Mitchell Williams’ Take Time To Give program is the firm’s community service initiative that provides monetary and volunteer support to civic and charitable organizations throughout Arkansas and the region. The program has supported more than 150 organizations since its formal launch in 2004 – more than 50 in 2009 alone.

Our House provides the state’s working homeless, including families, children and adults, with food, shelter, clothing and free child care, in addition to a comprehensive job training program to transition people from homelessness into the workforce and permanent, independent housing.

“During this economic time, there are continuing challenges facing many of our neighbors who struggle to make ends meet,” said Harry Hamlin, Mitchell Williams’ managing director. “Our House doesn’t just provide a place to sleep overnight, it provides a means for families and individuals to reclaim their lives and become successful contributors to the community. The crucial services they provide to Arkansas families made Our House an obvious choice for our Take Time To Give efforts this year.”

As part of the 2010 Take Time To Give charity announcement, Mitchell Williams is also hosting a new website dedicated to statewide nonprofits. The new site – www.TakeTimeToGive.com – will launch Feb. 12 and will feature news and events of the many nonprofits in Arkansas and the region. Visitors can learn about upcoming events on the interactive calendar and read the latest nonprofit advocacy initiatives and headlines in the News section. Additionally, nonprofits that are interested in partnering with Mitchell Williams can apply online for sponsorships and support.

Along with the new website, Mitchell Williams will also provide daily news updates and volunteer opportunities through the firm’s new Twitter account, http://twitter.com/taketimetogive.

“We are excited about this next phase of our Take Time To Give program,” said Hamlin. It’s not just about Mitchell Williams’ charitable citizenship and what we are doing anymore – it’s about taking it to the next level to meet our corporate social responsibility to our communities.”

Our House staff, volunteers and board members, along with representatives from many of the 150 Arkansas nonprofits the law firm has supported over the last five years, will attend an event on Feb. 11 at the Clinton Presidential Library to help celebrate the launch of the 2010 Take Time To Give program.

“We are honored to have been chosen by Mitchell Williams as this year’s Take Time To Give beneficiary,” said Georgia Mjartan, executive director of Our House. “The support of their lawyers and staff is remarkable and comes at such a crucial time.  The need is so great right now.  Every day, we have to turn families and children away because we are out of room in the shelter.  This is a tough time for everyone, including corporate donors.  The fact that Mitchell Williams is increasing their giving at a time like this is just tremendous. Their generosity and desire to serve others makes a real and lasting difference in the lives of thousands of working Arkansans.  We are so thankful for their commitment to the community and the state.”

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About Mitchell Williams

Providing strategic counsel on a variety of sophisticated legal matters since 1954, Mitchell Williams combines decades of diverse professional experience with extensive relationships to offer clients across the United States the most comprehensive services possible. Today, the firm employs 75 attorneys from four offices in Arkansas, Texas and New York. For more information, visit www.MitchellWilliamsLaw.com.

About Our House

Our House operates an 80-bed shelter, two “family houses” providing transitional housing for 13 homeless households, an education and job training center, a free childcare center, after-school and summer youth development programs and a feeding program that serves 77,000 meals per year. Our House also offers additional free services that help people transform their lives. Services include parenting classes, addiction recovery groups, counseling, and job search assistance. Visit www.ourhouseshelter.org to learn more.

Vandiver’s federal court litigation experience includes employment discrimination, disability accommodation, wage and hour, family medical leave, mass layoff/plant closure notice, and criminal background checks.  In addition, his state court litigation experience includes breach of non-compete agreements, trade secrets misappropriation, and other state common law claims against employers.  He routinely advises and trains management in the areas of employment law and human resources.

Vandiver comes to Mitchell Williams from the Arkansas labor and employment law firm of Cross, Gunter, Witherspoon & Galchus, P.C. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) Bowen School of Law since 2003, where he teaches Disability Law, Employment Law, and Employment Discrimination Law.

Vandiver has been named a Best Lawyer in America in the area of Labor and Employment Law for the last two years and was named a Rising Star by Mid-South Super Lawyers in 2009.  He is a member of the American and Arkansas Bar Associations, Defense Research Institute, The Federalist Society, The Christian Legal Society, Society for Human Resource Management, Central Arkansas Human Resource Association, Arkansas State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and the Judge Henry Woods Inn of Court.  He also serves on the board of directors for the Special Olympics of Arkansas.

Vandiver received his J.D. in 2000 from UALR and his B.A. in Political Science from Hendrix College in 1997.  From 2000-2001 he clerked for the Hon. Stephen M. Reasoner in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

Please join us as we Take Time To Give to the Arkansas Foodbank Network & Capital Area Food Bank of Texas.

Warmest thoughts and best wishes to you and your family for a wonderful holiday and very Happy New Year!

Download our 2009 Holiday e-card here.

More than 400 people are expected to attend the NPD luncheon which recognizes individuals and organizations for their contributions to countless charities and causes in the Northwest Arkansas community. Across North America, more than 100 AFP chapters and nearly 50,000 people will participate in NPD events.

The AFP represents nearly 30,000 members in more than 205 chapters throughout the world working to advance philanthropy through education, training, mentoring, research, credentialing, and advocacy. The Northwest Arkansas Chapter, which represents more than 120 fundraisers, fosters development and growth of fundraising professionals and promotes high ethical standards in the fundraising profession. For more information visit www.afpnwark.org.

Mitchell Williams’ Take Time To Give program is the firm’s community service initiative that provides support to civic and charitable organizations through financial contribution, volunteer hours, and pro bono legal services. The selected organization may receive a significant financial contribution in addition to volunteer program participation and services from the firm’s attorneys and staff.

“Our firm is historically rooted in the principles of volunteering and giving, both through our work and financial contributions, since its founding 55 years ago,” said Mitchell Williams’ Managing Director Harry Hamlin. “This is a way for us to make a significant difference for one organization that will help the lives of Arkansans statewide and also allows us to streamline our charitable contribution process.”

In 2009, the firm named the Arkansas Foodbank Network as its primary annual charity. The organization received a contribution of $25,000 and volunteer hours from the firm’s attorneys and staff. The firm also participated in the organization’s annual National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive, the Today’s THV Summer Cereal Drive: Business Edition, the 13th Annual Golf For Food tournament, and Harvesters young professionals group. The Arkansas Foodbank Network will be featured as part of the firm’s holiday efforts.

To be considered, candidates must be Arkansas-based, and services must provide a statewide reach and impact. Nominations are being accepted now through Nov. 30. Organizations can download the submission form here.

Mitchell Williams’ Take Time To Give program has incorporated more than 150 organizations throughout Arkansas and the region since its formal launch in 2004 – nearly 70 last year alone. More information about the firm’s efforts can be found at www.MitchellWilliamsLaw.com/TakeTimeToGive.

Click here to download.

The only law firm in the state to offer sustainability-focused legal services, the highly integrated team of attorneys from the Mitchell Williams’ environmental, energy, real estate, business and finance, corporate, utility, intellectual property, and tax practices uses a multi-disciplinary approach to provide counsel.

“This is something that touches every person and every industry and is changing the way individuals, companies and lawmakers make day-to-day decisions,” said Mitchell Williams Managing Director Harry Hamlin. “To stay competitive, businesses of all sizes need to embrace the concepts of environmental integrity and social responsibility through the lens of sustainability. We want to help our clients determine the most efficient and profitable way to meet their overall resource and energy needs while being good stewards of the environment.”

Mitchell Williams attorney Heather M. Bell, counsel in the firm’s northwest Arkansas office in Rogers, will serve as team leader for the practice. Bell joined the firm in May 2008, providing counsel in the areas of business and corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, lending and financing, and securities and real estate matters.

“Sustainability, among other green initiatives, is a business approach that can create long-term shareholder value simply by embracing these opportunities and risks,” said Bell. “Our team’s collective experience offers comprehensive services and counsel through commercial, regulatory, and litigation support. We believe this full-service approach will give clients the ability to meet their needs without compromising those of future generations.”

In addition to providing counsel on a wide array of issues that arise in connection with the generation and distribution of renewable and alternative energy resources and the development and financing of new sustainability technologies, the team’s attorneys will also help clients evaluate current policies and standards, manage emerging risks, navigate climate change regulations, understand and benefit from emissions trading programs, audit current practices, and develop new sustainability initiatives.

Other services included in the practice are:

• Renewable energy technology
• Economic development and government incentives
• Green leasing, financing, acquisitions and sales
• Land use, entitlements and repositioning of projects
• Environmental due diligence, permitting, audits and compliance
• Brownfields redevelopment, incentives and Superfund laws
• Procurement law and government contracts
• Environmental infrastructure project development, including water supply and wastewater facilities and contaminated sediment dredging projects
• Energy infrastructure project development, including solar, wind, hydroelectric and biofuel
• Government affairs and public policy
• Construction and real estate litigation and dispute resolution
• Carbon audits, offsets and investments in new carbon markets
• Real estate and LEED-certified green building construction, including design, leasing, marketing, insurance and risk management
• Tax incentives, including conservation easements

Drewyor provides counsel to clients on matters regarding municipal and public finance, commercial lending and financing, oil and gas lending and financing, real estate, business and corporate law and mergers and acquisitions.  She is a member of the Arkansas, Oklahoma and Benton County Bar Associations, Bentonville-Bella Vista Rotary Club and the Board of Directors of The Children’s Museum of Northwest Arkansas, where she serves as the Chair of the Membership Committee.

The annual compilation of The Best Lawyers in America is based on peer-review surveys in which more than 25,000 attorneys cast almost two million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their specialties, and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. According to the publication, Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

Additionally, Best Lawyers ranked the firm first in Arkansas in the areas of Administrative, Corporate, Environmental, Government Relations, Insurance, and Land Use & Zoning laws.

Mitchell Williams attorneys recognized are as follows:

Little Rock Office
• John K. Baker (2009) – Commercial Litigation
• W. Christopher Barrier (1995) (10) – Land Use & Zoning Law; Real Estate Law
• Sherry P. Bartley (1999) (10) – Environmental Law; Mass Tort Litigation; Personal Injury Litigation
• Steve Bauman (1995) (10) – Trusts and Estates
• R. T. Beard III (1995) (10) – Commercial Litigation; Personal Injury Litigation
• C. Douglas Buford, Jr. (2001) – Corporate Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law; Securities Law
• Frederick K. Campbell (2007) – Administrative Law; Insurance Law
• Michelle H. Cauley (2008) – Personal Injury Litigation
• Charles B. Cliett, Jr. (2009) – Health Care Law; Insurance Law
• Ken Cook (2009) – Medical Malpractice Law
• Jeffrey H. Dixon (2008) – Trusts and Estates
• Doak Foster (2007) – Administrative Law; Insurance Law
• Byron L. Freeland (2005) – Labor and Employment Law
• Allan Gates (1995) (10) – Environmental Law
• Kathlyn Graves (1995) (10) – Labor and Employment Law
• Harold W. Hamlin (2007) – Project Finance Law; Real Estate Law
• Donald H. Henry (1999) (10) – Banking Law
• Hermann Ivester (2009) – Intellectual Property Law
• M. Samuel Jones III (2009) – Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Medical Malpractice Law
• Walter E. May (2005) – Corporate Law
• Lance R. Miller (2009) – Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law
• Stuart P. Miller (2007) – Personal Injury Litigation
• T. Ark Monroe III (2007) – Administrative Law; Corporate Law; Government Relations Law; Insurance Law
• Lyn P. Pruitt (2001) – Personal Injury Litigation; Product Liability Litigation
• John S. Selig (1991) (10) – Corporate Law; Securities Law
• Jeff Singleton (2008) – Personal Injury Litigation
• Stan D. Smith (2006) – Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law
• Jean D. Stockburger (1995) (10) – Trusts and Estates
• Marcella J. Taylor (2009) – Environmental Law
• Jeffrey Thomas (2009) – Insurance Law
• Nicholas Thompson (2007) – Administrative Law; Corporate Law; Government Relations Law; Insurance Law
• William H. L. Woodyard III (2008) – Administrative Law; Insurance Law
• Walter G. Wright, Jr. (2005) – Environmental Law

Rogers Office
• Marshall S. Ney (2009) – Commercial Litigation
• Christopher T. Rogers (2006)- Trusts and Estates
• Leigh Anne Yeargan (2008) – Labor and Employment Law

Austin Office
• Burnie Burner (2007) – Insurance Law
• Elisabeth DeLargy (2008) – Insurance Law

(Year) First year the lawyer was listed.
(10) Lawyers who have been listed in Best Lawyers for at least 10 years.
(20) Lawyers who have been listed in Best Lawyers for at least 20 years.
(25) Lawyers who have been listed in Best Lawyers for at least 25 years.

Ranked #1 in Arkansas in Administrative Law with 5 attorneys.
Ranked #1 in Arkansas in Corporate Law with 5 attorneys.
Ranked #1 in Arkansas in Environmental Law with 4 attorneys.
Ranked #1 in Arkansas in Government Relations Law with 2 attorneys.
Ranked #1 in Arkansas in Insurance Law with 7 attorneys.
Ranked #1 in Arkansas in Land Use & Zoning Law with 1 attorney.
Ranked #1 in Arkansas in Mass Tort Litigation with 1 attorney. (*)
Ranked #1 in Arkansas in Securities Law with 2 attorneys. (*)

Ranked #1 in Little Rock, AR in Administrative Law with 5 attorneys.
Ranked #1 in Little Rock, AR in Corporate Law with 5 attorneys.
Ranked #1 in Little Rock, AR in Environmental Law with 4 attorneys.
Ranked #1 in Little Rock, AR in Government Relations Law with 2 attorneys.
Ranked #1 in Little Rock, AR in Insurance Law with 7 attorneys.
Ranked #1 in Little Rock, AR in Land Use & Zoning Law with 1 attorney.
Ranked #1 in Little Rock, AR in Mass Tort Litigation with 1 attorney. (*)
Ranked #1 in Little Rock, AR in Securities Law with 2 attorneys. (*)

Ranked #1 in Rogers, AR with 2 attorneys.
Ranked #1 in Rogers, AR in Commercial Litigation with 1 attorney. (*)
Ranked #1 in Rogers, AR in Trusts and Estates with 1 attorney.

(*) Denotes tie with 1 or more other firm(s).

Nearly doubling its capacity, the expansion encompasses approximately 9,000 sq. ft, accommodating six new offices and additional meeting space.

“The firm’s growth plans for Rogers are aggressive and the office expansion is evidence of the firm’s success thus far,” said Managing Director Harry Hamlin. “Our new space demonstrates our dedication to the area and our long term plans for expansion in the northwest Arkansas region, even in the midst of challenging economic times.”

In addition to the new construction, one of Mitchell Williams’ senior litigators, Leigh Anne Yeargan, moved from the firm’s Little Rock office to Rogers last week, establishing a local presence for Mitchell Williams’ labor and employment law services. The addition of Yeargan and the labor and employment practice to the Rogers office will expand Mitchell Williams’ menu of local corporate, transactional and litigation services for clients in Northwest Arkansas and the region.

Yeargan leads the firm’s Labor and Employment Team and has been listed in Best Lawyers in America in the area of labor and employment for several years.

“We have the right attorneys with the right expertise to build long and successful relationships with our clients in the area, and will continue to look for strategic ways to bring our cost-effective labor counsel and expertise to the region.” Hamlin said.

The firm’s Rogers office is located at 5414 Pinnacle Point Drive, Suite 500 in the Pinnacle Hills business and retail district.