Ten people have applied to become the Little Rock School District's first staff attorney.
Mike Poore, the superintendent of the state-controlled district, announced the plan last month to hire a staff lawyer to work in conjunction with the district's long-standing outside legal firm, Friday, Eldredge and Clark of Little Rock.
The idea of employing a staff attorney was part of an overall presentation on possible budget-cutting strategies for the 2017-18 school year. Poore said the addition of a staff attorney has the potential of cutting the district's annual legal expenses by $100,000.
At least two of the 10 applicants -- Jerry Malone and John "Clay" Fendley -- worked on Little Rock School District legal issues when they were were partners in the Friday firm. Another applicant -- Judy Wilber -- was a staff attorney in the Pulaski County Special School District before that district eliminated the position.
The posted salary range for the job is $77,654 to $126,349.
The applicants, their current or most recent jobs and their college degrees are:
• Amanda Gibson: associate counsel in the legal division of the Arkansas Insurance Department since May 2015; bachelor's degree in radio and television from Arkansas State University, law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's William H. Bowen School of Law.
• Cara Boyd-Conners: parole revocations judge/attorney for the Arkansas Parole Board since September 2015; bachelor's degree in politics from Hendrix College and law degree from UALR's Bowen School of Law.
• Eric Walker: assistant dean of career services at UALR's Bowen School of Law since July 2015; bachelor's degree in political science from Morehouse College in Atlanta, law degree from Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington.
• Janice Woodley: trial attorney and assistant deputy counsel for the Arkansas Department of Human Services since June 2012; bachelor's degree in History and English/creative writing from Emory University in Atlanta and law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law in Richmond, Va.
• Jerry Malone: attorney and consultant in Washington, D.C., and Arkansas with a focus on law in the fields of education, transportation, and infrastructure development and financing, among others. His previous positions include serving as chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Transportation from June 1996 to January 2001. He has a bachelor's degree in public administration from the University of Central Arkansas and a law degree from UALR's Bowen School of Law.
• John "Clay" Fendley Jr.: attorney in solo practice primarily representing individuals and school districts in civil rights and education-related litigation; bachelor's degree in business administration and a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
• Judy Wilber: attorney with the Tellez Law Firm since May 2015; bachelor's degree from UA and law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin.
• KaTina Hodge: Arkansas assistant attorney general since 2003; bachelor's degree in economics from Hendrix College and law degree from UALR's Bowen School of Law.
• Robert Lea: co-founder, partner and attorney for Parelkar and Lea Law firm since 2014; bachelor's degree in finance from UALR and law degree from that university's Bowen School of Law.
• Sherilyn Tucker: counsel and consultant for Gray and Tucker in St. Louis since 2014 and assistant professor at UALR; bachelor's degree in English from Cameron University in Lawton, Okla., master's degree in clinical psychology from East Central University in Ada, Okla., law degree from UA and doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Boise State University.
Metro on 11/01/2016