Fifteen of Kutak Rock’s Arkansas attorneys have been named in the 2018 edition of Best Lawyers®, the publication commonly regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Based on peer evaluation, the 15 are:

• Jess Askew III: First Amendment Law “Lawyer of the Year,” Little Rock
• Russell Atchley, Fayetteville
• J.R. Carroll, Fayetteville
• Mark Dossett, Fayetteville
• Randal Frazier, Little Rock
• James Gary, Little Rock
• Rayburn Green, Fayetteville
• H. Watt Gregory III: Securities Regulation “Lawyer of the Year,” Little Rock
• Jim Hathaway, Little Rock
• Bryan Looney, Fayetteville
• Debby Thetford Nye, Fayetteville
• Edward Oglesby: Construction Law “Lawyer of the Year,” Little Rock
• David Smith: Tax Law “Lawyer of the Year,” Little Rock
• Gordon Wilbourn: Municipal Law “Lawyer of the Year,” Little Rock
• Teresa Wineland, Little Rock

“It is gratifying to be recognized for this award by the other attorneys working in my professional practice area,” said Gordon Wilbourn, a partner in the Little Rock office and 2018 Municipal Law “Lawyer of the Year.”

Debby Thetford Nye, a partner in Kutak Rock’s Fayetteville office, echoes the sentiment. “I appreciate being honored by my peers for the quality of my legal work with our health care providers. Practicing law in a national firm—and as an attorney in Kutak Rock’s national corporate health practice in Fayetteville—helps me apply the nationally learned best practices to meet the needs of our Arkansas health providers.”

The 2018 edition of Best Lawyers is based on more than 7.4 million peer evaluations and recognizes more than 58,000 attorneys in 140 practice areas across the country. The methodology is designed to capture the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical and legal practice areas.

H. Watt Gregory III, a partner in Kutak Rock’s Little Rock office, says the high concentration of Kutak Rock Arkansas attorneys speaks volumes about the firm’s presence and work quality in the state. “This reflects the strength all across the board for Kutak Rock’s Arkansas offices and shows the breadth and depth of our attorneys’ experience and the significance of the firm’s presence in the Arkansas legal community.” 

Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”