Law graduate looks to future in corporate
January 5-11, 2026
By Mara Crumby
Christina Doncell, a graduate of the William H. Bowen School of Law at UA Little Rock, has spent the past few years balancing full-time work, part-time living in Texas, and the demands of law school. On Dec. 13, Doncell graduated magna cum laude from Bowen.
A Plano, Texas, native, Doncell began her academic journey by earning a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Texas at Dallas. She later attended Oklahoma Christian University and Collin College before enrolling at Bowen.
What inspired you to pursue law — and why Bowen?
I stepped into law because advocacy always felt like home to me. I spent four years in undergrad competing in mock trials and two years competing in mediation. Each round of preparation reaffirmed that I belong in spaces where people need a voice, structure, and someone willing to lead.
I chose UA Little Rock because Bowen’s mission — access, service, and professionalism — wasn’t just a slogan. It reflected the kind of lawyer I wanted to become. It was also important to me to find a law school close to home that offered incredible value while providing programs I cared deeply about, including the Mediation Clinic, the Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service, the Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform, and courses like Corporate Justice.
From day one, Bowen gave me space to lead boldly: founding the Phi Alpha Delta Robinson Chapter Mock Trial Program, guiding LALSA through major growth, and serving nationally as chair of the National Latina/o Law Student Association. Bowen values students who build, who serve, and who strengthen the legal community. That’s what drew me here — and what I’ll carry into my career.
How do you feel about graduating?
Graduating feels surreal in the best way. Law school has stretched me, challenged me, and shaped me into someone who leads with purpose. I worked full time, lived in a different state from my fiancé, and carried major national leadership roles, but every long night and early morning was worth it.
I’m especially grateful for the part-time class I grew with. We all came in balancing work, families, and real life, and we approached every semester with the mindset that all of us would make it through together. That sense of community carried me, and it’s something I’ll always cherish. Bowen is also where I met my three best friends, who turned long study nights into memories and made even the hardest weeks worth it.
More than anything, I feel grateful — for Bowen, for the opportunities I’ve had, and for the people who supported me every step of the way. Bowen gave me the foundation I needed to be successful inside and outside the classroom, and Arkansas welcomed me into a legal community that truly believes in access, service, and lifting each other up. I’m leaving with immense appreciation for this place, and I’ll always carry Bowen with me.
What have you been balancing outside the classroom (work, family, service, etc.)?
Balancing is almost an understatement. While in law school, I continued to work full time in talent acquisition for JCPenney. At the same time, I served in multiple leadership roles, including national chair of the National Latina/o Law Student Association (NLLSA), president of the Latin American Law Student Association (LALSA), managing editor of Law Review, member of the National Trial Team, and founder and student coach of the Phi Alpha Delta Robinson Chapter Mock Trial Program. I also navigated long-distance life with my fiancé while purchasing and establishing our first home in Texas. My law school experience has been a layered tapestry of work, service, family, and friends — and somehow it all fits, because each piece reinforces who I am and how I continue to grow.
What area of law are you most passionate about, and why?
I’m most drawn to corporate litigation. It blends my business background with my love for advocacy and structure. I’m fascinated by how businesses operate, how decisions ripple outward, and how strong counsel can both prevent conflict and resolve it with clarity and fairness. Corporate law is also a space where representation matters — where Latina lawyers remain underrepresented — and I hope to open doors for others by walking confidently through them myself.
What experience at Bowen made a lasting impact on you?
Creating the Phi Alpha Delta Robinson Chapter Mock Trial Program from scratch in 2022 is the memory that lives closest to my heart. Building a trial advocacy team as a 1L felt impossible on paper, yet I did it — and it continues to fuel my passion for advocacy and uplifting others. Watching students grow into advocates, seeing our chapter gain opportunities we never had before, and realizing that something I built will outlast my time here strengthened my commitment to leadership rooted in service and opportunity. Elevating others has always been my purpose, and this experience brought that into focus.
Alongside all of the leadership lessons and opportunities, Bowen also gave me my three best friends — the people who walked with me through every late night, milestone, and challenge. That community is one of the greatest gifts I’ll take with me.
What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation, my goal is to continue strengthening my advocacy skills and pursue a legal career in Texas, where my fiancé and I purchased our first home in 2024. I’m passionate about trial advocacy and hope to work in a litigation-focused or corporate practice that allows me to serve clients with clarity, compassion, and structure.
As I navigate legal opportunities, I plan to continue working at JCPenney’s corporate office, an organization that has been near and dear to my heart throughout law school. JCPenney supported me through every semester, and remaining there during my transition into the legal field feels like a fitting continuation of the journey I started as a student balancing full-time work and leadership roles.
I also hope to stay closely connected to the student communities that shaped me — especially NLLSA, Phi Alpha Delta, and LALSA — and continue mentoring students who are finding their path in the law.
Do you have any advice for future students?
My biggest advice is this: Don’t wait for permission to lead. If you see a gap, fill it. If you want a program, build it. If you want community, create it. Law school rewards initiative, and the opportunities you create for yourself will shape your experience more than anything else.
You are your biggest advocate. Speak up for yourself, your interests, and what you need to succeed.
Lean into your support system — your classmates, your professors, and your mentors. Do this from day one. I’m not exaggerating when I say the mentors I found as a 1L in LALSA changed the trajectory of my law school experience. Yes, I worked incredibly hard, but they helped me focus on what truly mattered, how to stay organized with all the course material, and gave me a roadmap for law school and bar prep that I still rely on today. Success in law school is absolutely a team effort.
Find a core group of people you feel comfortable being honest with. This includes sharing the hard parts of law school, the time it takes to get the grades, the hours spent on papers, and both the good and the not-so-good grades. I’ve been incredibly blessed to make three best friends at Bowen who walked through every triumph and every struggle with me. Through each other, we found new study strategies, supplemental resources, and writing tools that helped all of us grow. We shared what worked, supported each other through what didn’t, and became better students because of that trust. Building a community helped make sure that law school never felt isolating.
And finally, give yourself grace.
There will be weeks that test you, but they don’t define you. What defines you is how you keep showing up. If you stay organized, stay grounded, and stay true to your purpose, you’ll leave law school proud of the person you became along the way.
Photo Caption:
Christina Doncell
Photo Credit:
(Photo provided)
