Joseph Henry "Hank" Bates III

Alexandra Ifrah is a partner in the Employee Benefits Practice Group of Friday, Eldredge & Clark and serves on the firm’s Management Committee. Since joining the firm in 1999, Alexandra has concentrated her practice on the representation of employers from a myriad of industries in complex employee benefits, taxation and executive compensation matters. Alexandra has extensive experience in the design, implementation, compliance and administration of tax-qualified retirement plans (in...

Ed Lowther has a trial-oriented practice and focuses his attention on class action and multidistrict litigation, commercial litigation, legal and medical malpractice defense and products liability. He has served as lead trial counsel, in both state and federal courts, representing individuals and companies alike. Lowther is the Managing Partner of Wright Lindsey Jennings. He began his professional legal career as an associate with Wright Lindsey Jennings in 1981, and has remained with the fir...

Casey Castleberry is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Commercial Litigation. Casey practices law in Little Rock, Arkansas Best Lawyers has recognized Casey Castleberry since 2020. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Casey Castleberry is held by other lawyers.

Robert T. Smith heads the Finance and Commercial Transactions Practice Group and serves on the firm’s Management Committee. His diverse corporate practice focuses on representing companies and financial institutions in general business, transactional, securities and regulatory matters. He has handled transactions in a variety of areas, including the banking, healthcare, real estate and technology industries. In the banking sector, Robert advises clients on regulatory compliance, mergers...

Walter M. Ebel III concentrates his practice in the area of mergers and acquisitions, assisting clients from diverse industries in complex business transactions. Skip advises clients on every phase of merger and acquisitions transactions, from initial confidentiality agreements and letters of intent, to negotiation and drafting of the merger and acquisition agreement, through the closing of the transaction. Skip has an LL.M in Taxation from New York University and his practice also includes i...

W. Taylor Marshall is a partner in the firm’s Public Finance Practice Group. Taylor has experience in all areas of public finance, including the issuance of taxable and tax-exempt bonds and public and private-public finance transactions. In 2017, Taylor graduated from the Little Rock Regional Chamber’s leadership program – Leadership Greater Little Rock. Taylor is ranked in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for his work in Corporate Commercial – Bonds.

Courtney Crouch is a trusted advisor on corporate and securities matters helping both publicly-traded and privately-held companies navigate corporate governance, regulatory and transactional issues. He counsels corporate boards of directors, board committees and executive management on corporate governance, shareholder communications, investor disclosure, executive compensation, capital markets and securities transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and other regulatory and transactional matte...

Michael McCarty Harrison is a partner in the firm’s litigation practice group. She focuses her practice on insurance defense and coverage, products liability, medical malpractice, personal injury defense, transportation litigation, fire/arson investigation and defense and appellate advocacy. Prior to joining the firm, Harrison spent 20 years developing a strong litigation practice in Little Rock and has been recognized for her work by Mid-South Super Lawyers . She is a member of the Def...

Chip Chiles is a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a Member of the American Law Institute. He litigates business-related disputes at trial and on appeal in Arkansas and in other states. Chip has represented some of the world’s leading companies in the insurance, pharmaceutical, chemical, finance, communications, food and beverage, financial, and retail industries. His business-litigation practice has included defending...

Meredith Causey’s practice focuses on electronic discovery and information governance, including the identification, preservation, collection, review, and production of electronically stored information. Ms. Causey also provides counsel to clients on a variety of technology-related issues, including software licensing agreements, cloud computing, and website privacy policies. Before joining the firm, Ms. Causey founded an electronic discovery company, where she counseled clients on elec...