Fast 15: Geoff Hamby

Geoff Hamby has never shied away from speaking in front of a crowd.

“I’ve always liked it, and I’ve always been good at it,” he said.

Just two weeks after getting his law license, he was asked to speak to fellow legal profession members at a continuing education event hosted by Bailey & Oliver, and he welcomed the challenge.

Hamby said the law firm has sent him to learning events throughout the country, and his favorite thing about public speaking is sharing that knowledge.

“Some people do speeches, and their goal is notoriety,” Hamby said. “I like sharing and making our whole profession better. That’s really my goal, to make sure everyone gets something out of it.”

He has served as a guest speaker for events across the country, including the National American Association for Justice Convention in Los Angeles, the Louisiana Association for Justice and the Kentucky Association for Justice, and he will also present at the National Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America Convention, May 18-20 in Tampa, Fla.

One of his proudest achievements so far is within his role as national chair of the Republican Trial Lawyers Caucus.

He helped organize “Lobby Days,” where members from throughout the country met in Washington, D.C., to talk to Congress about legislation.

The event hadn’t come together for several years and had “almost died out,” Hamby said. However, he and a young attorney from Alabama who served as vice chair breathed new life into the effort with renewed email and social media campaigns, Hamby said.

He said there were eight attendees at the group meeting where he was elected chair, and about 50 members traveled to Washington to express opposition to proposed legislation, including a cap on damages for medical practice.

“It was a big growth moment,” Hamby said. He also credits the election as a factor that “rejuvenated Republicans.”

Growing up in Van Buren as a lifelong Razorback fan, Hamby earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Arkansas.

“I didn’t apply anywhere else, because I wanted to be a Hog,” he said.

In his free time, Hamby likes to play golf, and he and wife Moriah are actively involved with their church, Trinity Fellowship in Fayetteville.