Staci Dumas Carson

Randall L. Bynum is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative / Regulatory Law. Randall L., who practices law in Little Rock, Arkansas, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Randall L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Brian C. Smith practices in the firm’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group. His practice includes experience in the design, implementation and administration of tax-qualified retirement plans including defined benefit pension plans, profit-sharing plans, 401(k) plans and ESOPs. He also works with nonqualified deferred compensation plans and health and welfare plans for financial institutions, regular business organizations, professional corporations and governmen...

Christopher Heller works primarily in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Labor and Employment Law and Education Law. The majority of his practice consists of trial and appellate work. He primarily represents businesses and public entities in class actions and other cases involving natural resources, insurance, trade secrets, employment, civil rights, education, contracts and other issues. Chris is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation, Bet-the-Company Litigation, La...

Will Bond is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Will, who practices law in Little Rock, Arkansas, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Will is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Nikki Lovell serves as counsel and close company advisor representing both publicly-held and privately-held companies throughout the United States in mergers and acquisitions, capital raises and general securities compliance. She has extensive experience in representing financial institutions, logistics companies, service companies, professional service providers, real estate companies and insurance companies as both buyers and sellers in merger and acquisition transactions. Nikki’s gen...

Michael B. Heister is a managing member at Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC, with extensive experience in regulatory, environmental, and complex commercial litigation. Mr. Heister’s practice focuses on electrical utility regulatory proceedings, environmental enforcement/compliance, and defending clients who do business in highly regulated industries. His recent experience includes: Advising and representing clients in matters before the Arkansas Public Service Commission, including e...

Chuck Dougherty's practice is focused on intellectual property and technology issues. He prepares and prosecutes patent applications, federal and state trademark registration applications and copyright registration applications. For those clients with international portfolios, he oversees and coordinates foreign filings with local counsel in appropriate jurisdictions. He also assists clients with licensing and other issues related to the protection of their intellectual property. In addition,...

Kristopher B. Knox is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Railroad Law. Kristopher B., who practices law in Little Rock, Arkansas, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kristopher B. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Cliff McKinney is a nationally recognized real estate attorney with more than 20 years of experience advising sophisticated clients in complex real estate, land use, and business transactions across Arkansas and the mid-South. Cliff is part of the firm’s real estate practice, representing Fortune 500 companies, institutional investors, developers, and high-net-worth individuals in multimillion-dollar deals, entitlement strategy, and regulatory compliance. Cliff’s transactional exp...

George Ernst is a Partner in our Little Rock office whose practice specializes in immigration, international business, and labor and employment matters. Also proficient in German, he has over a decade of experience representing multi-national corporations across various industries. His practice focuses on advising clients in highly complex matters relating to the employment of foreign nationals under the EB-5 program for international investors, EB-1 and EB-2 visas for employment-based immigr...