J. Cotten Cunningham

Before joining the Barber Law Firm, Cotten Cunningham was the managing partner of a mid-size law firm specializing in insurance defense litigation. Before joining that firm, he represented the Arkansas Health Care Association and the nursing home industry during the 83rd Arkansas General Assembly, where he actively lobbied for the “Quality Assurance Fee,” enabling the state of Arkansas to increase its Medicaid reimbursement rate to a level comparable to surrounding states. He also supported tort reform legislation to protect the nursing home industry from runaway jury verdicts and rising insurance premiums for liability coverage.

Prior to his work as a lobbyist, Cotten served as an Assistant Attorney General within the Environmental/Utilities Division of the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office. He earned a Master of Laws degree in environmental law from The George Washington University School of Law in Washington, D.C., and interned with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Annapolis, Maryland. During his time in Washington, he also worked on the staff of Congressman Robert “Marion” Berry of Arkansas. Cotten received his Juris Doctorate in 1997 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law and completed his undergraduate studies in 1993 at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in finance and insurance.

Cotten is a member of the firm’s Trucking and Motor Carrier Practice Group, 24-Hour Emergency Response Team, Litigation Practice Group, Insurance Practice Group, Environmental Law Practice Group, and Products Liability Practice Group. He is a member of multiple bar associations, a Fellow of the Arkansas Bar Foundation, and part of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He serves on the board of directors for the Volunteer Organization Central Arkansas Legal Services (VOCALS), is a master of the bench and mentor with the Henry Woods Inn of Court, and has served on the Arkansas Continuing Legal Education Board. Cotten is recognized in *The Best Lawyers in America* for Personal Injury Litigation, is a Mid-South Super Lawyer for Personal Injury Defense, and holds an AV Preeminent rating from *Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™*, the gold standard in attorney ratings.