Mr. Estes is a solo practitioner in Fayetteville who has long served the Association in its efforts to advance the administration of justice.   

Association Secretary Glen Hoggard certified the election for the 2020 President-Elect on Tuesday.

Mr. Estes joins the Association's leadership track composed of President Brian Rosenthal, President-Elect Paul Keith, and Immediate Past President Suzanne Clark. Mr. Estes will assume the office of President-Elect at the conclusion of the 2020 Annual Meeting and become President at the June 2021 Annual Meeting.

The Association's membership voted to approve the governance restructure proposal, which includes incorporation as a non-profit. The proposal includes the adoption of a revised, clear mission and merges the existing Board of Governors and House of Delegates into a single governing body made up of 60 trustees. This body will consist of 15 districts. District boundaries will be established every six years and the body will meet four times per year, including at the Annual Meeting.

The House of Delegates will meet February 8, 2020 at the Mid-Year meeting in Little Rock to review and approve the creation of 60 Trustee Districts for this Spring's election to the Inaugural Board of Trustees. Candidates must file for a Trustee seat by March 31, 2020. The election for the Board of Trustees will occur between April 15 and May 18, 2020. The first meeting of the Board of Trustees is anticipated to be held at the 2020 Annual Meeting. The current Board of Governors will hold its final meeting in Fayetteville on April 3-4, 2020.

The previous Constitution, governance, and governance structure shall remain in place until the first meeting of the Board of Trustees. All elections for Trustees and President-Elect Designee shall proceed under the new Constitution; however, the elections will follow the timeline provided in the previous Constitution until the first election cycle following the Association's 2020 Annual Meeting. Therefore, the 2020 Board of Trustees will be elected in April/May 2020 and the 2021 President-Elect Designee and 2021 Board of Trustees election will be held in February/March 

2021.

For any questions, please contact Karen Hutchins at khutchins@arkbar.com.