Editor’s note: The following article appeared in the October 10 issue of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal. “Then and Now” is a profile of a former member of Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 class.
———————–
The ultimate goal of legal scholars is to be universally regarded as fair and impartial. They should base their decisions on objective criteria rather than prejudice, prejudice, or favoring one party over another.
In a recent interview, Benton County Circuit Court Judge Robin Green emphasized this point with a sense of humor.
“We have a joke among the judges,” she said.
For nearly 13 years, Green worked hard to treat both sides of the case with fairness and respect, presiding over the First Division of the Benton County Circuit Court and hearing half the civil and judicial felony cases. . She was first elected in her 2008, 2014 and she was re-elected in 2020.
“I really enjoy public service,” she said. “In this role, I will defend the rights of crime defendants and victims and work to keep our communities safe.It is a very rewarding position.”
Originally from Arkansas, Searcy (White County), Greene moved to Fayetteville in 1990 and never left the area. She received a BA in Economics and Business from Hendricks College in 1990 and then attended the University of Arkansas Law School. She received her Juris Doctor degree in 1993.
Since then, Green has been a resident of the Benton County court, following a similar background to his father. Leroy Froman was a lawyer for Searcy for many years, and then she served as City Judge of White County for 20 years before retiring in 2000. Sadly, he died five months before Benton County voters elected Greene to the bench.
Prior to becoming a circuit judge, he worked as a Benton County civil and prosecutor’s attorney for 14 years. She litigated in juvenile court, district court, and circuit court, and at one point, she was responsible for prosecuting all state crimes committed in Benton County.
In 2005, the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal recognized Green as one of the 40 recipients under the age of 40. That same year, he served as a special justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court. According to Greene, the service is one of her greatest achievements. Another was the successful prosecution of the 2005 murder and kidnapping case involving Albert Keith Smith, which was the longest and most costly case in the county’s history.
Green said the prosecution’s attorney’s office was “at full capacity” in the mid-2000s, and she enjoyed her trial work. I thought it was.
The transition from a one-sided advocate to a neutral lawyer took some getting used to.
“When I was a barrister as a public prosecutor, I knew cases inside and out, and I took pride in not being surprised by facts in a trial,” she explained. As a circuit judge, I am the least knowledgeable person in the room about a case. , was a mental adjustment. Of course, it’s the right process.”
Green said Northwest Arkansas is blessed with the “best of the best” in prosecutors, defense attorneys and civil litigation.
“It made my job a lot easier,” she said. She said preparation is key to a lawyer’s success in court.
“If you’re a barrister, know how to successfully present evidence and preserve records for appeal,” she said.
Green is a board member of the Cancer Challenge and a past member of numerous civil society organizations. She also served as Commissioner (2013-2015) of Arkansas Access to Justice, a statewide non-profit organization.
As an adjunct professor at John Brown University, he also teaches business law and ethics. Green enjoys traveling with his family. He had the chance to meet the late Antonin in his Scalia room when he visited Washington DC in 2011. Scalia was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1986 until her death in 2016.
“We got to meet him in his room, and that was a big highlight,” she said. “Being in front of that greatness is something I’ll never forget.” ”
Comments
Post a Comment