The Delta Initiative
The University of Arkansas School of Law has prioritized the Delta as a region of focus. A Delta advisory committee was established in 2021, which identified areas that have the greatest need within the region:
- access to justice
- severe lack of legal professionals per capita, and
- the need to recruit students earlier in their educational careers (high school vs. junior/senior year of college)
Goals Of The Delta Initiative
Visibility | Engagement | Community Service

Outreach to communities
Bring our current School of Law students to smaller rural areas that need legal professionals in an effort to make an immediate impact on the access to justice issues.
Pipelines to provide resources and information
Expose around 800 high school students to the idea of law school by providing legal curriculum that engages the students and evokes questions and discussion.
Inform students about University of Arkansas and University of Arkansas School of Law enrollment and scholarship opportunities.
Pathways to help students
Expose our law students to the Delta communities, alumni and legal professionals in the area so they can learn about opportunities for post-grad employment and the benefits and impact of practicing in the region.
Our Plan

Current law school students, faculty, and staff will travel to high schools in the Delta to deliver curriculum crafted around the Constitution and its impact on current laws and policy. This will be a two-day trip with the students being in the high schools for the first day and performing a community service project on the second day.
2021 will be our pilot year with the students visiting schools in Osceola and Pine Bluff (Pine Bluff High School, Watson Chapel). In conjunction with the City of Osceola, the law school students will host an expungement clinic, and in Pine Bluff, work with the McKissic Firm, to host a wills and trusts clinic.
The National Archives has partnered with the School of Law to provide coaching and training to our law students in preparation for teaching high school students.
Originally scheduled for September 17 and 18, 2021, activities have been postponed.
Osceola · postponed
Schedule of Events - Osceola
- Thursday Afternoon
- Travel Teams arrive
- Thursday Evening
- Networking Reception hosted by the City of Osceola for area community partners/ members of the Arkansas Bench and Bar/Students
- Friday 8 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Constitution Days Programming in Osceola High School
- Saturday 9:00 a.m.
- Pro Bono Expungement Clinic (Facilities and Technology provided by Osceola High School). Students will have the opportunity to work alongside judges and attorneys while assisting in a one-stop expungement (sealing) clinic. The last station at this clinic will inform the citizens who have come about open job opportunities.


Pine Bluff · postponed
Schedule of Events · Pine Bluff
- Thursday Afternoon
- Travel Teams arrive
- Thursday Evening
- Networking Reception for area community partners/members of the Jefferson County Bench and Bar/Students
- Friday 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Constitution Days Programming in Pine Bluff High School and Watson Chapel High School
- Saturday Time 10:00 a.m.
- Pro Bono Wills and Trusts Clinic (Reynolds Center provided by the City of Pine Bluff, McKissic Firm is assisting with administration and set-up. Students will have the opportunity to work closely with local attorneys to draft and revise wills, trusts, and estates documents.


Sponsors






