Bassett Still King of the Mountain
by October 15, 2001 12:00 am 145 views
W.W. “Bill” Bassett said he remembers being the youngest member of the local bar association. Now Bassett, a 1949 graduate of the University of Arkansas Law School, said he’s one of the oldest.
“I spent 10 or 12 years in the corporate world in Louisiana before I even started practicing law,” Bassett said. “But I practiced locally for a long time before we organized this firm with [his sons] Woody and Todd.”
Bassett is managing partner of the firm which primarily does general civil litigation and appellate work in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. All work is managed out of the Fayetteville office.
By summer, Bassett’s chief associate Paul Thompson is expected to pass the bar and increase the firm’s lawyer total by one to 16. It has been the area’s largest firm for years.
Bill Bassett, who’s worked 150 trials to a conclusion, said the biggest change in the local legal community he’s seen over the years is the sheer numbers of new lawyers who have moved into the area. He said that unfortunately, it’s a “Catch 22” for rookies who need to try cases to get good experience and experience to get good clients.
“There’s only so much business here that generates a fee,” Bassett said. “It’s exceedingly difficult to get started in this business in Northwest Arkansas.”
Davis Wright Clark Butt & Carithers of Fayetteville remained the second largest firm this year, but the Lisle Law Firm of Springdale jumped to No. 3.
Chris Lisle, a partner with the Lisle Law Firm of Springdale, said his company had to add two positions to keep up with all of its work for Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc. of Ada, Okla. And Lisle said he already needs another.
Publicly traded Pre-Paid has about 14,000 clients in Arkansas who pay $15-$25 monthly for an insurance-like legal product. The Lisle Firm is responsible for providing legal services to all of them.