Joseph W. Gregory
425 W. Capitol Ave.
Suite 3400
Little Rock, AR 72201-3472
Phone: 501.375.1122
Fax: 501.375.1027
Direct Dial: 501.707.5515
Mobile: 501.952.1887
Click here to email Joe
Current Position and Duties within the Firm: Partner and Leader of the Business Development Team
Admissions: 1990, Arkansas; 1991, U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas.
Practice areas: Commercial Transactions, Public Finance Law, Securities Law, Health Care Law, and Corporate Law.
Membership: Arkansas Bar Association; American Bar Association; National Association of Bond Lawyers; Association for Governmental Leasing and Finance; and American Health Lawyers Association.
Education: Arkansas State University, B.S., 1987 and University of Arkansas at Little Rock, J.D., 1990.
Community Involvement: Mr. Gregory serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Episcopal Collegiate School in Little Rock, Arkansas (where he served as Vice President in 2003). He is a former member of the Arkansas Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and of the Board of Directors of the Arkansas Old State House Museum 1836 Club, Inc. He served as general counsel for the Pulaski County Republican Committee in 1997, and as general counsel for the 1998 Senate campaign of local businessman Tom Prince.
Biography:
Joseph W. Gregory is a partner with Jack Nelson Jones Fink Jiles & Gregory, P.A., formerly Jack, Lyon & Jones, P.A., and works in the firm's Little Rock office. Mr. Gregory practices primarily in the areas of commercial transactions, public finance, health care law, and all manner of securities and corporate law. He also leads the firm's public finance group.
Mr. Gregory was born in Piggott, Arkansas on June 2, 1965. In Piggott, Mr. Gregory lived just two blocks from the converted studio where famed author Ernest Hemingway lived while writing A Farewell to Arms. Mr. Gregory attended Arkansas State University, where he earned the degree of Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 1987. He earned his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law in 1990.
From 1990 to 1993, Mr. Gregory was employed by Environmental Systems Co. (ENSCO), a hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal (incineration) company. While at ENSCO, Mr. Gregory served in a variety of capacities, including risk manager, member of the regulatory team, corporate counsel and, finally, chief counsel.
As Risk Manager for ENSCO, Mr. Gregory negotiated and implemented environmental insurance, director and officer liability insurance and property liability insurance for a number of hazardous waste disposal incinerator plants, including mobile disposal facilities that operated at various "Superfund" sites in New Jersey, Arizona, Canada and elsewhere.
As a member of ENSCO's Regulatory Team, Mr. Gregory was responsible for the oversight of permitting, licensing and regulatory matters for all of ENSCO's hazardous waste transportation, storage and disposal sites in five states and Canada. Mr. Gregory was also responsible for ENSCO's immediate management of emergency responses to spills, leaks and unintentional releases of hazardous materials, and was responsible for ensuring that ENSCO properly transported hazardous waste throughout North America.
As corporate counsel for ENSCO, Mr. Gregory was responsible for all purchasing contracts for four plants, two Superfund sites, and all legal issues regarding the company's operations throughout North America, including service contracts, labor and personnel matters, securities compliance and filings, coordination of outside litigation and handling general internal legal affairs. Mr. Gregory was the Section 16 insider-trading designated compliance officer for ENSCO's Board of Directors and executive officers. Mr. Gregory also served as one of the team members of the $300 million Securities and Exchange Commission Regulation 14D private tender offer.
In 1992, Mr. Gregory became Chief Counsel for ENSCO and reported directly to the company's CEO and Board of Directors. As Chief Counsel, Mr. Gregory was responsible for all legal matters of the company and its subsidiaries. Additionally, Mr. Gregory assumed responsibility as Risk Manager of Brambles USA, Inc. when that company became the parent company of ENSCO. As Risk Manager of Brambles USA, Inc., Mr. Gregory coordinated the risk management and insurance program for heavy equipment leasing, secure data and file storage, hazardous waste operations, secure transport and other matters for Brambles USA's United States operations.
In 1993, Mr. Gregory left ENSCO and Brambles USA to join Jack, Lyon & Jones, P.A., now Jack Nelson Jones Fink Jiles & Gregory, P.A., where he became a partner in 1997.
During his time with the firm, Mr. Gregory has served as counsel on a variety of public and corporate finance or acquisition transactions such as:
- $32.5 million acquisition of Columbia Doctor's Hospital in Little Rock by St. Vincent Health System in 1998.
- Underwriter’s counsel in connection with a $33.5 million issue of Monroe New Power Corporation Power Facilities Revenue Bonds in 2003.
- $109.4 million bond issue allowing for construction and refunding of Washington Regional Medical Center in Washington County, Arkansas.
- Bond counsel for the University of Central Arkansas on multiple bond issues totaling more than $65 million.
- Issuer's and Placement Agent's counsel in corporate debt and equity issues involving ambulatory surgery centers, rehabilitation hospitals, colleges, energy conservation and bio-energy projects, the oil and gas industry and more.
- Lead counsel for the firm as underwriter’s, bond or issuer's counsel in over $800 million in transactions since 2000.
Mr. Gregory has three passions: golfing, wine collecting and woodworking. Mr. Gregory is a member of the Pleasant Valley Country Club and can often be found working late in the evenings in his backyard workshop.
Mr. Gregory is married to Gena Gregory, Vice President of Law for Alltel Corporation and a former partner of Jack, Lyon & Jones, P.A. Mr. and Mrs. Gregory have two sons.