WORDS Dwain Hebda and Catherine Frederick some interviews have been edited for length and clarity
Do South® is proud to recognize the talents and contributions of select attorneys in our community. They set the bar for excellence and are committed to providing their clients the very best. Join us as we salute the passion they share for their profession.
WORDS Dwain Hebda and Catherine Frederick some interviews have been edited for length and clarity
Do South® is proud to recognize the talents and contributions of select attorneys in our community. They set the bar for excellence and are committed to providing their clients the very best. Join us as we salute the passion they share for their profession.
The Law Offices of David Powell combines decades of expertise and a solid track record of success to serve clients in practice areas ranging from criminal defense and family law to personal injury, estate planning and disability claims.
“Our practice was founded on the belief clients should not have to meet a new legal team for each legal issue they face,” says David Powell. “That’s why our firm practices in many legal areas and strives to retain our clients for life.” The practice operates offices in Fort Smith, Farmington and Ozark, Arkansas, as well as Sallisaw, Oklahoma. Each attorney in the practice was handpicked to carry forth the practice’s legacy of service and outstanding legal expertise.
“Throughout my years of practice, I’ve been devoted to helping clients obtain the best possible outcome to their legal matters,” he says. “I’m available day or night and will take the time to meet with clients after hours and on weekends. As we’ve grown, I’ve selected team members who feel as passionately about serving clients as I do. “People who place their trust in us can rest assured we will provide quality legal defense. We will keep them informed about their case at all times. Our clients never have to worry if there might be something wrong or wonder where their case stands.”
After earning a degree in English, David attended law school at Barry University in Florida and completed his law degree at UA Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law. He was admitted to the bar in 2011 and has pursued his passion for the legal process ever since. “I believe you can’t really call it ‘work’ if you enjoy what you do,” he says. “I opened this firm with a focus on helping clients navigate some of the most stressful times of their lives. No matter what type of legal expertise someone needs — criminal defense, divorce, child custody, personal injury or other legal matter — we’re here to help.”
The Walker Law Group, established in 1983, brings a long history of experience to the local legal community. The firm is also notable for its expertise, as evidenced by its AV rating, the highest that can be awarded by Martindale-Hubbell, the internationally recognized rating service for attorneys’ skill and ethics. As anyone who knows will tell you, a legal firm is only as good as the people behind it and here is where Walker Law Group truly shines in its founder, Eddie Walker, Jr., an elder statesman in the legal community.
“My greatest foundation is that I treat people the way I would want them to treat me,” Walker says. “I have a very strong belief that if you represent people the way you would want to be represented then your practice will be what it should be. I have adhered to that philosophy my entire practice and don’t intend to vary from it at this point because it has served my clients well and it has served me well.
“My staff has been here for a number of years so they’re all well trained. They’re all personable and they all pay attention to detail. However, I don’t delegate things to other people that should be the responsibility of a lawyer. There are certain things I think a lawyer needs to pay attention to as opposed to expecting their staff to take care of it.”
Graduating high school in Gethsemane, Arkansas, Eddie attended college and law school at the University of Arkansas. Prior to launching his practice, he worked for Western Arkansas Legal Services, then as an administrative law judge for the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission. Today, he is one of the most respected attorneys in Arkansas, handling primarily workers’ compensation cases, and some premises liability and motor vehicle accident cases.
“I take very seriously a lawyer’s ethical responsibilities to clients,” he says. “I’m a past chairman of the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct and I have committed a considerable amount of time in terms of trying to make sure that ethical matters are properly addressed.”
After practicing law at established law firms in Fort Smith for over a decade, Jackie Mock knew well the niche she wanted to serve in her hometown of Fort Smith when she and her husband decided to make her dream of owning her own law firm a reality.
Strong work ethic was instilled in Jackie at a young age. “My grandfather and my grandmother had their own small business before I was born. My parents worked locally as a banker and a salesman my whole life,” she says. “I come from an average, working-class, middle-of-the-pack kind of family. We didn’t really struggle financially, but everything we had, we worked for it. That’s always been near and dear to me and those are the people I really wanted to help as a lawyer."
Jackie’s affinity for her clientele is reflected in several ways through her practice. In the first place, she’s a generalist, a one-stop shop for
people seeking help with family law, estate planning, misdemeanor criminal defense, personal injury and business advice. She’s also adopted a unique business model to bring quality legal representation within easier reach of her target clientele.
“I don’t take a retainer and charge hourly billing, I charge a flat fee,” she says. “When you hire me, you know exactly how much you’re going to spend, no matter what happens with your case. I also arrange payment plans based on income and pay periods.”
The business model may be unique, but Jackie’s attention to detail and commitment to the client are the model of what an attorney should be. She handles each client’s case personally, gives straightforward, honest counsel and works as hard as the people who come to her for help.
“We don’t have all the mahogany and marble, but I don’t think you need that,” she says. “I think you just need someone who’s going to zealously represent you and be honest with you. I like to say we have four core principles – affordability, accessibility, communication and results. I try to hit all of those with all my clients.”