Member Spotlight

 View Only

Member Spotlight - Caleb J. Norris

By Ms. Crystal Newton posted 07-14-2014 11:32 AM

  
Meet one of the Arkansas Bar Association's Members - Caleb J. Norris

How long have you been an attorney and what type of law do you practice?
I graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law in 2012. That year same year, I hung out a shingle and was elected as an Alderman in Maumelle. Currently, I am a Staff Attorney at the Arkansas Municipal League where I represent municipalities and their officials in civil rights cases. My primary focus has been in police liability litigation, such as excessive force, false arrest, and unreasonable searches, although I also represent municipalities in employment litigation.

How long have you been an ArkBar member and why did you join?
I have been a member of the Arkansas Bar Association since early in my law school career. Initially, I joined to become informed of the goings on in the legal community outside of law school. However, I quickly realized that the Association provided many great opportunities to meet and talk with attorneys about the various areas of law in which they practice. As a young lawyer, I have found these opportunities invaluable to my efforts of injecting myself into the legal community.

Thank you for your service as a volunteer advocate for the Arkansas State CASA Association. What do you do for CASA and why is this organization important to you?
As a CASA volunteer, I advocate for children at a time when they need it the most. Oftentimes, abused and neglected children are overwhelmed by the legal proceedings and can feel as if they are lost in the system. It is my job to help ensure that they do not get lost in a system that is designed for their well-being. To do that, I visit with the children regularly, gather information about their lives and the lives of their parent(s), explain to them the proceedings, recommend services, and keep the court informed of the developments. Perhaps most importantly, it is a CASA’s job to, as one volunteer said, “Be the glue that connects the pieces in a complicated child welfare system.”

Having been adopted at birth myself, this work takes on a special meaning for me. I sometimes wonder what my life would have looked like had I not been adopted by such loving, competent, and supportive parents. The children that are assigned CASAs by the court have often been neglected or abused by the very people whom the children admire and love and who are supposed to be their loving supporters. I would not be the person that I am today if I did not have the support of others. The least I can do to support these children is to “be the glue.”

Thank you for choosing to belong to the ArkBar, Caleb!

Caleb's contact information can be found on the ArkBar Member Directory.
0 comments
127 views

Permalink