School of Law Announces 2026 Law Alumni Society Award Recipients

The U of A School of Law and the Law Alumni Society Board of Directors proudly announce the recipients of the 2026 Law Alumni Society Awards:

• Bobby Shepherd (J.D. '76)
• Chris Hussein (J.D.'17)
• Col. (Ret.) Jane Ellen Paschall (J.D. '90)
• Rear Admiral Everette Don Stumbaugh, JAGC, USN (Ret.) (LL.B. '59)
• Jason Bailey (J.D. '15)
• The law firm Friday Eldredge & Clark, LLP

Recipients will be recognized during the Alumni Reunion Dinner at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, in the Verizon Ballroom at the U of A Union. Tickets may be purchased online.

Created to honor alumni and friends who have demonstrated exceptional service to the legal community and the Law School, the awards highlight those whose leadership, dedication and impact strengthen the mission of the School of Law.

BOBBY E. SHEPHERD - COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE AWARD

Shepherd, United States Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, began his legal career in El Dorado, working in private practice both in a firm and as a solo practitioner.

He later served as a circuit-chancery judge in Arkansas's 13th Judicial District from 1991 to 1993, and as a U.S. magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas from 1993 to 2006. In 2006, President George W. Bush nominated Shepherd to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, where he continues to serve.

Shepherd has used his legal skills to assist non-profit organizations on a pro bono basis. He has served on the board of his local Boys and Girls Club and the Arkansas Baptist Children's Home, and as an officer of the local Red Cross. He is a past president of his county bar association, chairman of the Arkansas Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts Foundation, an officer of the Arkansas Supreme Court Client Security Fund Committee and a frequent presenter at continuing legal education programs.

A native of Arkadelphia, he earned his bachelor's degree in history and political science, magna cum laude, from Ouachita Baptist University and his Juris Doctor with honors from the U of A School of Law, where he served as articles editor of the Arkansas Law Review. Shepherd also served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1973 to 1981.

CHRIS HUSSEIN - COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE EARLY CAREER AWARD

Hussein, a partner at Taylor Law Partners LLP, began his legal career working at Legal Aid of Arkansas in Springdale, serving hundreds of clients who lacked the resources to hire an attorney. While working at Legal Aid, he also performed community outreach and assisted in several legal clinics. Five years later, he joined Taylor Law Partners.

Throughout his legal career, Hussein has been heavily involved in local and state bar associations. He has held multiple positions in the Washington County Bar Association, including president. He previously served as chair of the Arkansas Bar Association Young Lawyers Section and chair of the William B. Putman Inns of Court in Northwest Arkansas. He spent several years as a member of the Arkansas Bar Association Board of Trustees.

Hussein has been recognized with numerous honors from the Arkansas Bar Association, including the Young Lawyers Section Award of Excellence, the Judith Ryan Gray Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, the Frank C. Elcan II Leadership Award and the President's Golden Gavel Award.

Raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Hussein holds a bachelor's degree and a Juris Doctor from the U of A. He is committed to service in the Northwest Arkansas community, currently serving as chair of the Springdale Planning Commission and as a member of the board of directors for Family Network Inc.

COL. (RET.) JANE ELLEN PASCHALL - VETERANS AWARD

Paschall is a senior attorney and internationally recognized expert in national security law, international humanitarian law and rule‑of‑law development. With more than 30 years of leadership across military service, diplomacy and international legal reform, she has worked to strengthen legal institutions in some of the world's most challenging conflict and post‑conflict regions.

She served as the Army's senior legal adviser to the Judge Advocate General and the Army staff, overseeing operational and international law for global Army missions and leading strategic engagement efforts with partner nations. She retired from the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps after 24 years of distinguished service, culminating as chief of the National Security Law Division.

After military retirement, Paschall served as a foreign service officer and legal adviser with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), supporting democracy, anti‑corruption and atrocity‑prevention programs across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Africa and the Middle East. She is the co‑founder of Lexpat Global Services, where she currently works with the Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group on a forthcoming Battlefield Evidence Manual to support war‑crimes prosecutions related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A native of Arkadelphia, Paschall earned her Juris Doctor from the U of A School of Law and holds a Master of Laws from The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School.

REAR ADMIRAL EVERETTE DON STUMBAUGH, JAGC, USN (RET.) - VETERANS AWARD (POSTHUMOUS)

Stumbaugh served as the Navy's 32nd Judge Advocate General from 1988 to 1990 as the highest‑ranking uniformed lawyer in the Department of the Navy and principal legal adviser to the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations. Throughout his distinguished career, he held senior leadership roles including deputy judge advocate general, commanding officer of the Naval Legal Service Office in Yokosuka, Japan, and staff judge advocate for the commander‑in‑chief of the U.S. Pacific Command.

A native of Clarksville, Stumbaugh's assignments also included service in the Office of the Judge Advocate General, the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and the Naval District Washington. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1987 and retired from active duty in 1990. Following his military career, he served as executive director of the American Inns of Court Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia.

His decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Navy Achievement Medal, the National Defense Superior Service Medal and four Overseas Service Ribbons. Stumbaugh earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and a Bachelor of Laws from the U of A. He also completed a Master of Laws with highest honors from The George Washington University Law Center.

JASON BAILEY - PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD

Bailey, senior counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), litigates high‑impact civil rights cases nationwide, focusing on housing and employment discrimination, environmental justice, education and First Amendment protections. He also contributes to policy advocacy and has co‑authored several reports for LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute, focusing on racial disparities in housing, utilities and civil rights.

He has held key federal roles, including deputy chief in the Federal Coordination and Compliance Section of the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, where he led national enforcement of Title VI, the Safe Streets Act and related authorities. He also served as senior adviser for civil rights in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights and previously litigated employment discrimination cases as a trial attorney with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Memphis, Tennessee.

His legal career began as an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, leading a project combating housing discrimination in Arkansas, and he later clerked for the Honorable Susan O. Hickey of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.

Bailey earned his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the U of A School of Law. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Arkansas State University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

FRIDAY, ELDREDGE & CLARK, LLP - CAREER CHAMPION AWARD

Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP, Arkansas's largest law firm, is a long-standing partner of the U of A School of Law. For more than 40 years, the firm has supported the School of Law and the broader university in ways that expand access and opportunity. The firm's philanthropy has enabled students to focus fully on their studies, free from financial burden, and has helped launch graduates into successful and impactful careers.

The firm maintains a strong commitment to the profession and the state through broad civic involvement, pro bono partnerships such as Volunteers Organization for Central Arkansas Legal Services (VOCALS) and Legal Aid of Arkansas, and ongoing educational engagement, including service by its attorneys as adjunct professors. Members of the firm have also generously shared their expertise as featured speakers and subject-matter experts for law students and prospective students during the law school's Summer Pre-Law Program (SPPARK). They also volunteer for Super Saturday legal clinics, a free program that helps low-income Arkansans with legal and tax issues.

Founded in 1871, Friday, Eldredge & Clark has offices in Little Rock and Rogers, and serves clients in Arkansas and across the U.S., including businesses, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, public entities, nonprofits and individuals. With approximately 90 attorneys and more than 100 staff members, the firm offers services in more than 50 areas of law and is recognized for its depth and credentials, including dozens of attorneys ranked by Best Lawyers, Mid-South Super Lawyers, Chambers & Partners and Best Lawyers/U.S. News.

About the School of Law: The law school offers J.D. as well as an advanced LL.M. program, with classes taught by nationally recognized faculty. The school offers unique opportunities for students to participate in pro bono work, externships, live client clinics, advocacy and journal experiences, and food and agriculture initiatives. From admitting the Six Pioneers who were the first African American students to attend law school in the South without a court order to graduating governors, judges, prosecutors, and faculty who went on to become president of the United States and secretary of state, the law school has a rich history and culture. Follow us at @uarklaw.