William A. Waddell Jr.'s work for access to justice has helped move Arkansas closer to the ideal of equal justice under law. Mr. Waddell of Friday, Eldredge & Clark in Little Rock has led a distinguished legal career that has prominently featured service to the community. Since his appointment to the Arkansas Access to Justice Commission in 2008, Mr. Waddell has led a number of efforts to expand access to justice. He took a leadership role in developing and implementing the first statewide campaign to raise significant private funds for legal aid. His days of devoted work on this project made it a major success including, for the first time, major corporate gifts of over $100,000 to legal aid. Mr. Waddells efforts to aid the administration of justice did not stop with the development campaign alone. He facilitated the creation of The Arkansas Access to Justice Foundation, Inc. and secured non-profit status from the IRS. Mr. Waddell and other members of his firm donated many hours pro bono to this effort. The end result is a permanent operational arm of the Commission that can accept and distribute funds in such a way as to positively impact the access to justice for all Arkansans. Mr. Waddell has also devoted his time and energy pro bono to a number of religious institutions. He has served as the Chancellor of the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church and serves as a member of the General United Methodist Church Audit and Review Committee. He also serves as counsel to Bethany Christian Services in their wide-ranging adoption work. Mr. Waddells community work also extends into issues of housing and health. His has served as a member of the Little Rock Community Housing Advisory Board and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Camp Aldersgate. Mr. Waddell's involvement in the legal profession is extensive. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and past chair of the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions. He is listed in the Chambers USA Leading Business Lawyers - Business Litigation Section. He also serves as legal advisor to the United Methodist Churchs Council of Bishops, a position in which he advises bishops across the United States. He is currently serving as President of the Access the Justice Foundation. According to his nominator, through his memberships, especially the Arkansas Access to Justice Commission, he has clearly had an impact on supporting the administration of justice and the legal profession. I can think of no one more qualified or more deserving of this award than Mr. Waddell.
Awards are presented bi-annually by the Association to attorneys and judges who have performed volunteer public services out of a sense of duty, professionalism, and a genuine desire to give back to the community. Recipients are selected by the Public Information Committee after considering the nominations received by the deadline. Any person may nominate a lawyer or judge by completing the Nomination Form and turning the Form into the Arkansas Bar Association office on or before the nomination deadline. Nomination deadlines are January 31st and July 31st of each year. Nomination forms and guidelines for the award are available at www.arkbar.com or by contacting the Association.