Fast 15: Tyler Mlakar
by May 4, 2026 9:40 am 702 views
Tyler Mlakar takes ownership of sophisticated, challenging legal problems with high expectations and delivers results for Rose Law Firm.
According to Bourgon Reynolds, managing member at Rose Law Firm, Mlakar sets himself apart as “the go-to person for complex projects and shows up time again both for his clients and the firm.”
Mlakar learned about hard work growing up on his family’s horse farm in Alma. He graduated from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., in 2019 in international relations, thinking he would pursue foreign affairs. But because of his writing skills, he was guided by a professor there toward law school, and he applied to the University of Arkansas School of Law. He intended to pursue a business career in law, but Professor Danielle Weatherby fostered his interest in appellate litigation work and legal writing, which led him to the work he does today.
At the UA he was executive editor of the Arkansas Law Review magazine. Graduating in 2022, he was the only graduate in law school history to graduate with a perfect GPA.
After graduation he clerked for the Hon. Bobby E. Shepherd of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. In 2023 he joined Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, moving to the Rogers office in 2025. Now a fourth-year associate, he does mostly general commercial litigation, specializing in construction litigation, and is “in the process of developing a niche in appellate litigation.”
Describing himself as a thinker, Mlakar is motivated by “the opportunity to take ownership of something important and to make it better,” and by “being trusted with responsibility and delivering results.”
Mlakar was awarded the Arkansas Bar Association’s Maurice Cathey Award and has received several national awards for his legal writing. He’s the chair of the editorial advisory board for the Arkansas Bar Association’s “The Arkansas Lawyer” magazine. He serves on the boards of the Arkansas Supreme Court’s Continuing Legal Education and the Law Alumni Society at UA School of Law. He’s a professor in the UA’s Engineering Master’s Program, teaching on the legal aspects of construction. He’s part of Leadership Fayetteville Class XXXIX.
Passionate about reading, Mlakar is also a member of the Arkansas Canoe Club and Ozark Off Road Cyclists. He also enjoys whitewater kayaking, mountain biking, riding horses and skiing.