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December 29 - January 4, 2026
Bowen ranked a top school for public service in government
LITTLE ROCK, AR — The UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law has been named one of the nation’s top law schools for public service in government by National Jurist for the 2025–26 academic year, ranking #8 nationally for preparing students for careers in government legal service.
The ranking, published in the Fall 2025 issue of preLaw Magazine, evaluates law schools on three primary factors: job placement in public service roles, government-focused curricula, and student loan affordability. Bowen Law stood out for its high placement in public sector roles and its robust experiential offerings rooted in service.
“Many of our students arrive at Bowen with a strong interest in public service, and the law school provides the opportunities to put that commitment into practice,” said Colin Crawford, dean of the law school. “Through close engagement with Arkansas’s legal system, our students gain the experience and judgment to step into government roles where they can serve the state and its people with distinction.”
Bowen’s location in the heart of Arkansas’s capital city provides students with direct access to hands-on opportunities in state agencies, courts, and nonprofit legal organizations. Through the Public Service Externship Program, students earn academic credit while working alongside judges on the Arkansas Supreme Court and U.S. Bankruptcy Court, as well as attorneys at agencies such as the ACLU of Arkansas, the Department of Energy & Environment, and Disability Rights Arkansas.
These placements are supported by a seminar course led by Associate Dean Kelly Terry, giving students the chance to reflect on their fieldwork and develop deeper professional skills.
Bowen’s recognition in the government category follows multiple national rankings for public service in recent years, including being named a Top Public Service School by preLaw Magazine in 2016-17, 2021–22, and 2022-23, and a Best Public Interest Law School in 2018 and 2023–24. The school’s consistent national visibility reflects its core commitment to public service, access to justice, and professionalism.
As part of its mission, the law school continues to offer a high-quality, affordable legal education that prepares graduates to serve the people of Arkansas and beyond through careers in government, advocacy, and community leadership.
William H. Bowen School of Law
Arkansas regulator asks Tulsa permit challenge be thrown out
By Ainsley Platt
Arkansas regulators have asked that an Oklahoma city’s appeal of a wastewater permit get tossed, saying lawyers who filed the appeal are ineligible because they are not licensed in the state.
The challenge to Decatur’s wastewater permit was filed last month by the city of Tulsa. Tulsa argued a permit modification granted by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality earlier this year violated the state’s water pollution standards. Tulsa also said the modified permit violates a 2003 federal settlement agreement among Tulsa, Decatur and several poultry companies over nutrient pollution in the water.
The Department of Environmental Quality argued that since the Tulsa-based attorneys for the permit appeal are not licensed in Arkansas, they’re prohibited from representing the city before the panel taking up the issue. In Arkansas, those who object to an environmental quality permit decision have 30 days from the agency’s final decision to request a hearing before the Pollution Control and Ecology Commission, which kicks off the appeal process. But DEQ said since Tulsa’s attorneys weren’t licensed in Arkansas, that request was not properly filed by the deadline, making the request null and void.
DEQ also said since Tulsa argued the modification violated a federal court settlement, the commission didn’t have jurisdiction over the matter. PCEC Administrative Law Judge Charles Moulton set an administrative hearing on the appeal for April 9 and 10, 2026.
Ainsley Platt covers the environment, energy and other topics as a reporter for the Arkansas Advocate.
Arkansas Advocate
