UA Little Rock Mourns Passing of Bowen Law Professor John Cook
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is mourning the loss of John Cook, an assistant professor of law at the William H. Bowen School of Law, who passed away following a battle with cancer.
Cook joined Bowen in 2023 and quickly established himself as a respected educator, scholar and colleague. In 2025, he received both the university and law school’s Faculty Excellence Awards for Rising Faculty.
“John accomplished so much in his short time at Bowen, and we are heartbroken by his passing,” said Colin Crawford, dean of the Bowen School of Law. “He cared deeply about his students, his colleagues and the legal profession. His work with the Rural Practice Incubator Project was especially important to our mission of serving Arkansas. John had so much more to give, and we will miss him greatly.”
At Bowen, Cook taught Research, Writing & Analysis I and II, preparing students with the research, analytical and writing skills essential to the practice of law. He also directed the Rural Practice Incubator Project, which focuses on expanding access to legal services in underserved communities, and served as an affiliated faculty member with the Center for Criminal Justice and Racial Justice Reform.
Cook brought extensive experience in legal education and public service to Bowen. Before joining the university, he taught at the University of North Dakota School of Law and Elon University School of Law, as well as Charlotte School of Law and Northern Marianas College.
His legal career included serving as an assistant attorney general in the Northern Mariana Islands and clerking for several federal and territorial judges, including Judge Ralph Erickson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
An active scholar, Cook focused his research on legal writing, professional responsibility, criminal law, and national security law. His work appeared in the Harvard National Security Journal, and he was a co-editor of Legal Argumentation: Reasoning & Writing about the Law, a legal writing textbook published in 2025.
Cook also contributed to the legal profession through service on the editorial board of Legal Writing: The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute, the executive committee of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Professional Responsibility, and as an advisor to the Arkansas Supreme Court’s Committee on Civil Practice.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Yale University, a master’s degree in criminology and criminal justice from Oxford University, and a law degree from Duke University School of Law.
Cook’s passing is a significant loss for the Bowen community, where his teaching, scholarship and commitment to public service made an impact on students and colleagues alike.
The university extends its condolences to Cook’s family, friends, students, and colleagues.