Practice Areas
Bonnie Johnson practices in the areas of business litigation, appeals, employment and nonprofit law. Her clients represent a wide range of enterprises, including both for- and non-profit entities such as insurance companies, retail sellers, manufacturers, rural water providers and community development corporations.
Ms. Johnson represents employers in litigation under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act. In addition, she advises employers on various employment-related matters, including wage and hour issues, non-discriminatory practices, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, document destruction and retention, employee handbooks, hiring and termination.
Ms. Johnson has represented clients in appeals before the Arkansas Supreme Court, the Arkansas Court of Appeals, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Ms. Johnson successfully argued, as an issue of first impression, that claims brought under the Arkansas Long Term Care Residents’ Rights Act are subject to a three-year statute of limitations. Med. Liab. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Alan Curtis LLC, 519 F.3d 466 (8th Cir. 2008).
Professional Background
Before joining the Arkansas Bar, Ms. Johnson worked for Arkansas nonprofit organizations for twenty-five years. Most recently, she served as executive director of Nonprofit Resources, Inc., an organization dedicated to developing the capacity and infrastructure of Arkansas’s nonprofit sector.
Ms. Johnson used her expertise in the nonprofit and legal arenas to author the Legal Guide for Arkansas Nonprofit and Volunteer Organizations, published in conjunction with the UALR William H. Bowen School of Law and the Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Volunteerism.
Ms. Johnson earned her Juris Doctor and Master of Public Administration degrees with high honors at the UALR William H. Bowen School of Law and the UALR Institute of Government. She clerked for two years for Justice Annabelle Clinton Imber of the Arkansas Supreme Court.
Community Activities
Ms. Johnson is an active community volunteer. She founded the Jennifer L. Carson endowment, a scholarship for single parents who are students at the UALR William H. Bowen School of Law. She serves on the Arkansas Governor’s Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council and the board of directors of the Disability Rights Center, Arkansas’s protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities. Ms. Johnson volunteers for the Arkansas Repertory Theater and is a member of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church.
Ms. Johnson is also active in the Henry Woods Inn of Court and the Arkansas Bar Association.
