Law School Reunion: Two Bowen Alumni Reconnect as Successful Law Partners Nearly 30 Years After Graduation
After graduating from law school together nearly three decades ago, two successful alumni have come full circle, joining forces as law partners with a thriving criminal defense practice spanning multiple states.
Attorneys Tom Fleener and John Hummel both graduated from the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law together in 1995, forging a friendship that has spanned 32 years.
Hummel and Fleener hit it off as friends almost immediately while attending Bowen. After law school, the two went on quite separate paths.
Fleener began his legal career in the U.S. Army running a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and as a JAG officer defending service members accused of committing crimes. By the time he left active duty, he had compiled an unprecedented trial record by achieving dozens of acquittals in some of the military’s most complex and high-profile cases.
After leaving active duty, Fleener continued to gain a reputation as a top-notch federal defense attorney in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In 2005, he defended alleged terrorist suspects scheduled to be tried by special military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay. His work led to him being profiled in the August 2007 edition of GQ Magazine in the story, “The Defense Will Not Rest.”
“Working with alleged terrorists was the most interesting and the most debilitating experience,” Fleener recalled.
Fleener then moved back to Wyoming to open up in his current law firm. They cover such a massive expanse of Wyoming and Colorado that Fleener jokes that they “are like truckers with law degrees.”
Meanwhile, Hummel is a planner who always seemed to know what his future held with the precision of a surgeon.
“I researched every state in the country and decided that Oregon was the best state for me,” Hummel said. “I had never been to Oregon before, so I went there for a weekend to check it out. The day after I graduated, I drove out to Portland, took the bar, and then applied for every open public defender job out there.”
Hummel began his career as a public defender in Bend, Oregon, and then moved to private practice for six years. He earned his master’s degree in international public policy. Hummel then moved to Liberia, Africa, to work with the Jimmy Carter Center to help the country rebuild their justice system after a 15-year civil war. Additionally, Hummel worked in health care policy, higher education, for the judicial department, overseas in international development, and served eight years as a district attorney in Oregon.
In 2022, Hummel joined Fleener as a partner in his law firm, Fleener Petersen Law, marking 30 years since they started law school together in 1992.
“John and I have the same core values,” Fleener said. “That is why we became friends. I am flighty, generally on time, and move fast. I have an accounting background and take care of the business side of the firm. John is contemplative and likes to consider things. You need both to be effective as a law firm. When you bring us together, I think we are a pretty good team.”
Hummel agrees that he is the patient one of the pair, and that the two partners play well off of each other’s strengths.
“Tom is always going, and it’s infectious,” Hummel said. “He gets you fired up to take on the case. You are not scared of anything. You need that in criminal defense. In a criminal case, you start out on the losing position, and it can be daunting. I look at the entire picture, and I think and analyze. Tom gets me believing that I can win a case. We are good alone, but we are better together than we are apart”.
Fleener and Hummel have also remained deeply connected to their alma mater, both serving on the Bowen Alumni Board of Directors in recent years.
“When I returned, I immediately felt like I was still part of the community,” Hummel said. “No matter how long you are gone, you are still part of this family. We are the value school that gives you a practical education. We are out helping Arkansans who have limited access to legal services.”
Their shared journey from classmates to successful legal partners is a testament to the enduring bonds formed at Bowen and the lasting impact of their education.