Forty Under 40: Zoe Naylor

Zoe Naylor is a native of Australia and now an American citizen practicing transactional immigration law in Northwest Arkansas. She is also an instructor at the University of Arkansas, the president of Rotary Club of Fayetteville and the mother of two young children.

Naylor said her father fueled her ambition. He holds a doctorate and is president and CEO of the National World War I Museum and Memorial. He moved the family to Kansas City, Mo., when Naylor was a teenager.

Naylor earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religion from Graceland University in Iowa.

In 2013, she graduated with dual degrees from the UA, a combination juris doctorate and master’s degree in political science. During law school, she was a graduate assistant for an American government class. After graduation, the political science department invited her to remain an instructor. She teaches upper-level legal study courses.

In her family-based immigration work, Naylor represents families petitioning for permanent resident status for relatives, navigates paths for waivers, and explores citizenship opportunities. She also practices immigration employment law, including corporate immigration compliance, I-9 audits, and helps companies secure employment-based visas.

Many of the firm’s clients are from Central America. Others are from Europe and a variety of other countries, she said.

Naylor has been on the Criminal Justice Act Panel since 2014, representing accused persons who are unable to afford counsel in federal criminal proceedings.

She previously worked with the Joyce Law Firm and the Balla and Naylor Law Firm PLLC. She was formerly the president of the Washington County Bar Association and is a water aerobics instructor.