School of Law to Dedicate Bobby McDaniel Trial Practice Classroom

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas School of Law will dedicate one of its classrooms in honor of alumnus Bobby McDaniel, a longtime Jonesboro attorney, at 12:15 p.m. Monday, April 7, in Room 342 of the Leflar Law Center.

His sons, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and Denver attorney Brett McDaniel both plan to attend the event.

During the event, Bobby McDaniel, a 1972 law school graduate, will make a trial skills presentation using the advanced technology available in the Bobby McDaniel Trial Practice Classroom. In addition, Paul Byrd, the incoming president of the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, will make a few remarks about his friend and fellow attorney.

McDaniel said he has always been interested in providing students the opportunity to learn more about trial advocacy skills and believes the classroom is a beneficial gift for his alma mater.

“This new classroom will benefit students by exposing them to cutting edge technology used in trials today and will place them in a real-world trial setting,” McDaniel said. “I am a trial lawyer, and I want to encourage young lawyers to enter trial practice because the jury is the foundation of our freedom.”

McDaniel was recently the feature lawyer from Arkansas in the 2007 Mid-South Super Lawyers magazine. He has served as the chairman of the Arkansas Bar Association’s Tort Law Committee and the president of the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association. He is the only attorney to twice be named the Outstanding Trial Lawyer by the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association.

McDaniel has taught trial techniques and methods to lawyers in various seminars for a number of years. He said his decision to make a donation to the School of Law was a means of giving back to the school that provided him the opportunity for a rewarding career.

“The donation to the School of Law was a means of helping others as I and both my sons were helped,” he said. “It was my privilege and, in my opinion, my responsibility to give back to the school that helped me so much.”

McDaniel’s two sons, Dustin and Brett, are both lawyers. Dustin is the Arkansas attorney general and was a successful trial lawyer before entering public service. Brett is a highly skilled lawyer practicing in Denver. He was a successful civil rights and medical malpractice defense lawyer until recently starting his own firm representing individuals who have been wronged.

“My sons are more than the positions they hold; they are men of honor and integrity who respect our system of law,” McDaniel said. “Both my sons have made me very proud of who they are and what they do.”

Dean Cynthia Nance said the School of Law appreciates McDaniel’s generosity and the example he has set for the law school community.

“The School of Law is fortunate for the friendship and continued support of Bobby McDaniel. As one of the best lawyers in Arkansas and across the country, he exemplifies the professionalism and excellence we hope to inspire in our students,” Nance said. “His life is an example of someone who has not only done well but done good. So many have benefited from his dedication to the legal profession and to justice.”