Lester Listens to Call of the Law

Brian Lester fell for the law during his undergraduate days, when he would return home during summers and Christmas vacation for part-time work in the district attorney’s office. It gave him the opportunity to glance behind the curtain of criminal law. He left picturing himself as a prosecutor.

But that changed once he reached law school.

A 2006 graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law, the Texarkana native was the Legal Aid of Arkansas Outstanding Young Lawyer Volunteer for 2008-09.

“I didn’t get involved with it for the honors. I get the satisfaction of helping people who can’t help themselves. The stuff we did made their lives much better. It’s nice to see people walk away happy.”

Lester opened his own practice in April 2007, in large part because he wanted to stay in Fayetteville and had little interest in working for a big firm.

In addition, he was inspired by the example of the late Lew Steenken, a Fayetteville attorney for whom he’d worked when still in law school. Lester remembers that Steenken was well-respected, and that he lived life on his terms. Steenken died about a month before Lester graduated, so without the luxury of having a practice to take over, he opened his own.

Judging by his busy schedule, the downtown Fayetteville firm he established seems to be paying off. Between e-mails, client’s calls, court and time spent preparing documents, Lester said he is constantly working. He’d love to leave work earlier but the reality is “running a business is pretty challenging and consuming. I typically get to the office around 7:30 a.m. and stay until 6:30 p.m.”

Additionally, business has “doubled or tripled” each year. “Our growth earnings have grown and I see them continuing to grow,” he said.

Lester adds that family law, from guardianships to custody disputes, takes up a fair deal of his firm’s time.

“I’m very hands-on and like to spend my time participating in court and client meetings. Research and drafting is fine, but I prefer to interact with people,” he said. “I’m probably more geared to do that than sit behind a computer and write.”

An up-and-coming member of the Arkansas Bar Association, Lester has come a long way from the junior high lawn business that taught him to always give it your best effort.