Richard L. Ramsay

Rick began his law practice in his hometown of Pine Bluff, AR with the firm of Coleman, Gantt, Ramsay and Cox (later Ramsay Bridgforth).  In the course of his thirteen years there, he had a varied practice including real estate, labor law, insurance defense, representing various banks and savings & loans, as well as a general commercial litigation practice.

In 1989, Rick moved to Little Rock and joined Grobmyer, Ramsay and Ross.  While there, he expanded his practice and represented several brokerage houses in defending securities related arbitrations.  In 2000, Rick and other members of his firm merged with the firm now known as Eichenbaum Liles P.A.  While at Eichenbaum Liles, with whom he still maintains a relationship, Rick became involved with construction litigation and continued his practice specializing in complex commercial litigation, banking and debtor/creditor matters representing both plaintiffs and defendants.

Rick served as a Federal Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee from 1977 until he left the panel in 2014.  He has been designated an expert in bankruptcy law and debtor/creditor law.

In 2010, Rick began his certification as a Mediator and Arbitrator.  He has extensive training in both Arkansas and Texas, and is certified for Civil Mediation & Arbitration matters, Domestic Relations matters, and/or and Probate matters. He is has been involved in an active mediation and arbitration practice since 2011, most recently opening Ramsay Mediation & Arbitration in June of 2016.

Early in his career, Rick realized the importance of “giving back” to his profession and has been extremely active in the Arkansas and American Bar Associations.  He served as Chairman of the Arkansas Young Lawyers Division in 1985, was President of the Arkansas Bar Association in 2007-08, President of the Southern Conference of Bar Presidents in 2007 and has served as the Arkansas Bar Association Representative to the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association since 2012.  Rick served on the faculty of the Arkansas Professional Practicum. He is also a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation; an honorary organization of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars who have been deemed by their peers to have demonstrated outstanding achievements and dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession, which limits its membership to one third of one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction.

Rick has been recognized by Arkansas Times as a Best Lawyer in Arkansas for Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights and Insolvency & Reorganization Law;  chosen by BEST LAWYERS for his high caliber of work in the practice area of Commercial Litigation and in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency & Reorganization Law each year since 2005; selected by peer recognition and professional achievement to the Mid-South Super Lawyers list; and earned a BV Distinguished rating from Martindale Hubbell for being widely respected by his peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards

Rick has been married to his wife, Clair, for 26 years and they have four children;  Jimbo Ramsay, Liz Ramsay Dalton, Alex Graham and Clancy Graham Rodgers, and three granddaughters.

Education 

• University of Arkansas at Fayetteville School of Law, Juris Doctor, l976
• University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, B.A., Political Science, 1974

Admissions

• Arkansas State Courts
• United States Federal District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas
• United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
• United States Bankruptcy Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas
• United States Supreme Court

Work History

• Mediator and Arbitrator, RAMSAY MEDIATION & ARBITRATION 2016 – present
• Mediator and Arbitrator, ADR, Inc. 2010-2015
• Shareholder/Partner, Eichenbaum Liles P.A., Little Rock, AR, 2000 – present
• General Counsel, Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement System, 1999 – present
• Partner, Grobmyer, Ramsay & Ross, Little Rock, AR, 1989 – 1999
• Partner, Ramsay Bridgforth, Pine Bluff, AR, 1977-1989

Mediation/Arbitration Speaking and Training

• Guest Lecturer, University of Arkansas School of Law – Mediation Clinic, 2016-17, 2017-18
• Guest Lecturer, University of Arkansas Little Rock|William H. Bowen School of Law – Mediation Practice Clinic, 2017-18
• Arkansas ADR Conference – Understanding Implicit Bias and How it Impacts Our Communities, 2018
• Speaker, Overcoming Challenges in Mediation: Dealing with the Absent Decision Makers, Uncooperative Attorneys, and Other Issues, Arkansas ADR Commission Training & Programs Regional CME, Jonesboro, AR: May 2015
• Speaker, Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Arkansas Bar Association’s Courtroom Essentials Seminar, Fort Smith, AR, April 2012
• Arkansas ADR Conference: When They Want to Walk Out – Mediating the Settlement of Monetary Disputes – 2016
• Arkansas ADR Conference – 2015
• Arkansas ADR Conference – Challenges when Mediating with Government Entities or When Board Approval is Required to Settle the Case, 2014
• Arkansas ADR Commission: How Shifting Gears Can Benefit Parties In Mediation – March 2013
• Arbitration and Mediation Advocacy Workshop, Arkansas Bar Association, 2012
• Family Mediation Training – Arkansas ADR Commission – September 2012
• Arkansas ADR Commission: Domestic Violence Education Program – September 2012
• Basic Mediation Skills, Arkansas Alternate Dispute Resolution Commission, July 2011
• Arbitration and Mediation Advocacy Workshop, Arkansas Bar Association, May 2011
• Basic Mediation Training, Manousso Mediation & ADR Services, Houston, TX, April 2011
• Arbitration Training and Ethics, Manousso Mediation & ADR Services, April 2011
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) – Ethical Issues for the Practitioner; Institute of Consumer Financial Education, October 2010
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Basics, Applications, and Current Trends; Institute of Consumer Financial Education, October 2010

Publications 

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR CLIENT FOR MEDIATION: A CHECKLIST by Richard L. Ramsay

(For a copy of this publication, please contact RAMSAY Mediation & Arbitration at 501.978.4490)

Professional Affiliations*

• Arkansas Bar Association, 1976 – present (PRESIDENT 2007-2008)
  • (Member ADR Section, Civil Litigation Section, Debtor/Creditor Section, Construction Law Section)
• American Bar Association, 1977 – present (Member ADR Section)
• Southern Conference of Bar Presidents, 2005 – present (PRESIDENT 2007)
• DELEGATE, Arkansas Bar Representative to American Bar Association House of Delegates, 2012-present
• CHAIRMAN, Young Lawyers Section of the Arkansas Bar Association, 1985-86
• DELEGATE, Arkansas Bar Association House of Delegates, 1985-1986; 2001-2004; 2005-2009
• GOVERNOR, Board of Governors, 2004-2009
• SUSTAINING FELLOW – Arkansas Bar Foundation
• SUSTAINING FELLOW – American Bar Foundation
• Pulaski County Bar Association
• Jefferson County Bar Association, 1977-1990

*Mr. Ramsay’s Bar activities are extensive.  For a more complete listing, see http://ramsaymediation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/RLR-Bar-Resume-101216.pdf