Arkansas Supreme Court Associate Justice Cody Hiland, a 1998 Bowen graduate, delivered the keynote address and encouraged students to begin building the habits and character that will shape their legal careers.

Hiland emphasized hard work, resilience, civility and integrity as qualities that students will need throughout law school and in practice. He reminded students that achievement alone will not determine their success and encouraged them to approach their legal education with consistent effort.

“Your effort matters,” Hiland told the students, noting that employers look not only for legal ability, but also for evidence of hard work, character and integrity.

He also encouraged students to develop resilience as they encounter challenges and setbacks. Not every academic or professional goal will unfold as expected, he said, but learning to respond constructively to disappointment is an important part of becoming a lawyer and a leader.

Hiland urged students to have confidence in their ideas while maintaining civility and respect for others. Law school, he said, gives students an opportunity to learn how to make thoughtful arguments, engage differing viewpoints and advocate effectively without sacrificing professionalism.

Dean Colin Crawford also addressed the incoming students, emphasizing that their professional reputations begin on their first day of law school. He encouraged them to be thoughtful about the choices they make, including how they present themselves in public and online, and reminded them that professionalism is a skill developed over time.

Crawford introduced Hiland as an example of Bowen’s commitment to public service and professionalism, noting his distinguished career in law and service to Arkansas.

Hiland then led the students in reciting Bowen’s Pledge of Professionalism, through which they committed themselves to respect for the law and legal institutions, service without prejudice, integrity without compromise, and civility and professionalism in their interactions with others.

Following the pledge, students received Bowen pins as a visible reminder of the responsibilities and values they accepted as they began their legal education.

The ceremony marked the beginning of the students’ journey into the legal profession and reinforced Bowen’s commitment to preparing lawyers who are ready to serve clients, communities and the justice system with skill and integrity.

Through hands-on learning, mentorship from experienced legal professionals and direct connections to Arkansas’s legal system, Bowen students develop the knowledge, judgment and professional skills needed to build legal careers with purpose and make a meaningful difference wherever the law takes them.

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Buchanan will lead development and external relations efforts for the law school, cultivating relationships with donors and community partners to expand support for Bowen’s students, programs, and strategic priorities.

Before joining ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock, Buchanan served as donor relations officer at the Arkansas Foodbank, where he developed strategic relationships with stakeholders across the state, led donor engagement efforts, and helped strengthen support for the organization’s mission. He previously served as an account executive with Wake Forest Athletics, where he cultivated relationships with alumni, families, and supporters while raising annual fund support and identifying major gift prospects.

“Blake understands that meaningful advancement work begins with authentic relationships,” said Dean Colin Crawford. “His experience building trust with donors and community partners, combined with his commitment to service, will help expand the partnerships and philanthropic support that allow Bowen to invest in our students, strengthen our programs, and advance our mission. We are delighted to welcome him to our team.”

Buchanan said he is excited to help support the law school’s mission and the people who make it possible.

“The quality education students receive at Bowen Law transforms not only their lives but also the legal systems and communities they serve,” Buchanan said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to support the positive difference this institution is making at the local and national levels.”

Buchanan earned Master of Science in Management from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Arts in economics, with a minor in entrepreneurship, from Wake Forest University. A former Division I student-athlete, he competed in men’s basketball at both Wake Forest and George Mason. He is also a graduate of Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XLI and serves as a youth ministry leader at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock.

To learn more about the ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, visit /law.

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For months, Hawkins had studied cases in classrooms at the ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, reading opinions, analyzing arguments and learning the mechanics of legal procedure. At the courthouse, the work felt different. The complaints and motions she had spent so much time reading were no longer abstract documents inside a case file.

“There’s a person behind the complaint that comes across your desk,” Hawkins said. “When you’re talking to them, you realize sometimes that it was just one misstep along the way that completely changed the trajectory of someone’s life.”

The externship became one of the defining experiences of Hawkins’ time at Bowen Law, not because it pointed her toward a single career path, but because it showed her how differently the profession could look in practice than it did in classrooms and casebooks.

As Hawkins prepares to graduate this weekend, she leaves Bowen with a broader view of the legal profession than the one she carried into law school.

Law school was not always the plan.

Hawkins arrived at Central Baptist College intending to pursue physical therapy before realizing the coursework was pulling her in the wrong direction. An uncle working in government law encouraged her to take the LSAT, and the possibility of a legal career quickly clicked into place. She graduated from Central Baptist with a degree in business management before enrolling in law school.

Growing up in Stuttgart, Hawkins said her parents, both educators and administrators, made sure she understood where she came from and the barriers some people still faced around her. Her father became the first Black administrator in one of the school districts where he worked. Her mother also stepped into leadership roles where representation mattered.

“I felt like I was living in Black history in the making,” Hawkins said.

The experiences shaped her early interest in civil rights and public-facing legal work, but Hawkins said she entered law school determined not to limit herself too quickly to one version of the profession.

Some of the courses Hawkins expected to enjoy never fully clicked. Others surprised her. Contracts and business associations quickly became some of her strongest areas academically, building on the business background she brought with her from college. Criminal law and criminal procedure also came naturally to her, even though she never envisioned herself working in those spaces professionally.

“A lot of things on paper didn’t sound appealing,” Hawkins said. “But once I got to experience those areas of law, it changed the way I thought about them.”

That growing interest in transactional and business-related work also reshaped the way Hawkins thought about impact. She said she had long seen talented people with strong business ideas struggle to access the resources and opportunities needed to move those ideas forward.

Hawkins said law school helped her recognize that work connected to contracts, licensing and access to funding can shape communities in quieter but equally meaningful ways. Through clerkships at firms of different sizes, Hawkins also saw how differently legal work could operate depending on the environment, the clients and the type of cases involved.

“I had to be intentional about not getting complacent in what I thought I knew,” she said.

Hawkins said that same willingness to reevaluate herself became important during her externship at the federal courthouse, where a miscommunication challenged the way she believed she was coming across in the workplace.

“It would have been easy for me to just shut down,” Hawkins said. “But I had to take a step back and ask myself, ‘OK, what are you actually doing? How are people perceiving what you’re doing?’”

Hawkins said those experiences changed the way she approached both the work and the people helping her navigate it. Two faculty members became especially influential during Hawkins’ time at Bowen Law.

Dean Beiner provided the kind of steady support Hawkins said every student needs, offering guidance that extended beyond academics and coursework. “Her door was always open,” Hawkins said. “I think that’s important for every student to have, a member of faculty that you can go to and just talk to as a person.”

Professor Cain challenged her differently. A former college athlete, Hawkins said she has always responded well to pressure and high expectations. During her second semester of 1L year, she remembered Cain telling her he had heard strong things about her and expected her to succeed.

“You’re going to be good at this,” he told her.

For Hawkins, hearing that from a professor with Cain’s reputation carried weight, not because she needed reassurance she belonged, but because she valued being pushed by people who expected her to rise to the occasion.

Now, as graduation approaches, Hawkins said she no longer feels pressure to define her future too narrowly. She still sees herself in the values that first drew her toward the law, but her time at Bowen showed her those goals can take shape through many different kinds of legal work.

Hawkins said she still does not know exactly where the profession will take her after graduation. But after three years of clerkships, coursework and courtroom experience, she feels more prepared for whatever comes next.

“I’m a lot more capable of handling things than I was giving myself credit for,” Hawkins said.

The post A Wider Lens: How Erica Hawkins Broadened Her View of Legal Work appeared first on William H. Bowen School of Law.

In communities like her hometown of Newport, families often face legal issues long before they understand how to navigate the systems meant to resolve them.

Now preparing to graduate from the ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, Davis spent the past three years developing the legal knowledge and practical experience to serve communities like hers.

Davis’ long-term goals began taking shape in third grade after she read “The Kid Who Became President,” a book about a child determined to make a difference in his community despite being underestimated by those around him. She said the story resonated with her desire to help others. By the end of the book, Davis had decided she wanted to become president someday, too. When she told her parents about that goal, they didn’t dismiss it or tell her it was impossible. Instead, they encouraged her to pursue it, and her dad suggested law as a practical starting point to help her get there.

Even at that age, she was already familiar with some of what that path could look like. During her parents’ lengthy divorce and custody proceedings, Davis and her siblings spent years moving in and out of courtrooms. “I remembered lawyers who sat down with me and talked to me without being on an adult level,” Davis said. “It was scary being in there, but there were people who made it less scary.”

Davis learned early how much work her goals would require. After missing kindergarten, she entered first grade at 8 years old, older than her classmates and still unable to read. By the end of the year, she was reading at a fifth-grade level and had advanced enough academically to skip second grade and enter the school’s gifted and talented program.

After deciding she wanted to pursue law, Davis and her father began shaping many of her academic decisions around that goal. “My dad was like, ‘You’re going to have to bridge the gaps other students don’t have,’” Davis said. “Not only was I catching up to the other students, but I had to stay ahead of them.” By eighth grade, Davis had started concurrent college coursework, eventually taking full college schedules while still in high school.

The path Davis built for herself required years of sacrifice and discipline. That level of focus meant she opted out of sports and social activities that usually dominate high school life, because she knew they wouldn’t help her meet her goals.

“I spent 10 years forming a path leading to where I was going,” Davis said. “I haven’t strayed from it.”

Davis credits much of her progress to the adults who invested time in her early education. Among them was Jennifer Keedy, who worked closely with her in her first-grade classroom and later wrote a reference letter for Davis’ bar application. Her grandfather created stacks of handwritten index cards from which he quizzed her to help improve her vocabulary and reading comprehension. Her father often stayed up late after work helping her study. Later, as she began taking concurrent college classes in high school, he drove her an hour each way, often waiting in the truck while she attended class.

After graduating high school in 2020, Davis earned an associate degree and technical certificate from the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville in 2021 before completing her bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in creative writing at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 2022. For Davis, the degree carried particular meaning.

“To go from not being able to read to getting a degree focused on reading and writing, that was really special to me,” Davis said.

When she arrived at Bowen in 2023, the experience felt more surreal than triumphant. After spending years building her life around the goal of becoming a lawyer, she suddenly found herself entering a profession no one in her family had firsthand experience navigating. During Bowen’s first-week program, Davis realized many of her classmates came from backgrounds that made law school feel more familiar.

“It was like a sick feeling,” Davis said. “I’m finally here, and at this point I know my family can no longer prepare me further.”

But at Bowen, Davis began finding new forms of guidance. She said many professors taught from their own experiences in practice, helping students understand not only legal theory, but also how attorneys navigate difficult conversations, building trust and managing professional relationships.

In courses such as Property Law, Decedents’ Estates and Business Associations, Davis said she began connecting the legal systems she was studying with the realities she had already seen growing up in rural Arkansas, an approach she said made the coursework feel more practical and grounded.

“That’s something I really appreciated,” Davis said. “It can be hard when you haven’t experienced things. Otherwise, it’s just regurgitating law.”

Outside the classroom, Davis sought out opportunities to work directly with rural communities across Arkansas, work she said felt closely connected to the same motivations that first drew her toward law as a child. As a Bowen Public Service Fellow, she completed more than 1,600 public service hours during law school and recently received the law school’s Distinguished Public Service Award in recognition of that work.

Her internships, externships and pro bono service included work with Legal Aid of Arkansas, the Arkansas Access to Justice Commission, the Arkansas Public Defender Commission and the Office of General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The work gave Davis a broader understanding of what practicing law in rural Arkansas often requires. Attorneys, she said, frequently become not only legal advocates, but also connectors to services, relationships and resources that clients may not know exist.

One project that stayed with her most involved compiling legal and community resources across 15 Arkansas counties for Legal Aid of Arkansas. Davis worked to identify attorneys, housing resources, veterans services, food banks, shelters and other programs that could help connect residents with support beyond immediate legal representation.

“I’m not even out of law school yet, and I already know that work is helping people,” Davis said.

She also brought those interests into her academic leadership at Bowen. As this year’s symposium editor for the Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service, Davis organized a symposium examining agriculture and legal issues affecting Arkansas farming communities.

After graduation this weekend, Davis plans to continue preparing for rural practice through the University of Arkansas School of Law’s LL.M. program in agricultural and food law while studying for the bar exam this summer. While completing the program in Fayetteville, Davis plans to work alongside Newport attorney Jim McLarty, a longtime family friend she has known since childhood. McLarty, who is approaching retirement, will help mentor Davis as she begins preparing to build her own rural practice focused on agriculture law, estate planning and family law.

For Davis, every stage of preparation has pointed back toward Newport.

“Being able to go back is keeping my promise,” she said.

The post A Promise Kept: How Sarah Davis Prepared for a Law Career in Rural Arkansas appeared first on William H. Bowen School of Law.

He had worked construction and carpentry through college. He taught percussion in public school. He earned a real estate license. He worked retail in Nashville during the height of COVID-19 while trying to build a career in music. Through it all, he kept playing drums and singing with his band, Blackstrap, booking gigs and managing the business side of the work himself.

What connected those experiences was not a straight path toward law school, but a pattern.

“I would pick things up really quickly,” Gathright said. “Then I’d hit a ceiling.”

One of the clearest examples came during his time working at a JD Sports store in Franklin, Tennessee. Hired first as a sales associate, Gathright quickly moved into leadership roles, becoming a supervisor within weeks and an assistant manager shortly afterward. Before long, the company offered him his own store.

On paper, it looked like success. But the offer forced him to confront a question that had followed him through several jobs already: Was he building a career he wanted, or simply succeeding at the next thing put in front of him?

“I only really liked selling,” he said. “I liked working with people. The further up you got, the less you actually get to do that.”

At the same time, the music career that had brought him to Nashville had begun to stall as the live entertainment industry struggled to recover from the pandemic. When his lease ended, he packed up and moved home to El Dorado.

Looking back, Gathright now sees those years less as false starts and more as a process of elimination. Each job taught him something about the kind of work that energized him and the kind that did not. He liked solving problems. He liked working directly with people. He wanted autonomy. What wore him down was micromanagement, routine administration and work that felt static once he mastered it.

“I learned early on that I’m going to swim regardless,” he said. “I may not know what I’m doing when I start, but I’m going to figure it out.”

For most of his life, Gathright had never imagined becoming an attorney — he had earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in music. Then he took a job working for a lawyer in El Dorado. The opportunity came through a connection he made while working in real estate, and at first, the position was practical. The firm needed help, and Gathright needed work. What surprised him was how much he enjoyed it.

“I enjoyed finding the missing pieces,” he said.

The work felt different from anything he had done before. Instead of reaching a point where everything became routine, the legal field seemed to expand the deeper he got into it. There was always another angle to consider, another layer of analysis beneath the surface.

At one point, Gathright mentioned pursuing a paralegal certification to increase his earning potential. The attorney he worked for had another suggestion.

“Why don’t you just go to law school?” he remembered him saying.

The idea had never seriously crossed his mind before.

“I didn’t even know that I could go back to law school after the degrees that I got,” Gathright said.

Still, Bowen offered something important: proximity to the life he had already built. The law school allowed him to remain connected to his family, his music network and the people who had supported him through years of uncertainty and career changes.

So he took the LSAT, applied to Bowen before receiving his score and committed fully to the opportunity in front of him.

“If I didn’t get into Bowen,” he said, “I wasn’t going to law school.”

Like many of the decisions that brought him there, Gathright approached law school without having everything perfectly figured out. During his first semester at Bowen, he was commuting daily from El Dorado to Little Rock while planning a wedding and trying to avoid taking on significant student debt. To make morning classes, he often left home around 6 a.m. and did not return until late in the evening.

“I didn’t have time to read,” he said. “I didn’t have time to do anything.”

Eventually, after conversations with attorneys and mentors, he realized the arrangement was not sustainable. He moved to Little Rock during his first semester, and later, his wife, Emilia, joined him.

That support system, combined with Bowen’s hands-on approach to legal education, helped steady the transition into law school.

Outside the classroom, Gathright continued performing with his band while building legal experience through clerkships and externships at places including the Arkansas Municipal League, Simmons Bank, Nash Law Firm, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The experiences exposed him to a wide range of legal work, from estate planning and secured transactions to bankruptcy proceedings and business-related matters. Along the way, he also learned what did not fit.

“I don’t really want to litigate at all,” he said with a laugh.

Instead, he found himself increasingly drawn toward transactional and tax-related work, particularly the strategic problem-solving involved in business and finance.

Then he took Federal Income Tax.

“It was my favorite class I’ve taken in law school,” Gathright said. “It just made sense.”

For Gathright, the appeal of tax law was not simply the subject matter. It was the realization that he had finally found a field that could continue challenging him long term.

“This is a field that keeps evolving,” he said.

The more he studied business and tax law, the more Gathright recognized connections to experiences he had already accumulated outside the classroom. Years of managing bookings, contracts, payments and logistics for his band had given him an unexpected introduction to the business side of professional life. His work in retail, real estate and sales had also shaped the way he thought about systems, negotiation and client relationships.

As his interest in tax law grew, Gathright began talking with faculty mentors and practicing attorneys about what it would take to build a career in the field. Following graduation from Bowen this weekend and the bar exam this summer, he plans to begin the Tax LL.M. program at the University of Florida Levin College of Law while working with RMP in Little Rock.

In some ways, the direction surprised him. Tax law had never been part of the original plan because there had never really been an original plan. Instead, his path to law school was built piece by piece through experience, trial and error, and a willingness to keep moving toward opportunities that felt meaningful.

“I think something I’ve noticed,” he said, “is that it really is never too late to start over or find a different path.” That perspective has become one of the clearest lessons he carries from his journey to Bowen. “Don’t be afraid to pivot into something,” he said. “If you think you’d like it, go try it.”

For Gathright, the willingness to step into unfamiliar territory repeatedly led him somewhere unexpected: a legal career that finally felt expansive enough to grow alongside him.

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It is the kind of moment that does not show up on a rĂŠsumĂŠ, but over time, it became a familiar one. Schoeppel Wilcox, who is nearly a decade older than many of her classmates, took on a big sister role for many during her time at the ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. They turned to her, not just for help with coursework, but for guidance on the practical decisions that shape daily life and professional confidence. She has talked peers through mock interviews, how to get a car loan, and how to choose a primary care provider.

In a place where students spend long hours together, often learning how to navigate unfamiliar environments alongside one another, those moments of trust can carry real weight. For Schoeppel Wilcox, they became some of the most meaningful parts of her experience at law school.

Schoeppel Wilcox was recently awarded the Bogle-Sharp Award, which goes to the graduate who is voted “most likely to succeed in the practice of law” by their peers. “I can’t think of any honor greater than one from those that have endured the trenches of law school with you,” she said.

Long before classmates began turning to her for advice, Schoeppel Wilcox was learning from the people who quietly showed up for others in her own life.

She grew up in Fairview, Oklahoma, a rural town where her graduating class numbered just 36 students. Her mother taught middle school and often found understated ways to help families around them. If a student came to school without a winter coat, one might quietly appear a few days later in exactly the right size.

“No one needed to know that she did it,” Schoeppel Wilcox said. “You just meet people’s needs where you can.”

She saw the opposite side of that reality, too. Her father, a lawyer, died when she was seven after what she describes as a difficult and often painful marriage for her mother. Even with a college degree, a stable job and support from family, her mother was left trying to navigate financial systems and responsibilities she had never been allowed to manage on her own.

Over time, Schoeppel Wilcox began to recognize how many forms uncertainty can take, especially for people trying to enter unfamiliar professional spaces. She said she was fortunate to grow up surrounded by friends whose parents stepped in to help fill gaps when they saw them. “One of my friends’ dads taught me how to get a car loan,” she said. “Those aren’t things everyone gets taught.”

Before law school, she worked in public service roles in Oklahoma and Arkansas, spent time working for a nonprofit in South Africa and helped run internship programs in multiple settings. Again and again, she found herself working with people who often already knew what they wanted for themselves and their families, but lacked access to resources, information or professional networks that could help them get there.

“I think people usually know what they need,” she said. “Sometimes they just need someone to help guide them through it.”

During law school, life outside the classroom rarely slowed down for Schoeppel Wilcox.

She and her wife Amie married just weeks before classes began at Bowen. During her first year, they renovated a 100-year-old home in Hillcrest while she adjusted to the demands of legal education. Throughout law school, she balanced classes with clerkships, externships and research work at the school.

Then, during her second year, just weeks after she was named editor-in-chief of the ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝LR Law Review, her mother died unexpectedly.

During that same period, Schoeppel Wilcox and her wife navigated fertility treatments, a miscarriage, the responsibility of settling her mother’s estate and helping care for her aunt in hospice in Oklahoma, all while continuing through law school.

“You want to show up for everybody and do a good job and do it right,” she said. “But it’s hard to balance it sometimes.”

At home, she and her wife relied on a simple framework for making decisions during overwhelming seasons: knowing which responsibilities were “glass balls” and which were “rubber balls.”

“The rubber balls bounce back,” she said. “The glass balls break.”

Sometimes that meant missing a class to handle a family emergency and catching up later. Other times, it meant accepting support from the same community she had spent years supporting herself.

When her mother died, several classmates drove from Little Rock to Oklahoma for the funeral, a 14-hour round trip. Friends brought freezer meals, shared class notes and helped however they could. Faculty members, including Dean Gustafson and Professor Laura Bates, became steady sources of support and guidance throughout law school.

For Schoeppel Wilcox, those experiences reinforced the kind of community she had found at Bowen — one built not only through academic rigor, but through people continuing to show up for one another when life became difficult.

As editor-in-chief of the Law Review, Schoeppel Wilcox found herself responsible for keeping one of the law school’s most demanding student organizations moving forward.

“The role of the editor-in-chief is keeping the train on the tracks,” she said.

The position required her to manage the publication process, coordinate with students and faculty and review every article that moved through the Law Review, all while balancing coursework, externships and responsibilities outside the classroom.

For Schoeppel Wilcox, leadership was less about authority than consistency. Early on, she worked to make sure everyone understood their responsibilities and trusted one another to carry them out. “The clearest communication and assuming best intent of somebody,” she said, “those are the two things I always try to take into a role like that.”

The experience reinforced what had already become central to her time at Bowen: leadership often meant helping other people do their best work.

This weekend, Schoeppel Wilcox will graduate from Bowen Law after years defined as much by service and resilience as academic achievement. Following graduation, Schoeppel Wilcox will begin a two-year judicial clerkship with Chief U.S. District Judge Kristine G. Baker before joining the Rose Law Firm as a litigation associate. She said her externship with Judge Baker reaffirmed her belief in the legal system at its best: one grounded in preparation, fairness and respect for the people moving through it.

“There really is no substitute for being in the courtroom and watching it happen,” she said.

For Schoeppel Wilcox, the path to this point has rarely been linear or uncomplicated. But as she prepares to graduate, she is thinking less about achievement than about the opportunities people create for those who come after them.

She recently learned that her grandfather once started law school himself before leaving to support his family, a decision that shaped the choices available to those around him. Her father eventually became a lawyer, while her mother, the first in her family to attend college, became a teacher because, as Schoeppel Wilcox recalls, she “didn’t really know what else you could be other than that or a secretary.”

Now, as she and her wife prepare to welcome their first child later this summer, Schoeppel Wilcox hopes the life they are building will offer their child more freedom and possibility than earlier generations had themselves.

The post A Community Built: How Chacey Schoeppel Wilcox Became the Person Classmates Turned To appeared first on William H. Bowen School of Law.

The announcement was made April 9 at a press conference held on the ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock campus as part of $12.75 million in federal funding secured for various programs and research. While in Little Rock, Senator Boozman also visited the law school where he attended a Veterans Legal Clinic class, met with students and faculty, and discussed their work providing legal services to Arkansas veterans. Students also engaged the senator with thoughtful questions about his background, public service, and work on issues affecting veterans, creating a meaningful exchange about the role of legal advocacy in supporting those who have served.

The Veterans Legal Services Clinic serves former servicemembers who have experienced service-related injuries or trauma, offering legal representation in VA disability compensation appeals and discharge upgrade cases. Under the supervision of a VA-accredited attorney, Bowen students in the clinic gain hands-on legal experience while providing meaningful service to veterans in need.

“This vital investment in Bowen’s Veterans Legal Services Clinic reflects a powerful truth: public legal education can and must serve the public good,” said Colin Crawford, dean of the law school. “By expanding access to legal support for those who served our country—many of whom face complex bureaucratic and personal hurdles—we uphold our mission to train ethical, service-oriented lawyers. I am grateful to Senator Boozman for recognizing the importance of this work and ensuring that veterans in Arkansas receive the assistance they deserve.”

As one of only a handful of legal clinics in the nation that offer a pro bono resource center along with their clinic, Bowen is able to assist over 200 veterans a year facing VA and civil legal issues.

“Establishing a full-service legal clinic for veterans housed at the Bowen School of Law will help ensure Arkansans who have served our nation can access reliable and quality legal support,” said Boozman. “I’m pleased to have championed this funding and expand upon the resources Arkansas veterans can depend on through a trusted entity such as ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock, and I look forward to seeing its impact unfold in the years to come.”

Senator Boozman serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and has long supported veterans’ issues and public legal services.

Zach Baumgarten, director of the Veterans Legal Services Clinic, expressed appreciation for the expanded support.

“The Veterans Legal Services Clinic and Pro Bono Center are honored to receive this federal appropriation, and we are grateful to Senator Boozman and his staff for their support,” Baumgarten said. “This funding will allow us to expand our statewide program and strengthen outreach so veterans in every Arkansas county know they can turn to Bowen for help with VA disability claims, discharge upgrades and other civil legal needs. It is a meaningful way to give back to those who have served.”

The federal investment supports Bowen Law’s core mission of advancing access to justice, public service, and professionalism. As part of its nationally respected clinical program, the Veterans Legal Services Clinic reinforces the law school’s commitment to community-centered legal training and responsive legal education.

About the ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law
Located in Arkansas’s capital city, the ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law provides a nationally recognized, practice-ready legal education deeply connected to the state’s legal system. With a strong emphasis on access to justice, public service, and professionalism, Bowen’s hands-on approach is grounded in mentorship and real-world experience. Graduates are prepared to lead in courtrooms, boardrooms, and communities across Arkansas and beyond.

The post Sen. John Boozman Secures $750K for ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock Bowen School of Law Veterans Legal Services Clinic appeared first on William H. Bowen School of Law.

Timmis, who joined Bowen in late 2025, has spent the past several months leading the law school’s admissions and enrollment strategy. In her role, she oversees recruitment efforts, applicant engagement, and initiatives designed to support prospective students as they pursue legal education.

Prior to joining Bowen, Timmis practiced at Wright, Lindsey & Jennings as a registered patent attorney. She earned her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the University of Mississippi School of Law, where she served as executive articles editor for the Mississippi Law Journal, chair of the Interprofessional Education Board, and a member of the Moot Court Board. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering, cum laude, from the University of Mississippi. A Little Rock native, Timmis is a graduate of Pulaski Academy.

“Working with prospective students is the most meaningful part of this role,” Timmis said. “I enjoy getting to know each person’s story, reading their experiences, and helping them see what’s possible for their future. I look forward to supporting students as they begin their journey toward becoming attorneys who make a difference in their communities.”

Wells recently stepped into her role as director of admissions after serving in the Bowen Admissions Office since 2023. A 2025 graduate of Bowen Law and a concurrent graduate of the Clinton School of Public Service, she brings a recent and personal perspective to the admissions process.

A first-generation college and law student from Pascagoula, Mississippi, Wells understands the challenges prospective students may face when considering legal education and is committed to making that path more accessible.

“I know firsthand how overwhelming the law school admissions process can feel, especially for students who may not see themselves reflected in the legal profession,” Wells said. “In this role, I’m committed to making that path more accessible by providing clear guidance, personal support, and encouragement every step of the way. I want every prospective student to feel that Bowen is a place where they belong and can succeed.”

Wells and Timmis are joined by Amy Rhea, who recently began serving as office coordinator for the Office of Admissions and Records. In this role, Rhea provides administrative support and serves as a first point of contact for prospective students, families, and visitors.

Rhea brings more than seven years of administrative experience in higher education, most recently serving as executive assistant in the Graduate School at the University of Missouri. A Little Rock native, Rhea holds a Master of Arts in professional and technical writing from ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock.

About the ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law
Located in Arkansas’s capital city, the ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law provides a nationally recognized, practice-ready legal education deeply connected to the state’s legal system. With a strong emphasis on access to justice, public service, and professionalism, Bowen’s hands-on approach is grounded in mentorship and real-world experience. Graduates are prepared to lead in courtrooms, boardrooms, and communities across Arkansas and beyond.

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This year’s lecture brings together Professor John Yoo of the University of California at Berkeley and Professor Vikram Amar of the University of California, Davis, for an in-depth discussion on the scope of executive authority in the American legal system. Both are widely published legal thinkers whose perspectives offer valuable insights into the evolving balance of powers between the executive branch, Congress and the courts.

“This lecture provides a timely forum for informed discussion on the constitutional boundaries of executive power,” said Colin Crawford, dean of the William H. Bowen School of Law. â€œBy hosting legal scholars with contrasting ideological and political perspectives, we aim to foster thoughtful dialogue that reflects Bowen’s commitment to public service, professionalism and legal understanding.”

About the Speakers

John Yoo is the Emanuel Heller Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He is also a distinguished visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Civic Leadership and a senior fellow at its Civitas Institute. A former law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Yoo served in the U.S. Department of Justice on 9/11 and has worked in all three branches of government. He has authored more than 100 academic articles and numerous books and is a frequent contributor to major national publications such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and the Washington Post.

Vikram Amar is the Daniel J. Dykstra Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor of Law at UC Davis School of Law. He previously served as dean of the University of Illinois College of Law and has held faculty positions at Berkeley, UCLA, and Northwestern, among others. Amar clerked for Justice Harry A. Blackmun of the U.S. Supreme Court and is a widely cited scholar in constitutional law, federal courts and civil procedure. He is a contributing columnist for Justia and SCOTUSblog, and a co-author of leading legal treatises and casebooks.

About the Arnold Lecture

The Arnold Lecture series, an occasional event hosted by the ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, honors the late Judge Richard Arnold and Judge Morris “Buzz” Arnold, distinguished Arkansas jurists appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. In past years, the Arnold Lecture has welcomed U.S. Supreme Court justices and other celebrated legal scholars to Arkansas to examine issues central to the rule of law and democratic governance.

This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Reserve your seat at .

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Leaving television was not just a career decision. It meant stepping away from a path he had spent decades building in Memphis. Returning home to Nashville, Arkansas, Young moved in with his parents to regroup and prepare for the LSAT as his first step toward law school. “If I didn’t do it then, in my early 40s, I never would,” he said. “It was time to figure out how I could help people and help Arkansas in a more lasting way.”

Young had always been self-reliant. Even while preparing for law school, he worked full time at a Little Rock television station. When it came time to apply, the decision was easy. Bowen offered the flexibility and support he needed through its part-time evening program, along with proximity to family and access to Arkansas’s legal and political center. “It was designed for working adults like me,” he said. “I could still pay my bills, still support myself, and get the education I had put off for years.”

Starting law school in his 40s was not easy. Young had not been in a classroom in two decades, and the adjustment was steep. “I didn’t do very well my first two semesters,” he said. Learning how law school worked — how professors taught, how exams were written, how answers were expected — took time. But with guidance from faculty and steady support from his classmates, he began to find his footing. Each semester, his confidence grew. “If I didn’t understand something, I could go to a professor and ask. That made a big difference.”

Throughout law school, Young balanced a heavy workload. At any given time, he held at least three jobs, including his long-standing role as a Broadcast Technical Director for the Memphis Grizzlies and Memphis Tigers. He made regular trips to Memphis for games while also launching a mobile notary service in Central Arkansas. Over the years, he worked for the Arkansas Department of Human Services, clerked at the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, and joined the Municipal League as an inquiry clerk. “I stayed busy, but I always found a way to make it work,” he said.

It was at the Arkansas Municipal League that Young found a sense of clarity. As an inquiry clerk, he fielded questions from mayors, city attorneys and council members across the state, helping them navigate legal questions and access resources. For someone who grew up in a small town and saw firsthand the challenges rural communities face, the work felt deeply personal. “Small towns are the backbone of Arkansas,” he said. “Getting to support them, even in small ways, has been incredibly rewarding.”

As Young gained momentum, law school became more than just a professional turning point. It was a place of connection and growth. “It’s harder to make good friends as you get older,” he said. “But with our part-time class, we bonded almost immediately.” He found support in study groups and peer conversations, especially during challenging courses. Each semester, he improved, not just in grades but in confidence. One of his favorite spots on campus was the Bowen Mart, where he often spent time with Harley Anderson-Croot, a close friend and fellow student who worked behind the counter. He also served as a student senator and Phi Alpha Delta fundraising chair, finding ways to represent and advocate for other part-time students like him.

Young graduates from the ĚÇĐÄVlog´ŤĂ˝ Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law this weekend, completing his degree in just three and a half years. He took courses every summer and maximized his course load each semester to get ahead.

Looking forward, Young is keeping his options open. He recently completed the Mediation Clinic and will soon be certified as a mediator in Arkansas. He continues to run his notary business and holds a real estate license, alongside years of media and legal experience. “I will always have a backup plan,” he said. “And a backup to that backup plan.” Whether he continues in municipal law or takes another path, Young is prepared and grounded in a commitment to help Arkansas communities thrive. For other working professionals considering law school later in life, his advice is simple: “Don’t be afraid to try it. You can always figure it out.”

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