Forty Under 40: Conner McNair

Growing up in Fayetteville, Conner McNair always thought he’d go to law school, then maybe practice, maybe not.

“But if I did [practice], it would be in the business realm,” he said. “A couple of mentors were tax lawyers, and they persuaded me that it was an excellent career.”

That’s where McNair has made a name for himself, spending his entire professional career with the Friday firm in Northwest Arkansas. He focuses his practice on advising clients through mergers, acquisitions and real estate transactions. He also specializes in tax matters for small- and mid-sized businesses.

The cooperative nature of his work appeals to him. He boiled much of the minutiae down to preparing agreements, reading documents and advising clients.

“I’m not an adversarial guy,” he joked. “Or try not to be. In this type of legal work, you’re not fighting with people all day or in court.”

McNair was a magna cum laude graduate from the University of Arkansas in 2006 with an agricultural business degree. He graduated from the UA School of Law in 2009.

In 2010, he joined the Friday firm in the mergers and acquisitions practice group. That same year, he earned a Master of Laws in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. He also obtained a Certificate in Employee Benefits Law, reflecting his advanced education in employee benefits law.

“Practicing law is much more about being prepared and doing the work than it is about necessarily being the smartest person in the room,” McNair said.

The firm named him a partner in 2017.

Away from work, McNair has served on the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation board of directors since 2017, where he is a past president.