Laura E. Bates

Laura E. Bates is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law, where she teaches Research, Writing & Analysis and Law & Literature. She joined the faculty in 2022 after serving as a law clerk for Judge Bobby Shepherd on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and practicing law at Paul, Weiss in Washington, D.C., and Wright, Lindsey, & Jennings in Little Rock. Her expertise spans litigation, appellate advocacy, and legal writing, with notable success including arguing before the Eighth Circuit and contributing to the winning petitioner’s brief in Seila Law v. CFPB before the U.S. Supreme Court.

• Education:
• B.A., Ouachita Baptist University (2009, summa cum laude)
• M.A., University of Arkansas (2012, English Literature)
• J.D., Harvard Law School (2017, cum laude)

Her research interests bridge law and literature, reflecting her prior teaching of English and literature courses (including Jane Austen studies) at institutions in the U.S., Kosovo, Ecuador, and Germany. She is also actively engaged in community service, serving on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross Serving Greater Arkansas since 2023, for which she received the Distinguished Board Member Award that year.

Awards:

• Distinguished Board Member Award, American Red Cross (2023)
• Ouachita Alumni Milestone Award (2019)

Professional Contributions: Professor Bates has no listed advisees but has authored works contributing to legal scholarship through the Bowen Law Scholarship Repository. Her career reflects a blend of academic and practical legal experience, including roles in high-stakes litigation and appellate advocacy.

Labs/Teams: She contributes to the American Red Cross board, focusing on community resilience and disaster response initiatives.