The UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law is pleased to welcome Laura E. Bates and Amy Fusting as visiting writing faculty this fall.

Laura E. Bates is beginning her career in legal academia at Bowen, but she has taught literature and writing courses in the U.S. and internationally. She completed her undergraduate work at Ouachita Baptist University and her graduate work at the University of Arkansas. She graduated with a JD from Harvard Law School.

Prior to arriving at Bowen, Bates clerked for Judge Bobby E. Shepherd on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and then practiced law at Paul, Weiss in Washington, D.C. and at Wright. Lindsey & Jennings in Little Rock. She is an experienced litigation attorney dedicated to pro bono work and public service.

Amy Fusting is a native Arkansan who is returning to the state after a career in the Washington D.C. area. While finishing law school at George Washington University Law School, she worked full-time as a staff assistant to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, where she participated in the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1990 and the confirmation hearings of Justice David Souter and Justice Clarence Thomas.

After law school, Fusting worked as an assistant public defender for the State of Maryland, as a special assistant to Maryland’s Secretary of Labor, and as a program director for a non-profit organization seeking to end the death penalty in Maryland. She most recently served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maryland.

“Professor Bates and Professor Fusting bring a wealth of experience that will strengthen our students’ practice skills and enhance their educational experiences,” said Dean Theresa Beiner. “We are excited that they are joining the faculty at Bowen.”