June 08, 2022
(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) — Attorney Devin Bates has been named to the 29th class of Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 honorees. 40 Under 40 recognizes men and women from around the state and a variety of industries who are shaping business, government and nonprofit work in Arkansas.
Bates is an attorney at Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. where he handles complex legal matters including education issues and business disputes. A native of New Hampshire, Bates graduated summa cum laude from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in economics in 2009. Following graduation, he joined Teach for America, a nonprofit that placed him in the Lakeside School District in Lake Village. Following four years with the district, Bates attended William & Mary Law School and earned a Juris Doctor, graduating cum laude, in 2016.
In 2020, Bates was the lead counsel for the Pulaski County School District in its four-decade-long desegregation case. A federal judge ruled the School District complied with the desegregation issues of student achievement and student discipline for the first time since 1984, releasing the district from federal court supervision.
Bates is President of the Board of Directors for AR Kids Read where he has shepherded the organization through an Executive Director transition. He first became involved with the organization when he served as a volunteer reading tutor. He is a graduate of Leadership Greater Little Rock, Class XXXV, serves on the Board of Directors of Economics Arkansas and on the Board of Directors of Create Little Rock, Little Rock Chamber of Commerce. He is also active in Fellowship Bible Church, Midtown Campus, where he leads a high school boys youth group and an adult small group.
About Mitchell Williams
Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. is a full-service corporate law firm providing strategic, comprehensive legal counsel for everything from day-to-day needs to the most complex, specialized business matters. Established in 1954, the firm has offices in Little Rock, Rogers and Jonesboro, Arkansas and Austin, Texas. For more information, visit MitchellWilliamsLaw.com.