Tuesday morning, Little Rock had its first snow. There didn’t seem to be much on the road, but NPR was urging caution, so I got an early start to Arkadelphia, Ark.. The drive was a safe one and, thankfully, uneventful.

Anyway, I arrived in Arkadelphia in plenty of time for the Sidney S. McMath Pre-Law Conference at Henderson State University, which I was attending as a speaker. 150 students attended the conference which began with lunch. The President of Henderson State, Charles Dunn, attended as well. Dr. John Graves, the chair of the social sciences department, gave the welcome. Phillip McMath spoke about his father, Sid McMath, who is a 1936 School of Law graduate.

The keynote speaker was Deputy Attorney General De Priest whose topic was ”When Your Reality Check is Returned for Insufficient Funds.” Previous keynote speakers for the McMath Lecture have been the Honorable Judge Henry Woods; the Honorable Sidney Sanders McMath, former governor and the namesake of the event; the Honorable W.H. “Dub” Arnold, former Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court; the Honorable Wendell Griffen, Arkansas Court of Appeals; Honorable Ray Thornton, former Associate Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court; and retired member, U.S. House of Representatives and the Honorable Dale Bumpers, a former U.S. Senator.

After the keynote speaker there was a panel, consisting of Aaron Taylor, the assistant dean of the William H. Bowen School of Law at UALR, Attorney Don Cheney, our alum from Chaney Law Firm in Arkadelphia and me. We were introduced by Ivy Kelly, President of the Henderson State student body. Aaron spoke about the nuts and bolts of law school admissions and gave some very technical and helpful pointers to students. I introduced them to the University of Arkansas School of Law and shared a PowerPoint presentation containing pictures of the new building and slides describing our many programs. Don Cheney talked about practicing law, being a tort lawyer and how he helps plaintiffs who’ve been injured recover so they are able move on with their lives. Afterwards the panel fielded a number of questions from the audience.

An additional pleasure was the opportunity to visit with our alumna Elaine Kneebone, who is currently serving Henderson State as University Counsel. Many thanks to Dr. Larry Monet, the gracious host of the conference, for the invitation to speak as well as his hospitality. We certainly look forward welcoming students from Henderson State to the University of Arkansas law school community!

After attending Attorney Wolfman’s talk it was off to a meeting with everyone involved in the courtyard project, including the artist, Jesus Moroles; representatives from Nabholz Construction and Cromwell Architects Engineers Inc.; Professor Flaccus (as a representative of the faculty committee concerned with the project); Dan Street from facilities management; Michael Holloman and Archie Shaeffer. The meeting was very productive. We were able to work through a number of issues concerning the plans landscaping of the courtyard.

Almost before I knew it, it was time to go to Little Rock, where I stopped for the night on my way to Arkadelphia. To my delight I had dinner with Russell Gunter of Cross, Gunter, Witherspoon & Galchus that evening. We had dinner at 1620 restaurant, and the meal was terrific. Okay, foodies, get ready for this one. My meal began with a goat cheese tart that was topped with crispy apple-smoked bacon and lump crab served with a spicy tomato puree and a cilantro emulsion. The entree was even better, believe it or not. I had Rush’s Seafood Pasta, a combination of pan-seared scallops, crawfish and crab tossed with fresh veggies and a spicy creole crème over rigatoni. The meal ended with a delicious three-chocolate medallion dessert. Russell had a really delicious hazelnut crusted grouper, and an appetizer of escargot. It was a really fabulous meal and I would highly recommend 1620 if you happen to be in the Little Rock area. Thanks to Russell Gunter (even though he’s a management lawyer! Just kidding, Russell) for a lovely evening.

I woke up Monday morning to a huge crash—actually, a series of crashes—only to find out that my neighbor’s very large, very old redbud tree had fallen over onto her house and car! What a bad start to the week for Mrs. Pilcher, who’s a real sweetheart and helpful neighbor. After checking on her to make sure that she was okay, it was off to Pilates with the torture mistress Claudia (who actually gives a very good workout, but it’s fun to tease her).That afternoon the law school community was pleased to host Brian Wolfman, the Director of Litigation for the group Public Citizens. The courtroom was packed. A number of members of the legal community joined us for his talk. We were pleased that Conrad Odom, Jason Hatfield, and Paul Bird could join us. Director Wolfman spoke about the work of Public Citizen’s litigation group as well as a number of the cases the group has argued before the Supreme Court. He discussed the idea of the “cost of litigation,” and pointed out that most people think narrowly about litigation costs. But, he suggested that if the corporate malfeaser doesn’t pay for the harm caused, then there is still an additional cost—the cost that the individual bears in terms of the injuries suffered. Wolfaman encouraged us to think about “cost” more wholistically. He stressed the point that the issue isn’t if there is a cost, it’s who will really pay that cost, the wrongdoer or the injured plaintiff.

Attorney Wolfman also gave an overview about the other work of the litigation group. The attorneys in the group testify before congress and administrative agencies, and take cases involving open government issues, challenges to regulation, consumer justice, first amendment law and internet free speech (he gave an example of fighting for an individual’s right to post anonymously in internet chat rooms). The group brings a number of class action suits and has extensive experience arguing before the United States Supreme Court, litigating 55 cases since 1972. Public Citizen has also created a Supreme Court assistance project that will conduct mock arguments for attorneys who have trials in the Supreme Court, provide help with Supreme Court briefs, and help attorneys litigating cases who wish to avoid having their cases heard by the Supreme Court.

Check out Brian Wolfman’s news article on the School of Law website.

I know I’ve started writing posts event by event, but this week was slow enough that I thought it would be best to just write one long entry.

Monday began as each Monday does with a trip to Studio Pilates here in Fayetteville where I meet with my Pilates instructor Claudia Smith. She seems pleasant and cheerful until we begin our lessons, at which point she becomes a torturess extraordinaire. Seriously, all joking aside, she is definitely working to help me meet my goal of Fabulous at Fifty…if I can survive!

Monday, February 25th was full of meetings one to consider faculty appointments and another with Colleen Williams, the chair of our Community Life Committee to plan details. The highlight of the day was that Dr. Collis Geren, the Dean of the Graduate School came over to visit the law school. We went for a tour and I was able to show him our new facilities. Anyway, it was a pleasure to have him come over and see the new space. As you know if you’re an avid “bloggie,” one of the things I need to do more often is visit other deans around campus and learn more about their schools. Dean Geren is now one of the first on my list since he was kind enough to visit me.

Dinner was with Myra McKenzie, who you’ve read about before. She’s becoming the “Mysterious Myra”—I’ll remember next time, bloggies, to get a picture of her so you can see who she is.

Tuesday was fantastic! It was the BLSA Soul Food Supper. It was fabulous! I must say it was inconsistent with being Fabulous at Fifty, but the meal was great. I did pass up the desserts and the bread, but I think the macaroni and cheese probably did me in. BLSA had set up an extensive—and delicious—menu. A big thanks to Dean Miller for treating me to this great lunch, and to BLSA for hosting a lovely event.

Wednesday was an early morning faculty meeting, and later in the day, we celebrated our February birthdays: Mike Mullane, Jo Anna Collins, Sharon Foster, Colleen Williams and Carlton Bailey. We had two special guests who came to help us celebrate, Lieutenant Colonel Clark Taylor—who you’ve seen mentioned before in the blog—as well as our alum, Katherine Shurlds (’94), from the University’s Journalism department who is teaching Media Law this semester.

Thursday morning I noticed something exciting in my office. My orchid, sent to me by Stacie Walters when I came into the deanship, is blooming! It is so beautiful and so exciting, first of all that I kept the orchid alive, and to have it bloom again. Thanks for documenting this little miracle, Michele.

Thursday afternoon, Professor Judges gave a presentation on emotional intelligence. He addressed the concept of emotional intelligence, how emotional hijacking interferes with relationships at home and in the workplace, and how that hijacking compromises performance and robs life of pleasure. The room was completely full—standing room only. Professor Judges also told us how to reprogram ourselves to deal with challenges and frustrations in a much healthier manner. Many thanks to Professor Judges for such an interesting talk.

Later that afternoon there was a farewell reception for Kay Fairchild, the assistant director of the Office of Affirmative Action, who is retiring. Her friends and fellow members of the University community came to say their farewells to Kay. We will certainly miss her greatly. She has been a true friend to the law school and also a personal friend of mine. I do wish her well, but I’ll certainly miss her presence on campus.

Thursday ended with the University of Arkansas Inspirational Singers Gospel Feast, which I attended with my mom and Bob Moberly. For anybody who missed it, you missed a treat! It was both a feast of food and a feast for the soul. What a wonderful event! Guests were served four courses while being entertained with music, dance, drama and step. The program was separated into four scenes based on different eras in the history of black Americans; each segment then was accompanied with a meal course. And the end of the meal there was a short concert of more modern gospel music, and it was fan-tastic! I’m not kidding you, it was just an amazing, amazing event. A bonus was a chance visit to the event of my favorite UAPD officer, Sid Ramirez. Thursday ended with us being very well fed in every way.

I went to Little Rock to attend a meeting of the Lawyers Helping Lawyers Committee, a group I’ve been privileged to be a part of for a number of years. In its former iteration it was known as the Arkansas Lawyer Assistance Committee. The current chair is Alice Lightle. The committee is an Arkansas Bar Association committee that supports the work of the Arkansas Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program (AJLAP) which was established by the Arkansas Supreme Court. The AJLAP is dedicated to providing non-disciplinary and confidential assistance to any member of the Arkansas bar whose professional performance is being impaired by mental illness, emotional distress, substance abuse or any other disabling circumstance.

This purpose of this particular meeting was the that the AJLAP has been selected by the American Bar Association’s Commission On Lawyer Assistance Programs (ABA COLAP), as the location for its 2009 Annual Meeting. The meeting will be held from October 21-24 at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock. In addition, the conference of the International Lawyers in Alcoholics Anonymous will be held in conjunction with the COLAP conference. Our committee has the unique opportunity to host and provide support for these two important conferences. As you might imagine, hosting the two conferences is a big honor for the state of Arkansas, but it’s also a big responsibility, so the LHL Committee met to begin planning.

COLAP Schedule

We discussed three things that the committee needs to assist with in addition to finding volunteers to be present during the meetings. The first is quite a bit of fun. The Arkansas LHLCommittee is planning a photo rally for the first two days of the COLAP Conference. Participants who sign up will have to follow clues and photograph different items around Little Rock, like the pin map in the Clinton store or the Peabody Duckmaster’s hat. They will upload their photos, which will be displayed throughout the conference, and the first team to complete their list wins.

Committee members were also asked to help with the Dine Around by signing up to serve as hosts and hostesses for convention attendees to dine at area restaurants. Not only will they serve as meal-time companions, but also be responsible for helping participants get to their restaurants. The third need begins with the start of the ILAA conference. Volunteers are needed to register participants.

At the end of the discussion of the conference, there were a couple of business items. As I mentioned above our committee assists the AJLAP. One of the agenda items was the need for Gail Harber, the director of the AJLAP, to be invited to speak at county bar meetings. She’s has spoken at a few local bars meetings, but unfortunately, there are many places around the state where lawyers aren’t aware of the AJLAP. We also watched a video of a lawyer who shows up to court drunk. It was a real train wreck, and it supports the need for Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Programs.

When the meeting adjourned, I visited with Denise Hoggard in her new law firm. She is in the Regions Bank Building on 1st Street and has a beautiful office on the 28th floor. Before I made it up to her office, I ran into another of our alums, John Harriman. I had a good visit with Denise, and it gave me the time to thank her for being such a good friend of the law school and for her support of the scholarship programs of the Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers.After leaving Denise’s office, I ran into none other than Phillip Hood, who I’ve mentioned in earlier blogs. He’s a member of the Arkansas Workers Comp Commission (I got a picture of him and I asked Nirmal to put that in the earlier blog post about him, and then there’s a picture of us together). As it turns out, he was in the office of Rickey Honorable, a mortgage loan originator for Regions Bank, who is married to my sorority sister Colette Honorable. Collette was recently appointed to the Arkansas Public Service Commission by Governor Beebe. I visited with Rickey and with Phillip, and then said “farewell” to Little Rock and headed back up the hill to Fayetteville!

Thursday was supposed to be a law school strategic planning meeting, but because of the crazy weather it was postponed. However, I did get to meet with Tom Black, our webmaster, on the migration of the Web site to our new Red Dot system. He has done a great deal of work to prepare for the migration and the changes look great. He has some neat features planned for the new law school site so stay tuned—you heard about it here in the blog first!

We’re still looking for outside input, too. Do you have any suggestions about how we can make the webpage better? If you’d like to, feel free to leave a comment right here on the blog; we’d love to hear it.

That evening I had dinner with Jennifer Taylor, who is the director of the Arkansas Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission. I had been invited by Bob Moberly and his wife, Lynn Webb. Jennifer’s sister, Laurie joined us as well for a lovely dinner at Theos. If you’re a “bloggie,” you know that Theos is my absolute favorite restaurant in Fayetteville, so in addition to the warm company, it was a good excuse to dine there once again.

We were greeted warmly by Jeff, Theo’s manager (by the way, Jeff, you need to come to law school!) before we sat down to a fabulous meal. We talked about everything, from the current Presidential race to the ADR Commission’s work and the fact that mediators are now involved in an increasing number of substantive legal fields. Thanks to Bob Moberly for the invite—it was a wonderful evening—and thanks Jennifer for visiting with our students about the Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission and the opportunities available to them in that area of practice.

The dean of the School of Continuing Education and Academic Outreach, Linda Ballard, invited me to Hugo’s with members of her staff and two representatives from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, Laura Tyree, associate director for planning and accountability, and Christina (Chrissie) Miller, assistant director for planning and accountability. Also joining us from Dean Ballard’s school was Kim Jones, program coordinator, and Cindy Shackelford, Dean Ballard’s executive assistant. Rick and Clair Ramsay (’77), David Vandergriff (’77), and Jim Phillips (’80)—all law school alums—were there, too.

Although I know I’m working on being Fabulous at Fifty, Hugo’s has great burgers so I had a bacon barbeque cheeseburger and we all shared some spinach dip as we visited during the meal.

After dinner we went over to Dean Ballard’s box in Bud Walton Arena to watch the Hogs take on the LSU Tigers. We were joined in the box by Terry Martin, associate dean of academics for the College of Engineering, and his wife, Theresa as well as Mike Johnson, the associate vice chancellor of facilities, and his wife, Terri (who I’ve mentioned in previous blogs). We were also joined by Matt Cashion, the former national president of the National Association of Surety Bond Producers and owner of The Cashion Company, an independent insurance agency in Little Rock.

While walking through Bud Walton, I ran into a couple of our alums, Bill Horton (’01) and Pat Gazzola (’74) (Pat owns The Catfish Hole restaurant in Fayetteville). I also crossed paths with Don Bland of the College of Business who has been very supportive both of the law school. It’s always neat to see everyone out enjoying a great game, especially when the Hogs win like they did that evening! It was an exciting game. Thanks again to Dean Ballard for her invitation. It was an action-packed evening that had Theresa and I on our feet the entire time!

Time out for a shout out: During the course of my thank you calls Wednesday morning, I had spoken to Lee Fincher who was in the midst of making banana pudding. During the course of our conversation, I mentioned how much I enjoy banana pudding, but just can’t seem to make it quite right. Imagine my surprise when the next morning Professor Sharon Foster brought in a big bowl of banana pudding from Lee! Banana pudding is definitely the “breakfast of champions,” (though, maybe not for those trying to be Fabulous at Fifty) and it was delicious! Thanks again, Lee and Sharon!

One of the things I’ve looked forward most is being able to say thank you to our gracious benefactors, so today I spent a lot of time making personal phone calls to a number of our alums and friends who provide the law school with financial support. To all of you who have helped support the law school, thank you so much. Please know how very much we appreciate your support.

Another special thanks goes out to Don Elliott for visiting with the student chapter of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA). We really appreciate him taking time out of his busy schedule to speak with the members of the law school community.

That evening Wright, Lindsey & Jennings sponsored a cocktail party at Ella’s. I forgot to take my camera with me to this event, so thanks to Rachel Rouby for saving me with her cell phone pictures. A number of our alums were there, including Charles Coleman, Adrian Young, Jane Kim, Paul Mores, and Jeff Woods. Many of our students, as well as faculty members Susan Snell and associate dean Judith Kilpatrick, attended as well. I had a really lovely visit with Jane Kim, Adrian Young and Michelle Camerly about life and, more importantly, the best places to eat in Little Rock! Thanks again to Wright, Lindsey & and Jennings for a very pleasant evening

Saturday night I braved the torrential rain at the invitation of Lt. Col. Clark Taylor (a regular in blog postings), to attend the Army ROTC Military Ball. The cadets and officers at the ball were from two different ROTC programs: the University of Arkansas and Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. There were a number of interesting traditions to witness. There was a very formal receiving line where each guest was announced to the line by the adjutant, in this case a young cadet standing to the right of Lt. Col. Taylor. The adjutant’s role is to present the guest to the presiding officer who in turn presents the guest to the guest of honor. The adjutant does not shake hands with the guests. Because I didn’t know, I extended my hand to the adjutant who remained in her perfectly straight position with her hands behind her back and announced me to Lt. Col. Taylor (oops!).

The colors were posted by a color guard of four women cadets. After the invocation and introductions, there were a series of toasts (with sparkling grape juice). We toasted to the Commander in Chief, Army, sister services, all who have served and are currently serving, the Razorback Brigade, The Riverhawk Battalion, families and guests and the ladies. Each toast was offered by specially selected cadet, except for the toast to the sister services which was offered by Admiral Mike Johnson (whom we know as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities), whose terrific wife Terry was with him. Admiral Jack Buffington, a professor of civil engineering, was also a guest.

One of the most fascinating moments in the program was the Fallen Soldier Ceremony. The table is set for one and symbolizes the members of the military who are missing. Some were prisoners of war, missing in action or fallen soldiers. Their dedication to duty and commitment to the country as well as their memories are honored in this way. I’ve paraphrased the text of the ceremony:

• The small table set for one symbolizes the frailty of one soldier alone against his enemies.
• The white tablecloth symbolizes the purity of their intentions to respond to their country’s call to arms.
• The single red rose, displayed in a vase, symbolizes the blood shed to protect the liberty so cherished in our country.
• The yellow ribbon tied prominently on the vase, symbolizing remembrance, reminds us of the families and loved ones who keep the memories of those soldiers alive.
• The bracelet is worn upon the wrists of thousands, whose unyielding determination demands a proper accounting of our missing.
• The bronze star is a symbol of courage in the face of the enemy.
• A slice of lemon, on the bread plate, is to remind us of their bitter fate.
• There is salt upon the bread plate, symbolic of the families’ tears.
• The glass on the table is inverted, because they were unable to be present to join in the toasts.
• The chair is empty because the soldiers are not present.
• The candle is a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice fallen soldiers and their families have made to preserve our precious freedom.

Another surprising tradition was that the “most expendable” member of the company was called forth to taste the food before it was served. You can imagine the historical reasons for this, but it was nevertheless surprising to witness. The cadet declared the food to be “delectable and utterly pleasing to the palate.” At that point we dined on pork loin (there was also a choice of steak or chicken), twice backed potato, green beans and cheese or chocolate cake. I was delighted to be seated with Lt. Col. Taylor and his wife Julia, Col. Richard F. Bowyer, the keynote speaker, and his wife Kelly, Cadet Bishop, the Cadet Battalion Commander, and his date Rebekkah Mendoza and Susan Mayes, an instructor in health science and kinesiology at the university.

Here let me interject a wonderful and personal aside. One of the members of our law school community was in attendance. David Phillips, a third-year, was with his fiancée, Alline Fulton. They shared the most romantic story. As it turns out, David is an alumnus of the ROTC program. He left about 20 years ago, had a distinguished career in the military and returned for law school. But when he left, he also left Alline, and they hadn’t communicated in all that time. Little did David know that, while he was studying in Waterman Hall, Alline would walk by on her way to the Poultry S

cience Building. One day, David was looking in the campus directory and spotted her name. He emailed her and, as they say, the rest is history! David presented her with his mother’s ring, and they are engaged to be married. Thanks, David, for sharing your lovely story.

Anyway, back to the banquet. The speaker-Colonel Boyer from Ft. Sills, Okla.-directed his talk towards the cadets, but it was a great reminder for anyone striving to assume a position of leadership. Leaders, he said, are selfless, self-aware, have the capacity to make decisions, learn from mistakes and care for those who work with and for them. His talk was extremely motivational and it gave all the leaders in the room food for thought.

After the program, I danced a bit before heading home to rest after another busy week. A special thanks to Susan for driving, especially given the stormy weather.

Let me begin by mentioning that I lost a half day earlier this week because I was under the weather, but I was able to shake the crud that seems to be going around! Hopefully all you readers out there are keeping healthy through these last few weeks of winter.

The annual Arkansas Bar Foundation Scholarship Dinner was held February 15 at The Little Rock Club in Little Rock. For the foodies, the dinner was a delicious surf and turf-shrimp and steak-with green beans and twice baked potatoes. The event was extremely nice, and we had an opportunity to visit with a number of our alums-who are also members of the Bar Association-during the cocktail hour.

The event itself was a wonderful opportunity for the scholarship donors to meet some of the students whose lives have been profoundly changed through their gifts. That might sound cliché, but I really do believe that’s true. What makes this event work is the fact that the donors get to see and hear about the wonderful things that scholarship recipients are achieving with the help of the donors’ financial support.

The scholarship award winners are doing wonderful things for our community. The list of scholarship winners is long, but each student is deserving of mention:

• Stacia Alvarez (Donald J. Adams Scholarship)
• Phillip Brick (Guy Amsler, Jr. Scholarship)
• Clark Donat (Arkansas Bar Foundation Merit Scholarship)
• Baxter Drennon (David Solomon Scholarship)
• Sam Eastman (Harry P. Warner Scholarship) (Vincent W. Foster, Jr. Scholarship)
• Kristen Freeman (Arkansas Bar Foundation Merit Scholarship)
• Blake Glasgow (Justice J. Frank Holt Scholarship)
• David Gonzales (Arkansas Bar Foundation Scholarship, in honor of the Sebastian County Bar, U.M. Rose, Mike Gorman and Edward L. Wright)
• Grace Johnson (Judge John E. Miller Scholarship)
• April Kersten (Paul B. Young Scholarship)
• Talley Parker (Horace and James McKenzie Scholarship)
• Pamela Roberts (R.A. Eilbott, Jr. Scholarship)
• Trevin Ware (Rather, Beyer & Harper Scholarship)
• Taylor White (Judge J. Smith Henley Scholarship)
• Anisha Woodard (Edward Lester Scholarship)
• Ryan Younger (Wilson and Associates Ethics Scholarship)

Congratulations again to all of these outstanding law students! We are all very proud of your accomplishments.

For me, the best part of the event was that Dean Chuck Goldner and I had an opportunity to highlight each of the students who received scholarships. It was a bittersweet event in the sense that it was Dean Goldner’s last time to participate as a dean. As you know from reading my blog, he is stepping down as dean of UALR‘s law program at the end of this school year. He will certainly be missed, but it was a real joy to shar

e this event with him.

Thanks again to Ann Pyle, the executive director of the Arkansas Bar Association, for organizing such a lovely evening. It was a fantastic event! This was my first time attending, and I’m already looking forward next year. Thanks to all the students for making the drive to Little Rock so that our supporters were able to see what special people you all are. We all braved unpredictable weather to be there and perhaps more of our students will be able to attend in the future. I think we all agree that it was certainly a wonderful occasion, and worth the trip.