YLS
In brief
A Periodic Newsletter of the Young Lawyers Section of the Arkansas Bar Association
Vol. 13 #3 Summer 2009
Editor of Inbrief
Tasha Sossamon Taylor
Young Lawyers Section Chair: Anthony W. Juneau Chair-Elect: Brandon K. Moffitt Sec-Treas: Courtney Crouch Immediate Past Chair: Gwendolyn L. Rucker Executive Council: Central: Tasha Sossamon Taylor (2010) Brandon K. Moffitt (2011) Grant M. Cox (2012) South and East: J. Edward (“Eddy”) Doman (2010) John Houseal (2011) Brian M. Clary (2012) Northwestern: Vicki S. Vasser (2010) L. Matt Davis (2011) Brian R. Lester (2012) At Large Representatives: Brendan T. Monaghan (2010) Cliff McKinney (2011) Melissa N. Sawyer (2012) Law Student Representatives: University of Arkansas at Fayetteville School of Law: Austin Easley UALR William H. Bowen School of Law: Aimie Lockwood
in this issue YLS News
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Mock Trial Update
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Bridging the Gap
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YLS Report by Anthony W. Juneau from the Summer issue of The Arkansas Lawyer magazine
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YLS Social Event September 15, 2009 You are invited to a social event for all members of the Arkansas Bar Young Lawyers Section hosted by Ivize.
US Pizza in Hillcrest (2710 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock)
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. September 15, 2009 Ivize is sponsoring food and beverages for the event. Please RSVP to April Soman at april@moffittandphillips.com to assist in obtaining an estimate of attendance for food. So break away from the office for a few hours and come out to enjoy a great social hour with other Young Lawyers. Hope to see you there.
YLS News New Student Cookout at the UALR William H. Bowen School of Law The Young Lawyers Section helped sponsor a cookout for new law students on August 12, 2009.
Hats Off
Congratulations to Vicki S. Vasser on her recent marriage (August 9, 2009) to Lonnie Burden of Rogers. Katherine Prescott celebrated the birth of her first child, Alice Katherine Prescott, on May 6, 2009. Andy Taylor joined Cullen & Co., PLLC in August of 2009, where his practice focuses on appellate practice, commercial and residential real estate, and general civil litigation. His new e-mail address is andy@cullenandcompany.com. Andrew Bailey was elected to serve as the President of the Baxter County Bar Association for 2009-2010. Christopher Brockett has opened his own firm and will specialize in Federal and State Tax Controversies, Probate, Litigation, Estate and Business planning, and Corporate law. His new contact information is Hatfield & Sayre, 401 West Capitol Ave., Suite 502, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201. The office phone number is (501) 374-9010. Susan Polk won the American Bar Association on Women in the Profession’s 20th Anniversary Essay Competition on gender diversity. The topic was – Gender Diversity: Have we solved the problem? If not, where do we go from here? Ms. Polk’s short essay, entitled, “Bridging the Gender Gap: Creating a New, PostLaw School Reality for the Woman Lawyer” is currently posted at http://www. abanet.org/women/competition.html. Dara Young and Zachariah Young celebrated the birth of their baby girl, Charlotte Diane Young, on March 16, 2009.
Brian Clary, Brandon Moffitt and Andy Taylor
Shaneen Kelleybrew Sloan recently became a partner in the Little Rock law firm of Hyden, Miron & Foster, PLLC where she will continue her practice in the areas of tax, estate planning, probate and business law. Phillip and Jennifer Jordan celebrated the birth of their second child, Caroline Rose Jordan, on May 18, 2009. Rosie was 7 lbs. 4 oz. and 19 inches. Joe Tyler and wife Jennifer celebrated the birth of twin girls, Jillian Christine and Jenna Ruth, on May 19, 2009. Jillian Christine was 6 lbs. 6 oz. and 19 inches and her sister Jenna Ruth was 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 19 inches.
Michael Phillips
Morgan Vaughan and husband Sean celebrated the birth of their first child, Maggie Ann, on June 22, 2009. Maggie Ann was 7 lbs. 8 oz. and 20 inches. The Texarkana Young Lawyers Association received three awards at the annual ABA convention held in Chicago on August 3, 2009. These included a 1st place Comprehensive Affiliate Award and Special Recognition for their newsletter, The Footnote. Tasha Henderson Ward and husband Wes celebrated the birth of their first child, Violet, on September 3, 2009.
Brandon Moffitt 2
YLS In brief
www.arkbar.com
If you have information on YLS Members who deserve a “Hat’s Off” or would like to submit ideas for articles, please contact the editor of “In Brief,” Tasha Sossamon Taylor at tcsossamon@yahoo.com.
YLS News Mock Trial Update By Matthew Wells, Davidson Law Firm, Ltd, Little Rock
At this year’s Annual Meeting, the Arkansas Bar Association Mock Trial Committee embarked on another successful year. Mock Trial is a program provided and run by the Arkansas Bar Association designed to teach high school students about the practice of law through participation in a simulated trial. The program provides students with a unique and unrivaled opportunity to learn the law and the legal system from practicing attorneys, with whom they coordinate to prepare and try a mock case, usually in a real courthouse in front of a sitting judge. Mock Trial regional competitions are held at the end of February each year, with winners advancing to the state championship held in March. One team from the state is invited to participate in national Mock Trial competitions which are held in different locations around the country. Work has already begun for the 2010 Mock Trial competition. Generating publicity and proliferating knowledge of the Mock Trial program—with the ultimate goal of adding more high schools to participate in the annual competition—are top priorities for this year’s Committee. The Committee hopes to spawn growth in the number of participating teams going forward, ultimately eclipsing even the highest team participation numbers of the past few years. In order to facilitate that goal, the Committee is seeking assistance from the Bar community. The Committee and student participants alike thank all the young lawyers who in the past have dedicated their valuable time to this rewarding program, as well as all those who will do so again this year!
Attorney volunteers are needed to coach participating high school teams around the state. Coaching is a wonderful way to give back to the community, develop business and reputation, and to instill in the community the good works provided by the state’s excellent legal community. If you would like more information on becoming a team coach in your area, please contact Taura McDaniel (taura@tmcdaniellaw.com) or Matthew Wells (mattheww@dlf-ar.com). The Committee will pair those who volunteer with a participating high school team in their area.
Vol.13 No. 2/Spring 2009 YLS In brief
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C LE The Arkansas Bar Association Young Lawyers Section presents:
Bridging the Gap Filling the Gap Between Law School and Practice October 1-2, 2009 UALR Bowen School of Law Friday Courtroom 1201 McMath Avenue Exit I-30 at 9th Street Little Rock, AR
12.5 CLE Credit Hours includes 2.0 Ethics Hours
Arkansas Professional Practicum November 13, 2009 ARKANSAS PROFESSIONAL PRACTICUM Attorneys admitted to the Bar of Arkansas after January 1, 2005 are required to complete the Arkansas Professional Practicum within two years of admission. The Professional Practicum will be held on November 13, 2009 at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock. For more information on the Arkansas Professional Practicum call (501) 374-1855. 4
YLS In brief
www.arkbar.com
Young Lawyers Section Report
by Anthony W. Juneau
Community Service: Our Responsibility
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Law Day May 1, 2010 “The YLS will hold at least one
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First Edi tion ed by Prepar Associa as Bar s Section Arkans Lawyer Young
social event this year in each of As many of you know, community service is one of the primary responsibilities of the Young Lawyers Section (“YLS”). The YLS is currently working on several projects to benefit the communities of our great state. Under the leadership of Matt House, the YLS recently published the first edition of “18 & Life To Go: A Legal Handbook For Young Arkansans.” The purpose of this 150 page publication is to provide high school seniors with an overview of Arkansas law on various topics including contracts, family law, criminal law, employment law, and the litigation process. The YLS’s goal is to provide a copy of this handbook to every high school senior in Arkansas. We are currently in the process of raising funds to print twenty to thirty thousand copies of the handbook per year, which will not be cheap. However, given the fact that this publication will be very beneficial to young Arkansans, the YLS believes that any money spent on this project is well worth the investment. Another important focus of the YLS this year will be the “Wills for Heroes” project. Through this project, the YLS will offer free wills to Arkansas’s fire fighters, police officers, and first responders (“Heroes”). Within the last two months, the YLS has drafted a template for the will, as well as an accompanying information and instruction sheet. With the help of LEXIS, the template has been configured into an electronic format, which will allow YLS volunteers to easily input the relevant information into the will. Within the next couple of months, the YLS will announce the dates when
this free service will be made available to Arkansas’s Heroes. On the selected dates, YLS volunteers will travel to police/fire stations throughout Arkansas to meet with the Heroes and to assist with the preparation of the wills. Each volunteer will input the relevant information from the information and instruction sheet (which will be distributed to the Heroes prior to the date that the wills are prepared) into the electronic template. Once a will is complete, it will be printed, executed, and witnessed at the police/fire station. As such, each Hero will be able to leave the police/fire station with a valid will in hand. As we have done in the past, the YLS will also sponsor Law Day. Law Day is a great program where attorneys go into a classroom (usually high school) and teach a law-related lesson. For many students, this is their first interaction with an attorney. Not only do the students learn about the topic at hand, but they also have the opportunity to ask the volunteer attorneys about our profession. Unquestionably, Law Day causes many students to develop an interest in the law and the legal process. We also intend on sponsoring several “meet and greet” events focusing on the members of the YLS. The YLS will hold at least one social event this year in each of the three Bar districts, which will give our members a forum to socialize and discuss the future of the YLS. In order to accomplish this goal, I would like to appoint a “social chair” from each of the three Bar districts. If you are interested in serving in this capacity,
the three Bar districts, which will give our members a forum to socialize and discuss the future of the YLS. In order to accomplish this goal, I would like to appoint a ‘social chair’ from each of the three Bar districts. If you are interested in serving in this capacity, please contact me.” please contact me at the number below. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Gwen Rucker, Amy Freedman, Paul Bennett, and Cliff McKinney for their outstanding leadership to the YLS over the past several years. I would also like to thank Chin Kuay, a former intern with Legal Aid of Arkansas and current first year law student, for his work on the “Wills for Heroes” program. Finally, I would like to congratulate Brandon Moffitt on his recent election as the Chair-Elect of the YLS. As attorneys, we have a responsibility to serve our communities. Over the next year, the YLS will implement several community service projects, including those mentioned in this report. Although most young lawyers are extremely busy, please consider volunteering your time and abilities to the YLS. If you would like to assist the YLS with any of its projects, please contact me at 479-464-5657 or by e-mail at tjuneau@mwlaw.com. n Vol. 13 No. 2/Spring 2009 YLS In brief
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