BARRISTER GALA

Invitation to the dance

Opposites trip the light fantastic for law school’s party

All it took was a $1,000 bid from a guest at the Barrister Gala for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's William H. Bowen School of Law to see former U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder -- the self-proclaimed "last living liberal in Arkansas" -- dance with Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, a conservative.

When the band began, the pair took to the floor of the Little Rock Marriott ballroom for a slow number as cellphone cameras flashed in their direction -- it was a sight worth capturing. Snyder had challenged those at corporate tables to bid a grand for the chance to see the two dance.

But the real purpose of the May 7 gala was to raise money for the law school and to recognize outstanding graduates from each of the last four decades.

The event netted $116,000, and featured a sold-out crowd of 500 guests. Co-chairmen were Snyder and Washington lawyer Randi Fredholm Hutchinson.

Nominees chosen from the 1970s through the 2000s were invited to attend, and winners were not revealed until the gala. Some 130 nominations were received over a six-week period. Finalists were selected by a committee of six law school alumni and two former deans.

"This feels like the Oscars, this is so cool," Snyder said, struggling with an envelope before announcing one of the award winners.

Honorees at the gala were retired state Supreme Court Justice Annabelle Imber Tuck, Class of 1977; Snyder, Class of 1988; Colette Honorable, commissioner with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Class of 1995; and Amy Johnson, executive director of Arkansas Access to Justice Commission and Foundation, Class of 2002.

The main course was grilled airline chicken with peach sauce and sun-dried tomato, red-skin mashed potatoes with goat cheese and grilled asparagus with carrots. A champagne toast at the end of the evening was sponsored by James Law Firm.

Professor Philip Oliver was lauded, although unofficially, as "everyone's favorite professor ever." For the record, he was recognized as the law school's longest-serving professor, with 36 years in the classroom.

Some of the law school's bragging rights: Bowen graduates have performed more than 20,000 hours of public service in the community in the last year; the law school has been rated Best Value Law School by U.S. News & World Report five years in a row; and Bowen is ranked sixth in the nation for producing government lawyers and 17th in the country for producing prosecutors and public defenders.

"When Bowen does things well, your degree becomes more valuable," said Law School Dean Michael Hunter Schwartz.

High Profile on 05/15/2016

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