2016 News Archive

Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC recently joined the International Franchise Association (IFA), the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide.  IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees, and companies that support the industry in marketing, law, technology, and business development.  Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC has expertise in all aspects of franchising, including real estate, financing, compliance, negotiations, business and employment issues, and franchise litigation and resolution.  If you have questions related to franchising, please contact Joseph R. Falasco or J. Cliff McKinney II.

Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC is pleased to announce that our firm was recently recognized in the 2017 edition of Benchmark Litigation as one of only three “highly recommended firms” for litigation in Arkansas.  Steven W. Quattlebaum, John E. Tull III, E. B. (Chip) Chiles IV, and Michael N. Shannon were highlighted as Litigation Stars and Brandon B. Cate, Joseph R. Falasco, Chad W. Pekron, Everett C. (Clarke) Tucker IV, R. Ryan Younger, Vincent O. Chadick, and Amber Davis-Tanner were named Future Stars.  More information about these rankings can be found on our Awards page.    

Twenty (20) attorneys from Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC were recently named to the Mid-South Super Lawyers or Mid-South Rising Stars lists for 2016 by Super Lawyers.  E. B. (Chip) Chiles IV, Timothy W. Grooms, Steven W. Quattlebaum, Michael N. Shannon, Geoffrey B. Treece, John E. Tull III, David B. Vandergriff, and Thomas G. Williams were recognized as Mid-South Super Lawyers.  Mr. Quattlebaum, Mr. Grooms, Mr. Tull, Mr. Chiles, and Mr. Shannon are also included in the list of the Top 50 lawyers in Arkansas for 2016.  Daniel J. Beck, Grant M. Cox, Amber Davis-Tanner, Joseph R. Falasco, Michael B. Heister, Sarah Keith-Bolden, J. Cliff McKinney II, Chad W. Pekron, Lindsey C. Pesek, Joseph W. Price II, Everett C. (Clarke) Tucker IV, and R. Ryan Younger were named Mid-South Rising Stars. Click here to read more about these rankings.  

J. Cliff McKinney II and R. Seth Hampton were presenters at the recent Arkansas Bar Association seminar, Scariest Things You Don’t Know:  Frighteningly Common Mistakes Lawyers Make, held in Little Rock on October 31, 2016.  Mr. McKinney’s topic was real estate law and his presentation included the pitfalls of magic language, Phase I environmental site assessments, trusts, warranty deeds, and dower and curtesy. Mr. Hampton’s presentation on agricultural law covered common pitfalls to consider when drafting agricultural lease agreements and impacts of federal conservation and agricultural programs on sales and leases of farmland.  Course materials provided by Mr. McKinney and Mr. Hampton at this seminar can be found on our Publications page.

U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers have released the “Best Law Firms” rankings for 2017 and Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC is proud to be ranked regionally in twenty-one (21) practice areas.  Firms included in the 2017 “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers.  Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.  A complete list of the rankings for our firm can be found on our Awards page.

Sarah E. DeLoach has joined the Little Rock office of Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC.  Ms. DeLoach is an associate with the firm and will focus her practice on litigation.  Before joining the law firm, Ms. DeLoach served as a law clerk for the Honorable Rhesa H. Barksdale of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Ms. DeLoach graduated magna cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 2015.  She received the Robert C. Khayat Law Journal Award for her service as the Executive Notes and Comments Editor for the Mississippi Law Journal, and the Baker Donelson Law Journal Award for her comment, Keeping The Faith with the Independent Source Foundations of Inevitable Discovery: Why Courts Should Follow Justice Breyer’s Active and Independent Pursuit Approach from Hudson v. Michigan, 83 Miss. L.J. 1179 (2014).  She served as the Vice Chair of the Honor Council and worked in the Transactional Law Clinic as a student attorney.  She is a 2010 graduate of Davidson College, where she was a Presidential Scholar. Ms. DeLoach was licensed to practice law in Arkansas in 2015 and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in 2016.  

The Best Lawyers in America® have released the Best Lawyers rankings for 2017 and Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC is pleased to have 14 attorneys recognized in 23 practice areas.  Rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by the law firms as part of the formal submission process.  A complete list of the rankings can be found on our Awards page.

Timothy W. Grooms is listed in the 2016 edition of Who’s Who Legal: Real Estate.  Who’s Who Legal: Real Estate seeks to identify private practice lawyers with a proven track record in providing advice to clients incorporating tenants, investors and developers on all aspects of buying, selling, letting, developing, and managing real estate.  All nominees must have received at least four independent nominations from their clients and peers before their names were circulated for comment among selected groups of private practitioners and corporate counsel with a specific interest in the field.  

Brandon B. Cate, Joseph R. Falasco, and Everett C. (Clarke) Tucker IV have been named to the very first Under 40 Hot List, a new accolade of Benchmark Litigation meant to honor the achievements of the nation’s most accomplished legal partners of the age of forty or younger.  Through a process of peer review and case examination, the list was compiled over many months to assemble this collection of young, up-and-coming attorneys.

In the 2016 publication of Chambers USA’s Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC, received the highest ranking possible in the areas of General Commercial Litigation and Real Estate for law firms in Arkansas and was also recognized for its Corporate/Commercial practice. Steven W. Quattlebaum, Timothy W. Grooms, John E. Tull III, E. B. (Chip) Chiles IV, Michael N. Shannon, J. Cliff McKinney II, Joseph R. Falasco, Jeb H. Joyce, Everett C. (Clarke) Tucker IV, and Amber Davis-Tanner received recognition in the publication’s rankings of individuals. To learn more about these rankings, visit our Awards page.

Timothy W. Grooms was inducted into the National Association of REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) Hall of Fame on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., as part of the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.  The RPAC Hall of Fame is comprised of approximately 500 members and Mr. Grooms is only the fourth person from Arkansas to receive this honor.  Since 1969, RPAC has supported federal, state, and local candidates across the United States that support issues important to the real estate profession and private property rights. The National Association of REALTORS® is America’s largest trade association, representing over 1.1 million members, including NAR’s institutes, societies and councils, involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

Steven W. Quattlebaum was recently selected as a member of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America for the fifth time. Selection to this elite group comes through a group of veteran legal journalists who review thousands of submissions of outstanding lawyers from all regions and practice areas of the American legal profession, including private attorneys, government and other public interest attorneys, judges, and law school professors. From that group, the 500 leading lawyers are chosen by Lawdragon. Less than one-tenth of one percent of all lawyers in the United States are included as members of the Lawdragon 500.

J. Cliff McKinney II was recently appointed to the Old State House Commission by Governor Asa Hutchinson. The Old State House Commission sets policy for the Old State House, Trapnall Hall, and the preservation restriction program.  It determines major goals and objectives for each of its programs, delegates certain functions to the staff through the director of the commission, and considers the addition of new programs and alterations to existing programs under its statutory jurisdiction.  The commission considers long-range plans, activities, and budgets.  Board members represent all four congressional districts, with three at-large members, and are appointed by the Governor for nine-year terms.  Mr. McKinney’s term will expire in March 2025.

Meredith M. Causey was elected to the Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield Advisory Board during the Board of Directors Annual Meeting on March 21, 2016.  The purpose of the Advisory Board is to gain greater access to thought-leaders and community leaders who will help complement the Board of Directors.  In turn, Advisory Board members will gain a greater understanding of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s organization, business, and industry which may help them fulfill their professional interests.  The Advisory Board was formed in 2016 and is comprised of four (4) members elected to annual terms which can be renewed on a mutual basis for up to three (3) terms.

Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC is pleased to welcome Scott M. Lar to the firm’s Northwest Arkansas office.  Mr. Lar is an associate with the firm and concentrates his practice on mergers and acquisitions, taxation, tax litigation, corporate transactions, and estate planning.  Mr.  Lar obtained his J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 2011 and a Master of Laws degree in Taxation from the University of Florida in 2012.  He received his B.S.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Arkansas in 2008.  Mr. Lar is licensed to practice law in Arkansas and the United States Tax Court.

Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC is pleased to announce that R. Ryan Younger has been named a Member of the firm.  Mr. Younger is located in the firm’s Little Rock office and  concentrates his practice on civil litigation.  Mr. Younger is recognized as a Future Star in Litigation by Benchmark Litigation and a Rising Star in the area of Civil Litigation Defense by Super Lawyers.  He is a Fellow of the Trial College of the American Board of Trial Advocates.  Prior to joining QG&T in 2010, Mr. Younger served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert T. Dawson, United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.  Mr. Younger graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arkansas School of Law as the top-ranked student in his law school school class and he served as Research Editor of the Arkansas Law Review.