Attorney Addition

Local attorney Michael Johnson, who was commissioner of the Arkansas Securities Department from 2001 to 2007, recently joined Fayetteville law firm Smith Hurst PLC.

Johnson, who began his new job Oct. 1, specializes in securities, mergers and acquisitions and corporate law. He previously led his own Fayetteville practice, Johnson Law Firm, for the last three years.

Before being appointed by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee to lead the state’s securities department, Johnson began his career at the prestigious Rose Law Firm of Little Rock and later became associate general counsel at Stephens Group Inc.