Arkansas Business on Monday announced this year’s class of 40 Under 40 honorees, a group of rising young professionals who will be honored at a luncheon June 11 at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock.

This year’s honorees include business leaders, entrepreneurs, medical professionals and others who are making a significant impact in their companies and communities.

Each year, Arkansas Business receives more than 400 reader nominations for 40 Under 40 candidates. A group of internal judges selects the best of the best.

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) announced today that it is awarding a Pro Bono Innovation Fund grant of $394,344 to the Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS).

CALS is one of 17 legal aid organizations receiving a grant. In total, LSC is awarding $5 million to support efforts to expand and improve pro bono legal services for low-income Americans.

Senator John Boozman congratulated CALS on receiving the grant for pro bono services.   

“This grant will enhance legal services available to Arkansans regardless of their financial situation,” Sen. Boozman said. “I’m pleased to support this funding that will connect individuals and families with community resources to help foster a brighter future.” 

The names of all applicants who successfully completed the Bar Examination, the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), completed all other requirements, and who will be certified to the Clerk of the Arkansas Supreme Court for admission as attorneys licensed to practice law in Arkansas appear below.

Congratulations to those who just passed the July 2023 Bar Exam! We are excited about your new role and the impact you will make in the legal professional world.
We would also like to do a few special shoutouts:
-The first is to our very own, Iván Martínez; his resilience, hard work, and community impact are to be commended, and we are proud to have him on our team. Congrats on passing the bar exam.
-The Second is to our intern Killie Loftis; her vigor to learn all she can and willingness to help her community, especially during her time at Arkansas Legal, has paid off in full. We are proud to have had you as an intern and so glad to see your efforts were rewarded. Congrats on passing the bar exam.
-The third and final is to our partner from Arkansas Access to Justice, Ginny Ashcraft. Her heart and soul went into everything she did, and we know this exam was treated with the same passion. Congrats on passing the bar exam.

Congratulations to you all!
The future of the legal profession looks bright.

Veterans experience homelessness at rates well beyond the rest of society, leaving many who have served our country living (and dying) on the street. Veterans who are homeless or at risk for homelessness often face legal issues that make it difficult for them to obtain or maintain stable housing. The Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS) has long served the veteran community, and now has been awarded, through the new “Legal Services for Veterans” program, a federal grant of $147,468 to deliver these key legal services.

For the 14th year, Arkansas Business is thrilled to recognize 20 individuals who are making a significant impact in their companies, organizations, and communities. These individuals range from activists, business leaders and entrepreneurs. Arkansas Business receives over 200 nominations annually, and a group of internal judges gather to select the best of the best.

Legal aid leaders discuss how their organizations acquired opioid settlement funds and the impactful legal services they are providing to those affected by opioid use disorder on the latest episode of LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast, released today. LSC President Ron Flagg hosts the conversation with guests Helen Gratil, project director of the Arkansas legal aid partnership Beyond Opioids; Robert Johns, executive director of Legal Aid of the Bluegrass in Kentucky; and Betty Balli Torres, executive director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation.

A free legal help hotline is now available for Arkansas Severe Storms and Tornadoes survivors.

The hotline is available to connect survivors to free legal services in qualifying counties who cannot afford an attorney. Survivors can call (501) 376-3423.

Hotline callers may get help with legal issues like:

“Student loans can really help our clients get out of poverty, but so often, we see our clients struggling to pay them and are just drowning in debt. The pandemic just made it worse,” said Cecille Doan, head of CALS debt and consumer legal advocacy group. “This effort to cancel debt is tailored to help those at-risk borrowers we see every day, ensuring those from the lowest income backgrounds get the most relief. Today the Supreme Court gets to hear how this is a lawful step forward for these struggling Arkansans.”

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) announced today that it is awarding 33 Technology Initiative Grants (TIG) to 29 legal services providers totaling $4,679,135. These organizations will use the funds to leverage technology in delivering high-quality legal assistance to low-income Americans.

Established in 2000, the TIG program distributes grants annually to LSC-funded legal services providers. LSC has awarded 859 grants since the program’s inception—totaling more than $81 million to fund legal technology projects.

Grant recipients have used this funding to enhance cybersecurity, build educational platforms, strengthen program capacity and support the work of pro bono attorneys. Successful TIG projects are often replicated by organizations around the country, creating wide-reaching impacts.

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS), based in Little Rock with seven offices throughout central and southern Arkansas, is pleased to announce its first new Executive Director in almost three decades. Milo Mumgaard joins CALS at a critical moment for low-income Arkansans who are facing an increasingly difficult economy and legal environment and need protection and advancement of their fundamental civil legal rights now more than ever.

Partner agencies who participated in the event included the West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, NPC Adult Education, Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, the Division of Workforce Services, the Garland County Library, the Comfort Suites of Hot Springs, and the Center for Arkansas Legal Services.

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services assisted eligible offenders with criminal record sealing in an effort to gain new or better paying employment opportunities. The partner agencies provided attendees with mock interviews, resume building, job placement, and education and training resources.

A total of 31 people were served at the event. Breakfast was provided by Encounter Church and Arvest Bank sponsored lunch.

Executive Director Jean Turner Carter announced that she will retire in 2022 from the Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS) after 25 years of service. Jean will long be remembered for her extensive career in public service and leadership roles.

Carter has led CALS as the executive director since 1996. During her tenure, the organization’s size and breadth of legal work has significantly increased, which has led to 8 offices throughout Arkansas and a staff of 56. Under her direction, CALS has six continuously running projects with an annual budget of over $4.2 million. In addition to the 30 staff attorneys, Carter oversees the VOCALS pro bono program (Volunteer Organization of Center for Arkansas Legal Services). VOCALS is a large network of volunteer attorneys and donors, who provide free legal assistance and support for indigent clients…

One year ago, the Center for Arkansas Legal Services and Legal Aid of Arkansas launched the Beyond Opioids Project, a statewide initiative to provide individuals and families impacted by substance use disorder (SUD) with a free civil legal aid attorney. The Beyond Opioids Project has made a large impact in the Arkansas community its first year and plans on further expanding to change the landscape surrounding how SUD is viewed in Arkansas and especially in the legal community in its second year.

In its first year, the Beyond Opioids Project has served over 500 low-income Arkansans. It has built a network of state agencies, nonprofits, law enforcement, and healthcare providers who serve as referral resources and provide treatment and recovery support services to our legal clients.

The Pulaski County Circuit and County Clerk’s office has partnered with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services for a Court Help Desk event in the rotunda of the Pulaski County Courthouse.

Attorneys will be on-site to provide free civil legal advice for residents seeking assistance with preparing their documents to be filed in the clerk’s office. Income restrictions apply.

No appointment is required to participate and is open to the public. Residents can check-in and then speak face-to-face with an attorney to discuss a range of topics including estate planning, criminal record sealing, child custody, divorces, deeds, probate, evictions, debt collections, power of attorney, and doing-business-as.

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS) and Legal Aid of Arkansas have received a combined $2 million in grant awards from the Health Resources and Services Administration to provide free legal services to families impacted by the opioid epidemic.

"This completes the loop for a holistic approach to client services by providing vital, statewide access to justice for individuals and families in recovery," said Lee Richardson, executive director for Legal Aid of Arkansas.