UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s Small Farm program, Arkansas Access to Justice Commission, and the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen Chapter of the Black Law Students Association are hosting an Heirs’ Property CLE event on Jan. 24 from 1-4 p.m. The event will be held at UA Little Rock Downtown, 333 President Clinton Ave., in Little Rock.
This free three-hour CLE seminar (approval pending) will provide practitioners with information about heirs’ property issues and opportunities. Practitioners will gain an increased understanding of how to remedy the problems associated with heirs’ property, preserve landowners’ property from loss, and generate wealth and economic value. The event is also open to the public, but space is limited. Registration is required.
EVENT SCHEDULE
| 1 – 1:45 p.m. | Heirs’ Property: Issues and Opportunities |
| 1:45 – 2:30 p.m. | Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act |
| 2:30 – 4 p.m. | “Standing on a LOT of Love— Addressing Legal Challenges of Heirs Property and Optimizing Economic Opportunities of African American Owned Land” |
PRESENTERS:
Mavis Gragg, The Gragg Law Firm (NC)
Originally from Black Mountain NC, Mavis graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and Pepperdine School of Law. In addition to being a lawyer, Mavis has extensive experience in conflict resolution and a Master of Dispute Resolution degree.
Mavis began her career as a mediation professional helping parties resolve conflicts both in person and in the virtual space (eBay). Later she practiced law at a busy, yet small practice representing homeowners in real estate transactions, personal representatives in estate administration, and individuals and couples in estate planning. She then joined the prestigious law firm BuckleySandler, LLP where she focused her energy on complex matters during the peak of the mortgage crisis.
In her practice, Mavis synthesizes her professional experiences as a lawyer and mediator with her passion for helping individuals and families maintain and grow wealth. She accomplishes this by dedicating her energy to assisting her clients with estate planning, estate administration, and heirs property matters. Mavis particularly appreciates working with clients who have low to moderate wealth because she is able to counsel them in planning and problem solving that meets critical needs.
Dr. Karama Neal, Heirs of Arkansas
Karama Neal, PhD, works to promote equity and opportunity through teaching, research, practice, advocacy, and service. Drawing from her family’s experience, in late 2013, she founded Heirs of Arkansas, a statewide grassroots organization promoting heir property retention and passage of the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act. The legislation was passed with no dissent in February 2015 and was followed by Dr. Neal’s 2015 TEDx talk on the effort. She is president of Southern Bancorp Community Partners, a CDFI loan fund and financial development organization promoting economic mobility in rural Arkansas and Mississippi and she serves on the boards of the Arkansas Access to Justice Commission, the Little Rock Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation.
After graduating from the historic Little Rock Central High School, she completed her undergraduate degree in biology at Swarthmore College and later earned a doctorate in genetics from Emory University and a master’s in bioethics and health policy from Loyola University Chicago. She also completed executive education in impact investing at the University of Oxford Said School of Business. Dr. Neal lives with her family in Little Rock.
Professor Lynn Foster, UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law
Lynn Foster is the Arkansas Bar Foundation Professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law, where she has taught since 1986. She teaches real property law and the law of wills and trusts. She served as a uniform law commissioner for Arkansas from 2009 to 2017, and writes in the areas of Arkansas real estate and probate law.
Cliff McKinney, Managing Member, Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC
Cliff McKinney is a Managing Member in the Little Rock office of Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC. Mr. McKinney’s practice focuses on real estate, land use and regulatory issues. Mr. McKinney holds a Bachelor of Arts from Baylor University, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Arkansas, a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas and a Master of Laws from Southern Methodist University. Mr. McKinney is licensed to practice in Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law where he has taught real estate related courses since 2007. He has served multiple terms as chair of the Arkansas Bar Association Real Estate Law Section.
To register, go to arkansasjustice.org/heirsproperty.
If you have questions regarding the event, contact Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, Amy Pritchard at ampritchard@ualr.edu or by calling 501-324-9966.
