The Arkansas Times' Best Lawyers 2002

If they can't win your case, we don't owe you a dime. But they have won their share.

Leslie Newell Peacock
July 26, 2002

These are familiar names, these Best Lawyers in Arkansas. Their colleagues have picked them, year after year, since the Arkansas Times made its first survey of lawyer opinion in 1995. Names like Phil Kaplan, John Walker, Sam Perroni, Jack Lassiter, William Haught, David H. Williams, Stephen Engstrom, Carolyn Witherspoon.

Byron Eiseman, the tax attorney, has been a winner in his specialty every time the Times has asked, which it does via a questionnaire mailed to a random sample of lawyers in Arkansas (including all Pulaski County lawyers). The head of the Friday firm's tax department, in a profile accompanying this story, discusses the impact of the Bush income tax repeal on estate planning.

Repeat winner Morgan "Chip" Welch is profiled here as well, about his victories in the personal injury arena and his current high profile as he who would take on the governor. Doug Norwood of Fayetteville talks about why lawyers again thought of him to defend DWI cases. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Audrey Evans, in private practice until this year, talks about why women lawyers gravitate to certain areas of the law - including bankruptcy.

Some other observations: Pulaski County lawyers dominate the winners' lists. Half of the questionnaires are mailed to Pulaski County lawyers, however, which accounts for that. The category drawing the most names from outside Pulaski County is the one naming the best lawyer to draft legislation. All politics is local, after all.

Only one woman was a nominee for best lawyer to defend drunk driving. (She was not a finalist.) Besides bankruptcy, the categories getting high numbers of women nominees were divorce and employment discrimination.

Arkansas's top lawyers, as judged by their peers, are named below. (Lawyers may note that some categories include winners who are on opposite sides. The survey did not make a distinction between the plaintiff's and defense bar.) The top vote-getters are listed alphabetically by category.

Criminal defense - white collar

Chuck Banks, Woody Bassett of Fayetteville, Tim Dudley, John Everett of Fayetteville, John W. Hall Jr., Rick Holiman, Bill James, Jack Lassiter, Sam Perroni, Jeff Rosenzweig, Jerry Sallings, Herb Wright.

Thirty-two nominees.

Criminal defense - violent crime

Tim Dudley, John Everett of Fayetteville, John W. Hall Jr., Bill James, Jack Lassiter, Sam Perroni, Jeff Rosenzweig, Herb Wright.

Forty-eight nominees.

Personal injury

Win Drummond, Gary Green, Paul Harrison, Greg Kitterman, Sam Laser, Ed Lowther, Bobby McDaniel of Jonesboro, Bruce McMath, Peter Miller, Steve Quattlebaum, James Swindoll, Morgan "Chip" Welch, Bud Whetstone.

Eighty-one nominees.

Divorce

Barry Coplin, Stephen Engstrom, Phil Dixon, Patti James, Judson Kidd, Mike Reif, Linda Shepherd, Jim Tripcony, Jack Wagoner.

Fifty-three nominees.

Drunk driving

Hubert Alexander of Jacksonville, Ralph Blagg of Clinton, Bill James, Doug Norwood of Fayetteville, Kirby Riffel of Pocahontas, David H. Williams, Herb Wright.

Forty nominees.

Employment discrimination

Tim Boe, Kathy Graves, Philip Kaplan, Jack Lavey, Janet Pulliam, Luther Sutter, John Walker, Morgan "Chip" Welch, Carolyn Witherspoon.

Sixty-one nominees.

Real estate

Chris Barrier, Barbara Bonds, Darrell Dover, Tim Grooms, Hal Kemp, Marian McMullen, Bill Spivey.

Sixty-one nominees.

Tax

Neil Deininger, Byron Eiseman, Wilson Jones, Terry Mathews, Phil Miron, Mike Munnerlyn, Tom Overbey, Charles Owen, John Peace.

Sixty-three nominees.

Wills

Byron Eiseman, Richard Hatfield, William Haught, Wilson Jones, Terry Mathews, Mike Munnerlyn, Tom Overbey, John Peace, George Plastiras, Jean Stockburger, John Wade.

Fifty-nine nominees.

Bankruptcy

Allen Bird, Charlie Coleman, Jim Dowden, Judy Henry, Basil Hicks, Jill Jacoway of Fayetteville, Patti James, Rick Taylor, Geoffrey Treece, Danyelle Walker.

Sixty-one nominees.

Draft and pass legislation

Mike Beebe of Searcy, Joe Bell, Morril Harriman, Henry Hodges, David Matthews of Rogers, Nick Thompson.

Sixty-one nominees.

Fairest federal judge

G. Thomas Eisele, James Moody, William R. Wilson Jr., Susan Webber Wright.

Thirteen nominees.

Fairest non-federal judge

Ellen Brantley, Chris Piazza, Vann Smith, John Ward.

Thirty-five nominees.

Full-service law firm

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates and Woodyard; Friday, Eldredge and Clark; Wright, Lindsey and Jennings.

Forty-three nominees.

Copyright ©2002 Arkansas Times Inc.