For over 50 years, Robert L. Jones, III (Bobby) has dedicated his practice to advocating his clients’ interests in the courtroom and more recently, at mediations. While primarily defending major corporations, he has assisted Arkansans in a broad range of matters.

Bobby has had considerable success in the courtroom trying over 300 jury trials, as well as over 1,000 nonjury trials and over 100 mediations. He is a leader with the use of technology in the courtroom, having started this trial tactic as early as the 1990s. He has defended motor carriers, accountants, physicians, architects, engineers, attorneys, hospitals, airplane and helicopter manufacturers, as well as many Fortune 500 companies. He has defended wrongful death cases, catastrophic injury cases, brain damage cases, oil and gas lawsuits, breach of contract cases, employment cases, product liability cases, environmental cases, toxic tort, fires and explosions, and class action lawsuits including carbon dioxide cases, consumer products, and wage and hour claims. He has also successfully settled over 90% of all cases he has mediated during the past 10 years.

Bobby’s efforts on behalf of his clients have not gone unnoticed. In 2010, he was named the Outstanding Lawyer of the Year by the Arkansas Bar Association and Arkansas Bar Foundation. In 2015 and 2016, he was named as lawyer of the year in Bet-the-Company Litigation by Best Lawyers and one of the nation’s top 1% by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. He is also a superb rated attorney by the AVVO rating system obtaining the highest score of 10/10. In 2004, he was invited into the most prestigious organization of trial attorneys in the world – the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. That association is limited to just 500 lawyers under 70 throughout the United States. That is less than 1/10 of 1% of all the lawyers practicing in America. The meetings that the Academy holds around the world have afforded Bobby a network of trial lawyers of great note that has significantly broadened his ability to select expert witnesses, as well as share up-to-date litigation and trial techniques on the cutting edge. Bobby was elected to the Academy’s Board of Directors (2010-2020). He was chair of the Budget and Finance Committee (2012-2014, 2018-2020) and was elected Secretary/Treasurer (2016-2017). Currently, he is Chair of the State, Country, and Province Chair Committee (2017-2021).

In 1990, he was inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Trial Lawyers, which is limited to 1% of attorneys throughout America, and similar benefits with his fellow college members exist like that of the International Academy. He is a past State Chair of the ACTL.

Bobby has been included in Best Lawyers in America 2003-2021 in the category of Bet the Company Litigation; Mid-South Super Lawyers 2006-2021; Mid-South Super Lawyers Corporate Edition in the categories of Corporate Civil Litigation, Bet the Company, and Personal Injury 2010-2019.

He is Past President of the Sebastian County Bar Association, Arkansas Bar Association, Arkansas Bar Foundation, Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel, as well as State Chair of the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (2004-2014); 2005 Eight Circuit Judicial Conference Program Committee; Federal Advisory Committee, Arkansas Western District; United States Magistrate Selection Committee, Western District of Arkansas (2008-2010); member, Federal Advisory Committee, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (2006-2009); Co-Program Chair, Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference 2010; member of the American Bar Association; member of the Trucking Industry Defense Association; and a member of Transportation Lawyers Association.

In 2016, he was appointed by Governor Asa Hutchinson as a Special Justice to the Arkansas Supreme Court.

Bobby has spoken at many seminars including Northern Louisiana Defense Bar, Arkansas Trucking Seminar, DRI, IADC, and ADTA. He has also spoken internationally in Dublin, Ireland and Barcelona, Spain on the use of technology in mediations and the courtroom. He has spoken at the Arkansas law school, the Arkansas Bar Association meetings, the Arkansas Association of Defense Lawyers, the Trucking Industry Defense Association’s annual meeting in Las Vegas, NV, the 2015 annual meeting of the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association in Eureka Springs, AR, and at the 2016 Arkansas Trucking Seminar. Bobby has also authored articles on toxic torts and ADR in For the Defense, published by DRI. He also authored a chapter on ADR in a 2015 DRI publication entitled, Young Lawyers Guide to Defense Practice.

Bobby grew up in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He comes from a family of lawyers. His father, Robert L. Jones, Jr., was an attorney in Fort Smith. They practiced law together for over 20 years. In fact, Robert L. Jones, Jr., was also President of the Arkansas Bar Association, a Fellow with the American College of Trial Lawyers, and received the Outstanding Lawyer of the Year honor from the Arkansas Bar Association in the 1980s.

Bobby is married to Cheryl Woolbright Jones and has four children: Michelle Kooi, CPA, Durango, Colorado; David P. Jones, Attorney, Fort Collins, Colorado; Ashley Daws, School Teacher, Nashville, Tennessee; and Rachel Cannon, Chef, Nashville, Tennessee.

Honors & Recognitions

Superb AVVO rated attorney: 10 out of 10

Listed in the Nation’s Top One Percent for 2015-2021 by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel

Listed in the Mid-South Super Lawyers top 50 lawyers in Arkansas

Selected as Co-State Chair for Arkansas for the International Academy of Trial Lawyers 2010-2020

Budget Committee Chairman for the International Academy of Trial Lawyers 2012-2014 and 2018-2021

Member of the Board of Directors for the International Academy of Trial Lawyers 2012-2020, Secretary/Treasurer 2016/2017, and Executive Committee 2016/2021.

Mid-South Super Lawyers 2004-2021

Named 2009-2010 “Outstanding Lawyer in Arkansas” by the Arkansas Bar Association and Arkansas Bar Foundation

Arkansas Bar Association President 1994-95

Arkansas Bar Foundation President 1984-85

Sebastian County Bar Association President 1975-76

Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel President 1991-92

American College of Trial Lawyers State Chair 2003-2004

Listed in Best Lawyers in America© (2003-2021)

United Way Committee of 21 President 1977

St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church Vestry Secretary 1971-74

Federal Advisory Committee, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit 2006-2008

United Way Board of Directors 2004-2005

Named 2015 Lawyer of the Year for Bet-the-Company Litigation by Best Lawyers

Co-Founder of the Arkansas Trucking Seminar

Community & Professional

International Academy of Trial Lawyers (IATL) – Board of Governors Executive Committee, State Chair, and

Secretary/Treasurer

American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) – past state chair

Trial Attorneys of America (TAA)

Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel (AADC) – Past President

Defense Research Institute (DRI)

W.P. Putman American Inns of Court, Emeritus

Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA)

Transportation Lawyers Association (TLA)

Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (ADTA) – Past State Chair

Arkansas Bar Association – Past President

American Bar Association

Honorary Member of the Commercial Bar Association of England –Combar

Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC)