- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Bowen Law student interns with Commission on Immigration

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:52:34 +0000

Salina Adolph, a concurrent student with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and the, completed an international public service project with the American Bar Association Commission on Immigration in Washington, D.C. Over the summer, Adolph worked to create a comprehensive report of resources and support for immigrants in the United States who are victims of the unauthorized practice of immigration law, also known as immigration consultant fraud. This project will begin the process of providing national coordination for immigration lawyers and advocates who seek to assist immigrants who are victims of immigration consultant fraud. “Prior to this project, I knew almost nothing about immigration consultant fraud,” Adolph said. “Through this project, I’ve been able to see that this is a widespread and complex issue. Many people who immigrate to this country are already in vulnerable positions. They have to adjust to the new culture, legal system, education system, and language in a country that is increasingly and openly anti-immigrant.” Unfortunately, immigrants who seek legal assistance are vulnerable to fraudulent consultants. “This is where unauthorized, unscrupulous entities slide into the picture and commit immigration consultant fraud. Many times, people from the same ethnic communities as the individuals who are seeking legal immigration advice will offer legal immigrants advice to immigrants at much cheaper rates than attorneys, though they are not attorneys or Department of Justice-accredited representatives,” Adolph said. “Because they do not have the proper training or knowledge of immigration law, they often permanently damage their clients’ immigration cases – and in current times, the smallest mistake on a person’s immigration forms could land them in deportation proceedings.” To create this report, Adolph spoke with immigration service providers across the country about their professional opinions of immigration consultant fraud in their geographical areas and what services, if any, are available to combat immigration consultant fraud. Adolph is thankful to the members of the Commission on Immigration for expanding her knowledge and experience in immigration law. “I’ve had such a great experience here almost entirely because of my incredible supervisor, Tanisha Bowens-McCatty, and the other great staff at the Commission on Immigration,” she said. “They have taken so much time to teach me about immigration policies and how to be a thoughtful, compassionate, and excellent professional. I feel very lucky to have worked under such brilliant and kind people.” Adolph is currently working with the American Bar Association to complete her report. After her experience with the Commission on Immigration, Adolph is more committed than ever to a future in immigration law. For her capstone project, she plans to work with Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy John DiPippa to assess the legal needs of immigrants in central Arkansas. “I knew I wanted to work in immigration law before my internship. I was already interested because I clerked at an immigration firm in Little Rock that provides deportation defense,” Adolph said. “I knew I was interested, but this really piqued my interest even more. This summer, I talked to many immigration service providers who fiercely care about upholding the due process rights of immigrants in this country, I learned so much more about immigration law and policies, and I met with detained individuals who are most directly impacted by changing immigration policies and laws. My experiences have re-invigorated an urgency in me to empower immigrants through the law. This is absolutely what I want to do.”

Bowen Law School announces 2018-19 Law Review members

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 03 Aug 2018 13:33:59 +0000

The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law has announced its new members and editorial board for the 2018-18 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Law Review. New members of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Law Review include Richard Burke, Caleb Davenport, Samantha Davidson, Mary Edwards, Jessica Fontenot, Joanie Harp, Jessica Keith, Robert Lewis, Marci Manley, Hunter Mullins, Derek Peterson, Michael Pollock, William Swartzwelder, B. Austin Waters, and Christopher Yates. Members of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Law Review Editorial Board include Christine Dillard, editor-in-chief; Wes Manus, executive editor; Meredith Powell, executive editor; Jalen Toms, managing editor; Allison Tschiemer, articles editor; Courtney Lowery, articles editor; Cara Tomlinson, notes and comments editor; Shelby Howlett, symposium editor; and Kyla Bishop, online editor. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Law Review is a quarterly publication that has three primary objectives: to publish articles, surveys, and essays that are timely and useful to Arkansas practitioners, the judiciary, and other members of the state’s legal community; to publish material which reaches national and international legal audiences; and to provide a forum for outstanding student work of both local and national interest, as well as an opportunity for students to gain experience editing scholarly articles. Students who have completed their first year of law school are eligible to participate in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Law Review if they are in the top 10 percent or their class or have successfully passed a write-on competition.

American Bar Association awards reaccreditation to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Bowen Law School

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 19:23:57 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law has been awarded reaccreditation by the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. ABA accreditation is a rigorous process that ensures a level of national uniformity and excellence in legal education. Students graduating from a school approved by the ABA are eligible to sit for the bar exam in any state. Bowen’s reaccreditation status will last 7-10 years. The decision comes after a highly descriptive self-study report, site evaluation, and site visit by the ABA committee from Feb. 26 to March 1, 2017. “Often law schools must report back to the committee and provide additional information, but Bowen has no further requirement to do so,” said John DiPippa, interim dean of the law school. It is the first time, in his recollection, that the law school has had such a clean report. DiPippa gives much of the credit to the Bowen community for all their hard work, especially the faculty members who worked on the internal self-study report and the self-evaluation questionnaire committees, which were chaired by Professors J. Lyn Entrikin and Lynn Foster.

Bowen students selected to attend American Bar Association conference

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 13:09:59 +0000

Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law students have been selected to attend the

Bowen students Chancie Coomer and Madison Pitts will join lawyers and other law students in Baltimore, Maryland, where they will participate in cutting-edge continuing legal education programming.

Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 18, with an afternoon of public service and an evening welcome reception, the conference will offer two full days of continuing legal education programming. One session will provide attendees with insider perspectives on how the federal government is addressing key issues including public lands, climate change, and conservation.

Both students received full scholarships from the American Bar Association to attend the conference.

“We are both very excited about many of the lectures we will be attending, including a session on food law and several regarding environmental law under the Trump administration,” Coomer said.

Pitts and Coomer will give a presentation about the conference during an upcoming meeting of the Environmental Law Society at Bowen.

American Bar Association honors Bowen alum for public service

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 14:03:03 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law graduate is one of five national recipients of an American Bar Association award that honors public service in the legal profession. William (Bill) Waddell Jr., a partner at, will receive the American Bar Association’s during an Aug. 12 awards luncheon in New York. The award is given to lawyers and institutions that have demonstrated outstanding commitment to providing volunteer legal services for the poor and disadvantaged. These services are of critical importance to the increasing number of people living in poverty who need legal representation to improve their lives, according to the American Bar Association. “In the end, increased access to justice is crucial,” Waddell wrote on the American Bar Association website. “Individuals in need, particularly women and children, often have nowhere to turn but legal aid, and their unmet problems, which can often be resolved with minimal assistance, result in a loss of community.” Waddell has devoted hundreds of hours as a volunteer, handling more than 300 pro bono adoptions for Bethany Christian Services. He also serves as legal counsel to the United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops and has served as chancellor to the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church. In 2009, Wadell’s work led to the creation of the Arkansas Access to Justice Foundation, where he served as chair of the board of directors for eight years. The foundation later merged with Arkansas’ Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts program to diversify support for legal aid. Waddell is a 1978 graduate of the University of Central Arkansas and a 1984 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock law school graduate. He is a recipient of a 2017 Outstanding Lawyer Award from the American Bar Association, a 2016 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award from Legal Aid of Arkansas, and a 2013 Arkansas Bar Foundation Equal Justice Distinguished Service Award.