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Portrait of Brett D. Watson

Watson & Watson

Brett D. Watson

Brett has handled hundreds of appeals in state and federal courts. He has counseled clients on litigation strategy in high-stakes cases at both the trial and appellate levels. He has authored amicus briefs, and he has represented and advised clients on many election-related issues, including ballot initiatives, Ethics Commission matters, state and federal campaign finance, nonprofit activities, and candidate eligibility.

Clerkship

  • The Honorable Susan Webber Wright, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (2002–2003)

Education

  • University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law (2002)
  • Harding University (1991)

Experience

  • Brett D. Watson, Attorney at Law, PLLC (2011–2026)
  • Anderson, Murphy & Hopkins, LLP (2003–2006, 2006–2010)
  • Williams & Anderson PLC (2006)
  • Former Special Justice to the Arkansas Supreme Court
  • Former adjunct law professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law on Insurance Law and Law and Economics

Professional Memberships

  • Arkansas Supreme Court Civil Practice Committee (Member)
  • Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission (Commissioner)
  • Arkansas Bar Association Board of Trustees (Trustee)
  • Arkansas Bar Association (Member)
  • The Arkansas Lawyer Editorial Board (Member)

Publications & Presentations

  • Co-Chair, Drafting Committee, Handling Appeals in Arkansas (since 2014)
  • Presented numerous CLEs throughout Arkansas on appellate practice and legal writing
  • Moderated panels at the Arkansas Bar Association annual convention with Arkansas Supreme Court Justices and Arkansas Court of Appeals judges
  • Brett D. Watson and Frank Arey, Check Your Text. No, Not Your Phone, Your Arkansas Constitution, 61 Arkansas Lawyer, No. 2, Spring 2026, at 26
  • Brett D. Watson, The English Common Law: Still Weighty after All These Years, 58 Arkansas Lawyer, No. 3, Summer 2023, at 24
  • Brett D. Watson, More than Words: Tailoring Your Appellate Brief to Today’s Judicial Reader, 57 Arkansas Lawyer, No. 4, Fall 2022, at 14
  • Brett D. Watson, How to Ask a Judge to Recuse from a Case: What to Do and What Not to Do, 57 Arkansas Lawyer, No. 3, Summer 2022, at 20
  • Brett D. Watson and Tory Hodges Lewis, Arkansas Precedent on the Law of Precedents: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Now?, 57 Arkansas Lawyer, No. 1, Winter 2022, at 10

Recognition

  • Arkansas Bar Association Golden Gavel Award (2022)
  • Arkansas Bar Association Maurice Cathey Award (2022)

Bar & Court Admissions

  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
  • All Arkansas state and federal courts
  • United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Texas and the Northern District of Texas