Arkansas Attorney General Griffin Visits U of A School of Law to Meet With Professor Annie Smith

Cecil Anderson, Deputy Communications Director, Office of Attorney General Tim Griffin

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin visited campus on Thursday, April 11, meeting with U of A School of Law professor Annie Smith to discuss effectively combating human trafficking.

Smith, professor of law and director of the Civil Litigation and Advocacy and Human Trafficking clinics, serves on the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council and as the co-chair of its Training Subcommittee. She has also represented survivors of human trafficking in civil lawsuits against their traffickers and writes on the subject of human trafficking.

Smith's students in the Human Trafficking Clinic support organizations seeking to increase their capacity to address human trafficking. During their time as students in the clinic, Akayla Lyons J.D.'22 and Elizabeth Green J.D.'22, along with Smith, researched and drafted a report for Attorney General Griffin titled "Renewing the Call: Updates on Implemenation of the Arkansas Attorney General's State Task Force for the Prevention of Human Trafficking 2014 Recommendations." The report was produced for clinic client Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

Smith said, "I am so proud of my students for their diligent work over the years to advance anti-trafficking efforts in Arkansas and nationally. This semester, law students Erin Wadley, Wesley Sowell, Chloe Hawkins and Shelby Almeida have supported four nonprofits in their efforts to prevent human trafficking and better serve survivors."

About the University of Arkansas School of Law: The law school offers a competitive J.D. and is home to the nation's first LL.M. program in agriculture and food law. Led by nationally recognized faculty, the school offers students pro bono work, live client clinics, public service fellowships, competitions, and much more. Students also benefit from our location in one of the fastest growing, most livable, and economically vibrant regions in the U.S., and from our corporate externship partnerships with Fortune 500 companies. Our alumni have gone on to become judges, senators, and governors, and we serve communities throughout our state and nation through programs such as the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative. Our longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion is exemplified by the Six Pioneers, the first Black students to attend law school in the South. Follow us at @uarklaw.