Only one year old, The Finch Society at William H. Bowen School of Law has seen continuous success and interest.
Wanting to show his fellow students the opportunities available in small-town law practice, student James Weeks founded the society in the spring of 2015.
Named after Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the society’s mission is to expand legal representation in modest communities through recruitment, mentorship, and patronage. The goal is to provide access to justice across the country at large until legal counsel is within close reach of all who are touched by the law.
The society hosted eight speakers this past year to present on various aspects of small-town practice. Among those were Congressman Mike Ross; Former Deputy Prosecutor of Greene County, Dr. Andy Fulkerson; and Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Robin Wynne. All events were extremely well attended.
Additionally, the society was recognized by Bowen’s Student Bar Association as Most Outstanding Student Organization and Best New Student Organization.
“When I started Finch, I did not expect such generous recognition,” Weeks said. “I am proud that this mission has found an audience who is interested in small-town practice.”
The society plans to expand by creating a small-town legal summer internship program that will begin next summer. The group is also working on expanding to other law schools that are interested in starting their own Finch Societies.
