2024 CLE Speakers & Agenda

Tuesday, October 1st

8:30-9:30 AM: Heather Martin-Herron – Bankruptcy Creditor Mortgage Basics

9:30 AM-10:30 AM: Jennifer Donaldson & Candace McCown – Becoming a Resilient Attorney: Use These Tricks, Enjoy the Treats (Part 1/2)

10:30-10:40 AM: Break

10:40-11:40 AM: Jennifer Donaldson & Candace McCown – Becoming a Resilient Attorney: Use These Tricks, Enjoy the Treats (Part 2/2)

11:40 AM-12:40 PM: Lunch & Learn with the Judge – Judge Tjuana Byrd Manning

12:40-12:50 PM: Break 

12:50-1:50 PM: Maggie Benson, Laney Gifford, Sainabou Sonko, Eric Stansell – ESI Discovery

1:50-2:50 PM: Deanna Ray – Exploring Ethics

2:50-3:00 PM: Break

3:00-4:00 PM: Jonathan Martin – Immigration Law Update: Recent Changes and What You Need to Know

4:00-5:00 PM: David Slade – Trends in Social Media Litigation

Wednesday, October 2nd 

8:30-9:30 AM: Jenna Adams – General Defense: Harassment/Sexual Harassment

9:30 AM-10:30 AM: Abtin Mehdizadegan – Employment Law

10:30-10:40 AM: Break

10:40-11:40 AM: Jennifer Bearden, Maryna Jackson, Gary Sullivan – The EEOC: Policies, Procedures, and Best Practices

11:40 AM-12:40 PM: Seth Hampton – Real Estate Due Diligence

12:40-1:20 PM: Lunch

1:20-2:20 PM: Aaron Squyres, Shellie Wallace, Jillian Wilson – Creditors Rights: An Overview of Enforcement Options

2:20-3:20 PM: Elizabeth Dussex – Quiet Title

3:20-3:30 PM: Break

3:30-4:30 PM: Cliff McKinney – Current Issues in Real Estate Law

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Originally from Terre Haute, Indiana, Jenna holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees from Arkansas State University in Political Science and Spanish. She also has a Master of Arts degree from Arkansas State University in Political Science. She graduated cum laude with her Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law in May 2014. Jenna is admitted to practice law in the State of Arkansas, the U.S. District Court the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Jenna has been with the Arkansas Municipal League as Litigation Counsel since January 2016. Her practice consists of defending Arkansas cities in civil lawsuits on issues of Constitutional Law, Employment Law, and Municipal Law. Jenna’s favorite area of practice, though, is defending police officers on Section 1983 claims and doing oral arguments at the Eighth Circuit.

Jenna presents and teaches on a variety of topics, including the Fourth Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment privacy issues, Qualified Immunity, Avoiding Lawsuits for Municipalities, the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, the Arkansas Whistleblower Act, Sexual Harassment, and the Use of Force. Jenna currently lives in Sherwood, Arkansas with her two children, 6-year-old son, Jackson, and 3-year-old daughter, Emma.

Jennifer Corbin Bearden received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Arkansas. After graduating college, she received a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship and moved to Veracruz, Mexico, where she continued her Spanish and Latin America studies. Ms. Bearden graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 2012. After graduation, Ms. Bearden received a one-year clerkship with the Honorable Kristine G. Baker, United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Before joining the EEOC in 2022 as a Trial Attorney, Ms. Bearden was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Pulaski County specializing in Domestic Violence, Sexual Assaults, and Juvenile Law.

Maggie Benson is Senior Counsel in the Tyson Foods Law Department. She has worked on the Law Department’s Labor and Employment and Commercial Litigation teams. She serves on the Board of Legal Aid of Arkansas. She previously served on the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors for the Arkansas Bar Association and co-chaired the Inaugural Public Service Academy of the Arkansas Bar Association and Clinton School of Public Service.

Prior to joining Tyson, Maggie was in private practice at Littler Mendelson and Kutak Rock where she handled employment, products liability, medical malpractice, and other civil litigation. While in private practice, Maggie was named to Super Lawyers Rising Stars and Best Lawyers Ones to Watch in different civil litigation practice areas.

She graduated magna cum laude from the UALR Bowen School of Law and received her master’s degree from the Clinton School of Public Service. Prior to law school, Maggie worked for the U.S. House of Representatives following her undergraduate studies at Hendrix College.

Maggie grew up in El Dorado and Little Rock and is a proud graduate of Little Rock Central High. She lives in Fayetteville with her husband Matthew and their daughter Mary Helen, who is Maggie’s proudest achievement.

Jennifer Donaldson is a Licensed Certified Social Worker and serves as the Executive Director of the Arkansas Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program (JLAP). Jennifer is a native of Monticello, AR where she received her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology while attending the University of AR at Monticello. She graduated with a Master of Social Work from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a focus on Advanced Direct Practice.

Jennifer has worked in various realms of social work including clinical mental health with individuals, families, and groups, program development, enhancement and quality assurance, and advocacy work within the juvenile justice system. She has served as the Program Director for SMI Adult Day Treatment Services as well as the Director of the Geriatric Intensive Outpatient Department in Monticello before moving to Little Rock.

Prior to working with JLAP, she provided contract mental health services to JLAP clients through her private practice. Jennifer specializes in the mental health effects of trauma, organizational wellbeing, and program development & administration. Jennifer is clinically trained in evidence-based therapies such as Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT). Jennifer is a Certified Master WRAW (Workplace Resilience and Wellbeing) Practitioner which allows her to assess and implement macro level strategies for organizational resilience and wellbeing as well as personalized wellbeing for individuals and groups. As JLAP Executive Director, she oversees operational quality and implementation of services statewide while seeking opportunities for program growth and expansion. Jennifer looks forward to continuing Arkansas JLAP’s approach to overall wellbeing within the legal community while maintaining the provision of vital clinical mental health services to judges, attorneys, and law students.

Elizabeth Dussex is a Civil Litigation attorney who primarily focuses on contract disputes, property disputes, landlord-tenant matters, and debt defense.  She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and attended the William H. Bowen School of Law.  During her time as a law student, she worked for the the Pulaski County Assessor’s Office in their Real Estate Administrative Department. Elizabeth is currently a Senior Associate Attorney with Lion Legal in North Little Rock, Arkansas. 

Laney Gifford serves as Senior Counsel on the Commercial Litigation team at Tyson Foods, Inc. Prior to joining Tyson, Laney was a litigator at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP’s Birmingham, Alabama office and represented corporate clients from a wide range of industries in class actions and complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts and in arbitration. Laney also represented multiple Fortune 500 insurance and financial services clients in class actions and individual litigation and defended clients in medical malpractice and wrongful death suits.

Laney graduated summa cum laude from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama, where she served as a Judge Abraham Caruthers Fellow, as Junior Editor and Student Materials Editor for the Cumberland Law Review, and as a judicial intern to the Honorable R. David Proctor for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Laney received her B.A. in Political Science from Auburn University.

R. Seth Hampton joined Rose Law Firm in 2024. His practice primarily focuses on real estate, agriculture, commercial finance, and environmental compliance. He is recognized in the 2023 Edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in the areas of Banking and Finance Law, Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, and Real Estate Law.

Seth regularly represents clients in conveying and exchanging real property and real-property interests, such as easements, purchase options, and rights of refusal; preparing and negotiating lease agreements for agricultural, recreational and commercial properties; resolving title issues and boundary disputes; and developing agricultural, recreational and commercial properties. His experience also includes advising clients on matters concerning water rights and irrigation permitting, and compliance issues involving environmental, wetlands and land use regulations.

Agribusiness transactional and regulatory matters in which he has been involved include acquisitions and dispositions of agricultural properties and major asset portfolios in Arkansas and surrounding states; advising producers and landowners on compliance issues with state-specific agricultural, land-use and environmental laws and regulations, and laws and regulations promulgated by the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resource Conservation Service and other USDA agencies; negotiating and preparing production contracts, service and supplier contracts, custom farming agreements and leases for agricultural, recreational and commercial properties; transfers and assignments of agricultural and conservation easements and contracts, water and irrigation rights, and other governmental entitlements; and advising landowners and producers on matters concerning water rights, irrigation permitting and wetlands and environmental compliance. Additionally, Seth represents both lenders and borrowers with risk management aspects of agricultural lending, including matters concerning collateral securitization and loan documentation, and negotiating workouts and forbearance agreements involving agriculture loans.

Seth is a member of the American Agricultural Law Association, American Bar Association, Arkansas Bar Association and Pulaski County Bar Association. He is a frequent speaker to title, banking, land management, real estate brokerage and other agribusiness industry groups on topics concerning legal issues applicable to real estate transactions and due diligence involving agricultural, commercial and recreational properties; identifying and resolving title and survey issues unique to agricultural and rural properties; transfers of agricultural and conservation contracts and easements, irrigation permits and water rights; compliance issues with environmental, wetlands and land use regulations; and agricultural finance and lending laws.

Seth hails from Monroe County, Arkansas, where his extensive knowledge of the agricultural industry began with his involvement in his family’s farming operation. His involvement with his family’s operation led him to attend Arkansas State University where he earned a B.S.A. in Agricultural Business, was a member of the Delta Tau Alpha Agricultural Honors Society, the Collegiate Farm Bureau Club, the Agricultural Business Club, and the Delta Theta Chapter of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. Following graduation, Mr. Hampton served as Congressman Berry’s District Representative and Liaison for southern counties comprising Arkansas’s First Congressional District.

Mr. Hampton obtained his J.D., with honors, from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law where he was a member of the Arkansas Real Estate Review. While obtaining his law degree, Mr. Hampton also served as a student law clerk to the Honorable J. Thomas Ray, United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Following graduation, Mr. Hampton served as a staff attorney to the Honorable Billy Roy Wilson, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas before joining another reputable Arkansas law firm.

Mr. Hampton is licensed to practice in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and the United States Court of Federal Claims.

Maryna Jackson joined the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as a trial attorney for the Memphis District in 2023. From 2016 until 2023, Ms. Jackson was a Senior Assistant Attorney General at the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office. Ms. Jackson defended state agencies in various civil rights lawsuits, including employment discrimination and retaliation cases, First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendment cases, and medical marijuana cases. Ms. Jackson graduated from the Bowen School of Law, University of Arkansas in 2009. Ms. Jackson is originally from Ukraine, where she was employed as an attorney from 1998 until 2006 for Ukrsibbank, prior to her immigration to the United States of America.

Judge Tjuana C. Byrd Manning has spent her adult life in public service. She is passionate about children, women and girls, the elderly and healthy living. Byrd Manning chairs the Racial Justice Taskforce on assignment of the Arkansas Supreme Court’s Commission on Children, Youth and Families.  Byrd Manning is also a member of the Arkansas Commission on Juvenile Justice and a member of the Arkansas Continuing Legal Education Board.

Byrd is serving in her fourth year as Pulaski County Circuit Judge Division 8. Byrd was previously in private practice in North Little Rock where her primary focus was juvenile matters. She served as an Assistant City Attorney for North Little Rock (handling HR and truancy matters), the Sherwood Public Defender, and an attorney ad litem representing children in foster care.

She is a life member of the NAACP, and is actively involved in the North Little Rock Chapter and a life member of the UA Little Rock Alumni Association.  An active member of St. Mark Baptist Church, she serves as a large group leader/storyteller in children’s church and a Director for the Watson Primary Ensemble choir for children ages 3-11. In addition to the community and church activities in which she is involved, she enjoys travel, exercise and fitness, outdoor activities, and attending and watching sports events.

A graduate of Lonoke High School, Byrd received a degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and a Juris Doctorate degree from the UALR School of Law in 1996.

She is recently married to the love of her life, Michael Manning and gained two sons, twins Owen and Nicholas, who have also truly captured her heart.

Jonathan Martin, a Miami native, graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2011. He then spent a year studying International Law at the University of Essex in Colchester, England. Mr. Martin came back to the United States to study law at the William H. Bowen School of Law in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he obtained his Juris Doctor. While in law school, Mr. Martin served as both Vice-President and Treasurer of the Hispanic Law Students Association. In 2015, Mr. Martin won Alumni of the Year for his work with HLSA. His first job after graduation was General Counsel and Senior Human Resources Manager of a small restaurant chain in Arkansas. He has also taught business law classes at the University of Central Arkansas and at UALR. In 2016, Mr. Martin joined the Monterrey Law Firm as an immigration attorney. As the bilingual son of immigrants, he felt like immigration law was his calling. After a short time in solo practice, Mr. Martin returned to immigration law, and is an associate at Farmer and Wright.

Heather Martin-Herron is a Partner and Supervising Attorney in the Bankruptcy Department at Wilson & Associations, PLLC. She is a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, and received her education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (A.A. 2004; B.A. 2006). She received her law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law (J.D. 2011, Honors). Heather was admitted to the Arkansas Bar in 2011, the Tennessee Bar in 2013, and the Mississippi Bar in 2019. She is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association and the Mississippi Bar Association. Heather was appointed to the Board of Directors for Central Arkansas Rescue Effort (C.A.R.E.) for Animals in 2019, elected as Secretary in 2020. She was elected as President of C.A.R.E.’s Board of Directors in 2021 and continues to serve as their President.

Candace McCown is a Licensed Master Social Worker and is the Arkansas Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program Assistant Director. She serves the clients as a clinician, performs client assessments, manages health monitoring clients, and focuses on wellbeing and mental health education. With experience working in non-profit, for-profit, and governmental agencies in both micro and macro social work positions, she is well-rounded to work within the JLAP network and assist the program across the board.

A native of Arkansas, she received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Harding University and earned her MSW at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a focus on management and community practice. As a clinician, she is trained in several specialty modalities: EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy). When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going on walks, and crafting.

Cliff McKinney is a transactional attorney at Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC.  His primary practice is real estate law and business and regulatory matters related to real estate.  A Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, Mr. McKinney is listed with The Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of Real Estate Law and Land Use and Zoning Law, is recognized by Chambers USA’s Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of Real Estate and selected as a Mid-South Super Lawyer in the area of Real Estate by Super Lawyers.  He was named the Little Rock Lawyer of the Year – Land Use and Zoning Law by Best Lawyers® in 2020 and 2022 and is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell.  Mr. McKinney has served as lead counsel on dozens of multi-million dollar transactions throughout the mid-South region.  His projects include one of the largest real estate transactions in the corporate history of a major global retailer.  He also represents restaurant owners, including franchisees of national chains.

In addition to working on the transactional aspects of a project, Mr. McKinney assists clients with financing, business organization, environmental and land use issues.  His practice includes guiding clients through the regulatory process, including obtaining zoning changes and other governmental approvals.  He has extensive experience assisting clients in obtaining appropriate business licenses and approvals, such as alcohol permits and franchise agreements.  He also assists clients with permitting issues related to the Clean Water Act (e.g., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 404 permits), the National Historic Preservation Act (e.g., Section 106 compliance) and the National Flood Insurance Act (e.g., letters of map revision).

Mr. McKinney also has experience dealing with real estate-related litigation matters, including adverse possession, boundary by acquiescence, prescriptive easements, quiet title, eviction, foreclosure and restrictive covenant disputes, among others.  Mr. McKinney has also been active in the legislative process, including serving on the Arkansas Bar Association’s Jurisprudence and Law Reform and Legislation Committees.  He has testified before the Arkansas General Assembly on many occasions and been involved in drafting and vetting real estate-related legislation.

Mr. McKinney is currently serving his sixth term as Chair of the Real Estate Law Section of the Arkansas Bar Association.  In that capacity, he spearheaded the creation of the Arkansas Real Estate Review and currently serves as one of its editors.  Mr. McKinney was the first attorney in the State of Arkansas to obtain the status of LEED® Accredited Professional, which affords him the unique ability to assist clients with environmentally-friendly green building projects.  Mr. McKinney served as the U.S. Green Building Council Arkansas Chapter’s Secretary and Treasurer and served on the Arkansas General Assembly’s Legislative Task Force on Sustainable Building Design and Practices.  He also serves on the state’s Old State House Commission.

Mr. McKinney is also involved in the academic side of real estate law.  Mr. McKinney is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law where he teaches Real Estate Finance and Real Estate Transaction Skills.  He has written a number of law review articles on real estate topics, including implied covenants, deed drafting, boundary by acquiescence, adverse possession and landlord/tenant rights. He chaired the committee for the third edition of the Standards for Examination of Real Estate Titles in Arkansas and authored the Arkansas chapter for an American Bar Association book on institutional land use controls.

Mr. McKinney attended the University of Arkansas where he obtained his Juris Doctor (cum laude) and Master of Public Administration degrees.  His focus on real estate began while he was a student at Southern Methodist University earning a Master of Laws degree emphasizing real estate.  Prior to law school, Mr. McKinney was a National Merit Scholar at Baylor University.  He is licensed to practice law in Arkansas (2002, highest score), Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, and he uses his licenses and experience in these states to assist clients in cross-border transactions.

Mr. McKinney is President of the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity of Central Arkansas.  He served as Board Chair of Arkansas Rice Depot from 2008-2009 and remained active in the organization through 2015 when he served on the merger committee that resulted in Arkansas Rice Depot merging with Arkansas Foodbank to form the largest hunger relief agency in the state.  Mr. McKinney now serves on the board of Arkansas Foodbank.  Mr. McKinney chaired the Arkansas Bar Association 2011 Annual Meeting and the 2015 Mid-Year Meeting.  He currently serves on the Arkansas Bar Association’s Board of Trustees and is a tenured member of the House of Delegates.

Education

Southern Methodist University (LL.M., emphasizing Real Estate Financing, 2003)

University of Arkansas School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2002)

University of Arkansas (M.P.A., 2002)

Baylor University (B.A., 1999)

Associations and Affiliations

Fellow, American College of Real Estate Lawyers

Arkansas Bar Association [Chair, Real Estate Law Section 2006-2010, 2015-Present; Board of Trustees 2021-2024; Member Board of Governors 2015-2020; Chair, Business Law Section 2015-2016; House of Delegates 2012-2015 (tenured)]

American Bar Association

Pulaski County Bar Association

Commission on Uniform State Laws (2017-2025)

State Bar of Texas

ICSC, Innovating Commerce Serving Communities

Christian Legal Society

Abtin Mehdizadegan is a Partner in Hall Booth Smith, P.C.’s Little Rock, Arkansas office and represents employers in traditional labor and employment law matters. He has extensive experience defending businesses in high-stakes class and collective action lawsuits, employment and wage and hour lawsuits, labor grievance and arbitration proceedings, individual and systemic proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), unfair labor practice charges before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), federal wage and hour audits involving the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (DOL/WHD), unemployment appeals, business disputes, products liability defense, and constitutional law litigation. He has successfully handled appeals before the Supreme Court of Arkansas and the Fifth and Eighth Circuit Courts of Appeal; dozens of lawsuits at the district court level; and he serves as an Adjunct Professor teaching Employment Law at the University of Arkansas Little Rock Bowen School of Law.

Clients routinely engage Abtin to conduct comprehensive employment law counseling and training to their workforces; to develop policies and handbooks; and to assist businesses with matters pertaining to affirmative action and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Abtin’s clients are leaders in a range of industries across the private, public, and non-profit sectors, including healthcare, surface and air transportation, cybersecurity, banking and FINRA-regulated industries, agriculture, retail, higher education, and insurance. He is particularly capable in handling matters involving sophisticated technologies given his prior experience for a leading computer and software manufacturer.

In addition to his trial and appellate work, Abtin’s daily practice revolves significantly around providing advice and counsel to Boards of Directors, C-Suite Executives, HR Leaders, and In-House Counsel on a broad range of employment issues providing practical problem-solving solutions. Additionally, he is an experienced and effective workplace investigator, and he regularly conducts outside investigations into allegations of employee misconduct, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or other sensitive issues. He similarly provides advice and counsel regarding compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII and Title IX, the Equal Pay Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ (OFCCP) regulations pertaining to government contractors and subcontractors.

Given his commitment to excellence in the practice of law, Abtin was honored to receive the Friend of SBS Award (2023) for his successful handling of high-stakes litigation; the Spirit of Maine Achievement Award (2019) from the University of Maine, his alma mater, for his professional accomplishments; and the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award (2017) from the Center for Arkansas Legal Services for his successful Supreme Court litigation that established important constitutional protections in child guardianship proceedings for domestic violence survivors. Abtin’s accomplishments have also been recognized for several years by the Mid-South Super Lawyers for his dedication to employment law; Arkansas Business magazine as a member of its class of 20 in their 20s, the New Influentials; by HR Professionals magazine as a Rising Star in Employment Law; and by Arkansas Life magazine in its Top Attorneys feature.

Deanna Ray serves as Assistant District Counsel for the Little Rock District. She is also appointed as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas and the Western District of Missouri. She began her career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in January 2019. She is responsible for providing legal guidance on real estate, regulatory, labor and employment relations matters, as well as guidance to the Table Rock Lake Project Office and is assigned to other various litigation, and operations projects.

Prior to joining USACE, Ms. Ray worked for the State of Arkansas for more than seven years. Most recently, she served as an Attorney Specialist for the Alcoholic Beverage Control Administration (ABC) where she regulated the sale of alcohol and helped usher in medical marijuana availability in Arkansas. While at ABC, she was appointed by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson to serve as Interim Director of ABC.

Before working for ABC, Ms. Ray served as Associate General Counsel for the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (ANRC). Ms. Ray worked for Wilson & Associates, a private real estate law firm, preceding her time in state government.

Ms. Ray is a Little Rock, Arkansas native. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental studies and history from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She is admitted to practice law in the State of Arkansas. Ms. Ray is married to Skipper Ray, supervising attorney for Lender’s Title. She has two daughters, Scarlett and Caroline. Ms. Ray spends time giving back to her community through various non-profit organizations across the region. She is a member and Board of Directors member of the Junior League of Little Rock; a Board member for Audubon Delta; a Board member for Girl Scouts of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas; a Board member for the Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers; a Board Member for Overton Inns of Court and a Board member for Ozark Land Trust.

Throughout this period, his interest in the law was nurtured by a side job as a trial assistant in the hormone therapy litigation, In re: Prempro Products Liability Litigation, Case No. MDL 1507. Following his work with the Prempro MDL, David attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. While there, he co-founded the Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service (along with Brandon Haubert), an online, interdisciplinary publication for which he served as Editor-in-Chief. He oversaw the Journal’s inaugural symposium, as well as a variety of community engagement efforts. In its first year, the Journal published submissions from authors throughout the world.

At WH Law, David’s principal focus is on consumer protection, with an emphasis on data privacy, data security, antitrust, and antitrust-adjacent areas in the tech space. Extending his advocacy beyond litigation, he also organized a cyber safety training summit for Arkansas law enforcement and victim assistance professionals, in conjunction with the National Organization of Victim Assistance (NOVA) and also has established multiple coordinated practice groups focused on diluting the preemptive effect of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

David has presented at CLEs and other professional gatherings related to, inter alia, data breach litigation, the professional obligations of local counsel, and changes in the law surrounding Section 230. In addition to his work in the class action context, David is a member of the Volunteers Organization, Center for Arkansas Legal Services (VOCALS), an organization committed to pro bono advocacy, and serves on the board of the Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS).

Sainabou Sonko is a seasoned litigator with extensive experience in high-stakes litigation, including federal class actions and multi-district litigation matters. She currently serves as Senior Counsel in the Commercial Litigation group at Tyson Foods, Inc. Prior to Tyson, Sainabou had considerable private practice experience representing multinational corporations in complex matters and was recognized as a “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch” for her work in commercial litigation, medical malpractice (defense) and products liability litigation (defense). She is a recent recipient of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’ coveted “Rising Stars” award and currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Arkansas Access of Justice Foundation.

Sainabou is a graduate of Rutgers School of Law-Newark, where she served as a Legal Research & Writing Teaching Associate and the Managing Notes & Comments Editor for the Rutgers Race and the Law Review Journal.

Aaron L. Squyres is a Partner and Shareholder of Wilson & Associates, PLLC and is the Managing Attorney of the Litigation, Bankruptcy, and Unsecured Collection Departments. Mr. Squyres received his education from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (BA, 1988) and the University of Arkansas, School of Law (JD, 1991). He was admitted to the Bar of the State of Arkansas in 1991 and the Bar of the State of Tennessee in 2004. He is a Master of the Bench of the Henry Woods Inn of Court and a member of the Arkansas and Tennessee Bar Associations. Mr. Squyres is very active in the Arkansas Bar Association. He is a member of the Board of Trustees, has chaired both the Legislation and Governance Committees and several other Task Forces, served as the 2016 Annual Meeting Chair, and was the Parliamentarian from 2017-2022. His primary area of practice is mortgage banking litigation. He is a military history buff and an avid golfer.

Eric Stansell serves as Tyson Food’s Senior Counsel for Discovery. In this role, Eric works with Tyson’s legal team and outside counsel to ensure that Tyson’s Discovery obligations and interests are properly addressed. He is also responsible for leading the development and implementation of Discovery best practices, management of E-Discovery vendor-partner relationships, and evaluation of new Discovery-oriented partners and technologies.

Prior to this current role, Eric led teams and initiatives focused on technology-assisted review for one of the country’s largest alternative legal service providers. Over his 14-year career in E-Discovery, he has worked on hundreds of matters, saving his clients millions of dollars and helping them to reduce their legal risks. Before his E-Discovery career, Eric worked as an insurance regulator and in the political sphere.

Eric received his BA, MBA, and JD from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He is married to Kristina and has a seven-year-old son, Alex, and a five-year-old daughter, Katie.

Gary Sullivan joined the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as an Assistant Regional Attorney for the Memphis District in 2023. Prior to joining the EEOC, Gary was the Legal Director at the ACLU of Arkansas. He previously worked at the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office for 9 years defending the state in employment discrimination cases. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law in 1991. He holds a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in forensic science from the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Shellie Wallace is a Partner/Shareholder and Managing Attorney of the Foreclosure Legal and Foreclosure Title Departments. She received her education from Arkansas Tech University (B.A., 1989, Highest Honors) and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law (J.D., 1992). She was admitted to the Bar of the State of Arkansas in 1992 and Tennessee in 2006. She is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association and former member of the USFN. She has significant experience in consumer protection litigation, legislation and administrative procedures. Her practice areas focus in real estate and creditors rights.

Jillian Wilson is a Co-Managing Partner and supervising attorney in the Foreclosure Legal Department at Wilson & Associates, P.L.L.C. She received her education from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. (B.A. 2011), the University of Arkansas School of Law (J.D. 2013, Cum Laude), and the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business (M.B.A. 2023). She was admitted to the Arkansas Bar in 2014, the Maryland Bar in 2015, the Mississippi Bar in 2016, and the Tennessee Bar in 2021. She is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association, Pulaski County Bar Association, Maryland State Bar Association, Mississippi Bar Association and the Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers. She is a member of the Young Lawyers’ Section for the Arkansas Bar, the Communication Committee for the Arkansas Bar, and the Young Lawyers’ Division of the Mississippi Bar.

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