Riverfront Plaza

1 Allied Dr. Suite 1110 

Little Rock, AR 72202
Phone: 501-707-5520 (direct)

501-960-6886 (cell)
Fax: 501-375-1027

Position and Duties within the Firm:  Vice President/Secretary

Education: University of Illinois, A.B., 1969, High Honors; University of Arkansas at Little Rock, J.D., 1978, Highest Honors.

Admissions: 1978, Arkansas; 1984, U.S. Supreme Court; 1978, U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas; Court of Appeals for the 7th and 8th Circuits.

Legal Associations/Professional Memberships: Fellow, College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, and Chair of its Credentials Committee for the Eighth Circuit 2002-2007.

Practice Areas: Labor Law, Employment Law, and Business Litigation.

Club or Civic Memberships/Community Involvement: Member, Board of Directors and Chair, Health Committee, Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce; Board Member and Past President, United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arkansas, 1978-2005.

Accomplishments/Awards: Mid-South Super Lawyers 2006 to present, Best of CLE Award, Arkansas Bar Association, 1999, 2000 & 2001; Writing Excellence Award, Arkansas Bar Foundation, 1980; Listed, Who’s Who in the World; Who’s Who in America; Who’s Who in American Law; Who’s Who in Finance and Industry.

Publications:   Editor, Arkansas Employment Law Letter (BLR), 1995-present; Editor, 50 Employment Laws for 50 States (BLR); Author, Employment Law Desk Book for Arkansas Employers, 1997; Contributing Author, Chapter 23, Schlei & Lindemann, Employment Discrimination Law, Second Edition; Law Review Articles: “The Supreme Court Reins in the ADA”, 22 U.A.L.R. L. Rev. 183 (2000); “The Attack on Traditional Billing Practices”, 20 U.A.L.R. L.J. 293 (1998); “Affirmative Action After Bakke and Webber”, 14 Ark. Lawyer 4 (1980), Editor-in-Chief, U.A.L.R. Law Journal, 1977-78; Editor.

Biography:

Stephen W. Jones was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father was a career Air Force officer, so he lived in Maryland, Illinois, Texas and Germany during his formative years. He graduated from high school in Mascoutah, Illinois and entered Hendrix College in 1965. He then transferred to the University of Illinois, where he received his A.B. in 1969 with high honors.

Mr. Jones then served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1971. After his time in the military, he worked in the Governor’s Office of Affirmative Action under Dale Bumpers and later became the Personnel Director of Arkansas Social Services, a 2,000 employee organization with over 75 offices.

During this time, Mr. Jones entered the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law and received his J.D. in 1978 with highest honors. Mr. Jones was the first Editor-in-Chief of the U.A.L.R. Law Journal and served in that capacity from 1977-78. After completing law school, he began his legal career as an associate with House, Holmes, and Jewel in Little Rock. There, Mr. Jones handled employment and civil rights cases involving employment class actions, voter rights and school desegregation for such clients as the City of Little Rock, North Little Rock School District and Commercial National Bank.

In 1986, Mr. Jones, Don Jack Jr., and Philip Lyon, Jr. founded the firm of Jack, Lyon & Jones, P. A., now JACK NELSON JONES, PLLC. He has served as Managing Partner and is presently Secretary and Vice-President for the firm. Mr. Jones practices principally in the Little Rock office and the focus of his practice is labor and employment law and business litigation.

Mr. Jones has represented the North Little Rock School District as its desegregation counsel for over 20 years overseeing the district's release from court supervision and formerly served as General Counsel to Philander Smith College for over 20 years. Other clients have included Alltel Communications, Inc., Trane Residential and The American Standard Companies, Klipsch Audio, Inc., Prudential Securities, Inc., Chubb Insurance as a member of its EPLI and D & O panels, Federated Life Insurance Co., Brown & Root, Babcock & Wilcox-ST, AEGON USA, Conway Regional Health System and St. Vincent Health System.

While perhaps best known for his representation of the North Little Rock School District in its desegregation litigation, some of his additional notable cases include: Hatchett v. Philander Smith College, 251 F.3d 670 (8th Cir. 2001); Resolution Trust Corp. v. Kerr, 804 F. Supp. 1091 (W.D. Ark. 1992); Little Rock Sch. Dist. v. Pulaski County Special Sch. Dist. No. 1, 921 F.2d 1371 (8th Cir. 1990); American Casualty Co. v. Federal Sav. & Loan Ins. Corp., 704 F. Supp. 898 E.D. Ark. 1989); Hervey v. City of Little Rock, 101 F.R.D. 45 (E.D. Ark. 1984), aff'd 787 F.2d 1223 (8th Cir. 1986); Desris v. Kenosha, 687 F.2d 1117 (7th Cir. 1982); and Leadership Roundtable v. Little Rock, 661 F.2d 701 (8th Cir. 1981).

Mr. Jones has served on the Board of United Cerebral Palsy since 1978. He was the organization’s President from 1984-86, 1993-95 and 2014-17, and oversaw two of its major building efforts. UCP has expanded from a single location in Little Rock to operations in every area of Arkansas and is now the most extensive non-governmental provider of services to persons with developmental disabilities in the state.

Mr. Jones met his wife, Judy Kaye Mason, while both were in law school. Mr. Jones and Ms. Mason have been married since 1977, and have two children, Adam and Katie. In addition, Mr. Jones enjoys raising his Anatolian Shepard mix, Auggie.

In his spare time, Mr. Jones attempts golf, piddles with photography and is an avid fan of the Dallas Cowboys. In addition, Mr. Jones and his wife frequently enjoy seeing good and not-so-good movies together.