Dustin McDaniel joining Cozen O’Connor’s State AG practice; Jonesboro attorney Bobby McDaniel joins McDaniel Wolff in ‘Of Counsel’ role

McDaniel Wolff, PLLC, of Little Rock announced Wednesday (June 19) that one of its founding partners, former Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, will leave the firm on June 30 to become the Co-chair of the oldest and most successful state attorneys general practice group in the nation.

Cozen O’Connor of Philadelphia is an international law firm with more than 800 attorneys and offices in 32 cities in three countries. Its State AG Practice Group is now led by Former Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore.

Kilgore and McDaniel will become Co-chairs on July 1.

McDaniel Wolff also announced that Jonesboro Attorney Bobby McDaniel has joined the firm as “Of Counsel,” which in this case means that he will serve as a senior adviser to the firm. Bobby McDaniel, who is Dustin McDaniel’s father, has more than 50 years of experience as one of Arkansas’ most successful litigators. Bobby McDaniel will remain an active partner of the McDaniel Law Firm in Jonesboro, led by his younger son, Brett McDaniel.

“Leading Cozen O’Connor’s State AG Practice Group is the opportunity of a lifetime. I believe that they are the most respected and effective AG practice group in the nation,” Dustin McDaniel said. “I am grateful to Cozen O’Connor for asking me to take this amazing next step in my career, and I am even more grateful to my partners and friends at McDaniel Wolff for their support. I am confident that Jerry Kilgore and I will lead Cozen O’Connor’s team to new heights.”

“I am also honored and touched that my dad is giving the benefit of his lifetime of expertise to the next generation of lawyers in our firm as well as his own,” Dustin McDaniel added.

“We are extremely excited for Dustin,” McDaniel Wolff Founding Partner Rufus Wolff said. “We will miss having him with us, but I know he will do a fantastic job. We will look for ways to work with Dustin and his new firm every chance we get.”

“Cozen O’Connor is well respected as a national firm that represents clients among state AGs every day,” Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said. “This is an exciting opportunity for Dustin. He and General Kilgore will make an excellent team, and I wish them all the best.”

“McDaniel Wolff will retain its name and is on track to have a record year, even with Dustin’s departure,” Managing Partner Vince Ward said. “We are expanding our State Capitol footprint with an office expansion this fall. Our partner Scott Richardson recently helped successfully litigate a federal jury trial resulting in a $200 million verdict.”

“Next week, Bart Calhoun and Dustin will lead our legal team efforts to ensure that the Arkansas Racing Commission awards the Pope County casino license to our client Cherokee Nation Entertainment, LLC. We have hired several high-quality associates, and I am especially proud that Dustin’s father Bobby McDaniel will serve Of Counsel to our firm, sharing his expertise with our next generation of litigators,” Ward added.

Little Rock-based McDaniel Wolff will continue to provide a full range of litigation, corporate and transactional services to its clients.

Cozen O’Connor’s State AG practice serves a wide range of clients, from startups to Fortune 50 companies, and it has been at the forefront of high-stakes matters involving antitrust, cybersecurity, data privacy, consumer protection, environmental issues and labor laws.

Dustin McDaniel served as Arkansas’ 55th Attorney General from 2007 to 2015. After departing office due to constitutional term limits, McDaniel co-founded the Little Rock law firm that is now McDaniel Wolff, PLLC.