The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has announced a national search for the next dean of the William H. Bowen School of Law.

Established in 1975 by the Arkansas General Assembly, the Bowen School of Law offers an innovative, nationally respected, high-quality legal education focused on hands-on learning. Bowen is dedicated to core values of access to justice, public service, and professionalism.

Bowen offers Arkansas’s only part-time law degree, the state’s only Master of Studies in Law, and the nation’s only concurrent JD/Master of Public Service in conjunction with the Clinton School of Public Service. It is also home to seven legal clinics that provide legal services to community residents in need as well as the Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform.

Paula Casey, professor emeriti of Bowen and former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, will serve as chair of the search committee, which constitutes a variety of leaders from UA Little Rock and the legal community.

“I am honored to be leading the search to fill this vital leadership role for the Bowen School of Law,” Casey said. “Bowen, with its talented and dedicated faculty, offers a strong doctrinal education and a broad array of clinical offerings. The dean is tasked with a critical job of educating the next generation of legal minds as well as guiding our extensive clinics that help so many Arkansans in need of legal advice.”

Additional search committee members from UA Little Rock include Anastasia Boles, professor of law; Terrence Cain, professor of law; Rebecca Feldmann, director of the Veterans Legal Services Clinic; Shanna Fitzgerald, budget director; Rejena Grotjohn, assistant dean for student affairs and diversity initiatives; Wanda Hoover, assistant dean for external relations; Almas Khan, assistant professor of law; Joni Lee, vice chancellor for university affairs; Melissa Serfass, professor of law librarianship; and Kelly Terry, associate dean for experiential learning and clinical programs.

Community search committee members include Mark Hayes, executive director of Arkansas Municipal League; Michelle Ator, partner at Friday, Eldredge & Clark; U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe Volpe; and Tasha Taylor, partner at Taylor & Taylor Law Firm.

The new dean is expected to start over summer 2023 and will succeed Theresa Beiner, Bowen’s first permanent female dean who has served in that position since 2018. Beiner, who joined Bowen in 1994, is stepping down to return to faculty. The position is listed via this link.