Title 16 — Practice, Procedure, And Courts

The Supreme Court may appoint a board of examiners from practitioners in the Supreme Court for each judicial district to conduct the examinations for license, according to a standard adopted by the Supreme Court.

No Justice of the Supreme Court or judge of the circuit or other court shall have power to license any applicant to practice law, but such power shall be exercised by the courts of this state, by proper orders, duly recorded.

Any person admitted to practice law in this state shall make oath to support the Constitutions of the United States and of the State of Arkansas and to faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which he is about to enter.

No person shall be licensed or permitted to practice law in any of the courts of record of this state until he has been admitted to practice by the Supreme Court of this state, and every person so admitted shall be entitled to practice in all the courts of this state.

It shall be the duty of the clerk of each court of record to keep a register in which he shall register and enroll every attorney or counselor at law licensed to practice in the court of which he is clerk.

(a) Any person, not a member of the Bar of Arkansas, who shall commit or who shall conspire to commit any act defined by the law of this state to be barratry or maintenance, or who shall solicit for himself or for another person who is not a member of the Bar of Arkansas in any m…

Every person who shall attempt to practice law in any court of record without being licensed, sworn, and registered, as required in this subchapter, shall be deemed guilty of a contempt of court and shall be punished as in other cases of contempt.

No clerk of any court of record in this state or sheriff, while he continues to act as such, shall under any pretense whatever act as an attorney at law in the court of which he is clerk or in the county in which he is sheriff.

(a) It shall be unlawful for any corporation or voluntary association to practice or appear as an attorney at law for any person in any court in this state or before any judicial body, to make it a business to practice as an attorney at law for any person in any of the courts, to…

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to practice law or attempt to practice law in any court in this state or to solicit business as or in any manner represent himself or herself to be an attorney at law when such a person so practicing or attempting to practice law or solicit…

A.C.A. § 16-22-213Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

It is hereby found and determined by the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that the Supreme Court, in Henry, Walden, and Davis v. Goodman, 294 Ark. 25 (1987) , limited the existing Attorney's Lien Law by allowing only a quantum meruit recovery in a case in which the attor…

The compensation of an attorney at law, solicitor, or counselor for his services is governed by agreement, expressed or implied, which is not restrained by law.

(a) Any agreement, contract, or arrangement between litigants or any conduct of the one seeking affirmative relief at the instance and procurement of his adversary which deprives the litigant of his asserted right against his adversary shall constitute a compromise or settlement …

(a) (1) From and after service upon the adverse party of a written notice signed by the client and by the attorney at law, solicitor, or counselor representing the client, which notice is to be served by certified mail and a return receipt being required to establish actual deliv…

If any attorney at law or other person admitted to conduct causes in any court in the State of Arkansas appears to have multiplied the proceedings in any cause before such court, so as to increase costs unreasonably and vexatiously, he shall be required, by order of the court, to…

If any suit in any court of record in this state is dismissed on account of the negligence of any attorney at law, or for his nonattendance at the court without having a just and reasonable excuse for such absence, it shall be at the costs of the attorney at law. Such attorney at…

If any attorney at law receiving money for his client refuses or fails to pay the money over on demand, the attorney at law may be proceeded against in a summary way on motion before the circuit court, either in the county in which he may reside or in the county in which he recei…

In any civil action to recover on an open account, statement of account, account stated, promissory note, bill, negotiable instrument, or contract relating to the purchase or sale of goods, wares, or merchandise, or for labor or services, or breach of contract, unless otherwise p…

(a) (1) In any civil action in which the court having jurisdiction finds that there was a complete absence of a justiciable issue of either law or fact raised by the losing party or his attorney, the court shall award an attorney's fee in an amount not to exceed five thousand dol…

(a) No person licensed to practice law in Arkansas and no partnership or corporation of Arkansas-licensed attorneys or any of its employees, partners, members, officers, or shareholders shall be liable to persons not in privity of contract with the person, partnership, or corpora…

(a) (1) An attorney at law representing an indigent client who is incarcerated in any county jail, city jail, juvenile detention facility, or other facility operated by the Division of Youth Services in the State of Arkansas shall make a report of personal visits with the client.…

Any attorney who is guilty of any felony or infamous crime, of improperly retaining his client's money, of any malpractice, deceit, or misdemeanor in his professional capacity, is an habitual drunkard, or is guilty of any ungentlemanly conduct in the practice of his profession ma…

The charges shall be exhibited in the county in which the offense has been committed, or in which the accused may reside.

The court in which the charges may be exhibited shall fix a time for the hearing of the charges, allowing a reasonable time to notify the accused.

(a) The clerk of the court in which the charges may be exhibited shall issue a citation, notifying the accused to appear at the time and place fixed for the hearing and answer the charges exhibited against him. A copy of the charges shall be attached to the citation. (b) (1) The …

If the accused fails to appear according to the command of the citation, his appearance may be compelled by attachment, or the court may proceed ex parte.

Upon charges other than a conviction for an indictable offense, the court shall have power only to suspend the accused from practice until the facts shall be ascertained in the manner prescribed in this subchapter.

If the charges are for an indictable offense and no indictment is found or, if found, is not prosecuted to trial within six (6) months, the suspension shall be discontinued unless the delay is produced by the absence or the procurement of the accused, in which case the suspension…

The record of conviction or acquittal of any indictable offense shall in all cases be conclusive evidence of the facts, and the court shall proceed thereon accordingly.

When the matter charged is not indictable, the trial of the facts alleged shall be had in the court in which the charges are pending. The trial shall be by jury. If the accused fails to appear or, upon appearing, does not require a jury, the trial shall be by the court sitting wi…

All charges exhibited under this subchapter shall be verified by affidavit and shall be prosecuted by the prosecuting attorney, prosecuting in the district in which the charges are pending.

(a) In all cases of conviction, the court shall pronounce judgment of removal or suspension, according to the facts found. (b) Every judgment of removal or suspension made in pursuance of this subchapter shall operate, while it continues in force, as a removal or suspension from …

(a) In all cases of conviction for felony or other infamous crime of any attorney at law in any other state or territory of the United States, such conviction, on the production of a copy of the record thereof, shall have the same effect as if such attorney had been convicted in …

In all cases of a trial of charges, the accused may except to any decision of the court and may prosecute an appeal to the Supreme Court, or writ of error, in all respects as in actions at law.

(a) A person commits an offense if, with intent to obtain any economic benefit for himself or herself, the person:(1) Contracts with any person to represent that person with regard to personal causes of action for property damages or personal injury;(2) Advises any person as to t…

(a) Any county of this state is authorized to own, operate, and maintain a county law library and, in connection therewith, to own, buy, sell, lend, borrow, receive bequests and donations of, and otherwise deal in and contract concerning books, volumes, treatises, pamphlets, and …

(a) (1) A county law library established pursuant to this chapter shall be under the control of a county law library board of not less than three (3) nor more than five (5) persons, who shall be practicing attorneys residing in the county and who shall be appointed by the county …

A.C.A. § 16-23-103Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) The costs levied pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall not be levied and collected unless there has been filed with the county court of a county a resolution of the county bar association or, in counties where there is no county bar association, a resolution of the…

All collections from costs levied pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall forthwith be paid over by the collecting officer to the county treasurer and by him credited on his records to a fund to be designated and known as the county law library book fund. The book fund s…

(a) The following oath, in substance, shall be administered to a court bailiff at the start of a jury trial: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully, impartially, and to the best of my ability, discharge the duties of bailiff of this court, to which office I have …

(a) In multijudge circuits, the circuit judges may select one (1) of their number to perform any of the duties imposed upon a judge by this act. (b) Divisions of any circuit court may either have separate jurors, or the circuit judges by concurrence may share a single jury wheel …

(a) When in the discretion of the court it shall be deemed advisable in the interests of the furtherance of justice, the court may direct that not more than three (3) jurors in addition to the regular jury be called and impaneled to sit as alternate jurors. Alternate jurors, in t…

(a) The following oath, in substance, shall be administered to the grand jurors:“Saving yourselves and fellow jurors, you do swear that you will diligently inquire of, and present all treasons, felonies, misdemeanors, and breaches of the penal laws over which you have jurisdictio…

A written provision in a contract to borrow money or to lend money in which the parties agree to waive their respective rights to a trial by jury under Arkansas Constitution, Article 2, § 7, is valid and enforceable except upon those grounds that exist at law or in equity for the…

Every registered voter or, in counties where an enhanced prospective jury list is utilized, every registered voter, licensed driver, or person issued an identification card under § 27-16-805 who is a citizen of the United States and a resident of the State of Arkansas and of the …

(a) The following persons are disqualified to act as grand or petit jurors:(1) Persons who do not meet the qualifications of § 16-31-101;(2) Persons who are unable to speak or understand the English language;(3) Persons who are unable to read or write the English language, except…

(a) As used in this section, “adjournment sine die” means the adjournment of the General Assembly without the establishment of a day certain for reconvening. (b) A person may be excused from serving as a grand or petit juror or a jury commissioner for such period as the court dee…

(a) Any person who is sworn as a member of a grand or petit jury shall be ineligible to serve on another grand or petit jury in the same county for a period of two (2) years from the date the person is excused from further jury service by the court or by operation of law. (b) No …