Debra Reece

Hi, I’m Debra!

I’m a military brat from a very military family. Dad was in the Air Force, one brother in the Army, one in the Navy, and my husband is a Marine. I’ve moved 52 times in my life, but never outside the U.S. All that moving around taught me to adapt to anything!

Before law school, I had a whole ‘nother life. I went to high school at NLR Northeast (yay Chargers!), then moved my senior year and graduated from Russellville High (yay Cyclones!). I got married, had kids, got divorced, and was a single mom for 20 years. I’ve been a private investigator before working for the DHS Special Investigation Unit and the Office of Long Term Care, then went back to college in my 30’s with two teenaged sons, working full time for Baptist Health as an admissions rep, and then as a statistician. I then went on to law school, going part-time at night while working 50+ hours a week. I was scared to death in there with kids half my age, but I loved it and graduated first in my class!

I clerked with Justice Annabelle Clinton Imber (now Tuck) at the Arkansas Supreme Court, then was invited back to UALR Bowen School of Law as a Visiting Professor. I’ve been teaching since 2004 in addition to practicing law. I’ve taught Legal Writing, Criminal Procedure Post-Trial, Fourth Amendment Seminar, and Writing for the Bar. I love the law!

I was a solo practitioner for 23 years, practicing mostly Criminal Defense and Appeals, before joining the Lion Legal Pride. I’ve served on the Board of the Arkansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and been a member of the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association and the Arkansas Bar Association.

I am a strong Constitutional advocate, and I strive to treat my clients the way I would want my family to be treated by a lawyer. Whether it is criminal, family law, appeals — whatever — I know that hiring a lawyer can be one of the scariest things you can go through, and I want to be sure my clients know I am here for them!

I am thrilled to be a part of the Pride! My three dogs (Murphy, Vinny, and Maxx) are a little wary of the whole “Lion” thing, but I’ve assured them that lions are “cats” that they can trust. All our kids are grown, and my husband and I have twelve grandkids. Between kids, grandkids, dogs, and the law, my life is constantly busy, but never too busy for my clients.

You can reach out to me at [email protected].