old boy is facing a $25,000 contempt-of-court fine after an Arkansas judge said the lawyer didn’t follow his instruction limiting what could be said about the records of two juveniles with the teen…

Jun 25, 2013 9:45 PM CDT

3rd lawyer is federally indicted, accused of aiding developer in claimed real estate loan fraud

A third lawyer was federally indicted last week for allegedly aiding Arkansas real estate developer Brandon Barber in a claimed series of schemes in which Barber is accused of obtaining $200 million in loans, diverting some of the money to participants at closing and then hiding his assets in a…

Jun 10, 2013 11:00 PM CDT

Federal judge blocks Arkansas abortion ban

A U.S. judge temporarily blocked an Arkansas ban on abortions at the 12th week of pregnancy, amid continued constitutional debate of the measure. The Arkansas law sets one of the strictest abortion limits in the country. Judge Susan Webber Wright of the Federal District Court in Little Rock issued a…

May 20, 2013 8:40 PM CDT

Lawyer held in contempt, fined $100, for missing court hearing on day AG admitted their relationship

An Arkansas lawyer who missed a scheduled court hearing on the day the state’s attorney general publicly admitted that the two had had an “inappropriate” extramarital relationship has been held in contempt and fined $100. Attorney Andrea Davis of Hot Springs was upset about the December announcement by Arkansas Attorney…

Mar 13, 2013 9:11 PM CDT

Ark. AG Admits ‘Inappropriate’ Relationship with Lawyer; His Office Had a Role in 5 of Her Cases

An admission earlier this week by Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel that he had an “inappropriate” relationship with a woman he met during his 2010 re-election campaign was followed Thursday by a spokesman’s announcement that the woman, attorney Andrea Davis of Hot Springs, was opposing counsel in five cases handled…

Dec 21, 2012 4:34 PM CST

NY Times Says It Pursued Internal Probe Dropped by Wal-Mart, Describes Claimed Bribes in Mexico

When a lawyer for the Mexican subsidiary of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. allegedly told executives at the retail giant’s Arkansas headquarters that managers across the border routinely resorted to bribery to avoid zoning, environmental and permitting regulations when building new stores, an internal investigation ensued. But it was also shut down…

Dec 18, 2012 10:18 PM CST

Arkansas Supreme Court OKs Medical Marijuana Ballot Measure

The Arkansas Supreme Court approved a proposed medical marijuana ballot measure on Thursday for the state’s Nov. 6 election. If the measure passes Arkansas will be the first southern state to allow medical marijuana use, the Associated Press reports. Under the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act (PDF), physicians there could prescribe…

Sep 27, 2012 5:04 PM CDT

Ark. AG Can’t Sue Law Firm Under Deceptive Trade Practices Statute, State’s Top Court Rules

Reversing a lower court ruling that imposed penalties on an out-of-state law firm for collecting fees on dishonored checks in excess of what is allowed under the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the state’s top court has ruled that its attorney general has no jurisdiction to pursue such a case…

Mar 28, 2012 5:31 PM CDT

Convicted Murder Defendant Sentenced to Death Gets New Trial over Juror’s Tweets

Agreeing with a convicted murderer on death row that he didn’t get a fair trial because of one juror’s tweets on Twitter, the Arkansas Supreme Court has reversed a jury’s guilty verdict against Erickson Dimas-Martinez. Although a lower court had agreed with a state argument that Dimas-Martinez “suffered no prejudice”…

Dec 8, 2011 10:18 PM CST