Forty Under 40: Dana Paul

Northwest Arkansas has sold itself to Dana Paul. And she can thank her three kids for that.

The Pine Bluff native, who has a law degree from the University of Texas, admits she had no desire to return to Arkansas when she accepted her first job as an attorney in Houston in 2001.

“I never wanted to come back, ever,” Paul said. “I wanted to be a high-powered attorney in a big city.”

Then she became a mom.

“Life has a way of changing you, and once I had my own children, wow, I realized that there’s a lot to be said about family and balancing work and family,” she said. “If I hadn’t had kids I probably wouldn’t have come back. But I knew I wanted to be closer to my family. I needed the support system.”

Things have turned out pretty well for Paul, who four months ago opened her own law firm in Rogers.

“Northwest Arkansas has been an awesome place,” she said.

A graduate of Arkansas State, Paul participated in student exchange programs in Fiji and England before earning the Dean’s Achievement Award while in law school.

“I’ve liked to argue my entire life, so being an attorney just made sense,” she said. “I thrive on arguing.”

Paul was part of the 2012-13 Leadership Benton County Program and is a member of Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders.