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Baxter D. Drennon

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Baxter D. Drennon

Partner
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Biography

Baxter D. Drennon is a Partner in our office in Little Rock, Arkansas, and he has more than a decade of legal experience. He is a seasoned trial attorney who protects the rights of clients in complex litigation involving products liability, professional liability, and automobile accidents. Baxter has also successfully defended doctors, nurses, and other medical providers in medical malpractice cases.

Known for his work in high-exposure cases such as catastrophic personal injury and complex business disputes, Baxter has served as lead counsel in hundreds of cases and as trial counsel in over a dozen cases — most of which resulted in complete defense verdicts.

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He works closely with each client’s leadership team to ensure the legal strategy aligns with broader business goals while resolving each matter effectively and efficiently. Baxter represents clients across manufacturing lines, including companies in the aerospace, automotive, heating and cooling, electrical component, and vertical transportation industries.

In addition to products liability defense, Baxter often advises businesses on commercial disputes and other day-to-day business and operational matters. He also represents several municipal water and wastewater entities and was honored to serve as legal counsel in the first privatization of a water utility on a military installation in the state of Arkansas. Also, Baxter is the City Attorney for Benton, Arkansas.

Baxter earned a Juris Doctorate degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Arkansas. He also completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Considered a leader among his peers, Baxter has been actively involved in the Defense Research Institute (DRI) since 2010, and previously served as the Chair of the Young Lawyers Committee. In 2019, Baxter was elected to the DRI Board of Directors in 2019 – the first young lawyer elected to the Board. Baxter is also a Future Leader in the Products Liability Advisory Council. He has been repeatedly named a “Rising Star” by Mid-South Super Lawyers.

Experience

Baxter has over a decade of legal experience, protecting the rights of clients inside the courtroom, as well as in their day-to-day business dealings. He has represented clients in numerous high-exposure cases such as catastrophic personal injury and complex business disputes. Baxter has served as lead counsel in hundreds of cases and as trial counsel in over a dozen cases. He works with manufacturers in many industries such as aerospace, automotive, heating and cooling, electrical component, and vertical transportation.

Construction

Baxter counsels clients on construction defects litigation, subcontractor disputes, jobsite injury, premises liability, and other related claims.

Products Liability

Baxter represents manufacturing companies in a wide range of sectors, such as aerospace, automotive, electrical component, heating and cooling, and vertical transportation. He has handled many high-risk, high-exposure cases.

Transportation

Baxter protects the rights of clients in complex automobile accident litigation, including cases involving catastrophic personal injury, brain injury, wrongful death and other related claims.

Credentials

Admitted

State Courts:

  • Arkansas, 2010

U.S. District Courts:

  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas

Education

  • J.D., magna cum laude, University of Arkansas, 2010
  • B.A., Political Science, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, 2007

Memberships

  • Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel
    • President, 2021-2022
    • President Elect, 2020-2021
    • Secretary, 2019-2020
    • Treasurer, 2018-2019
  • Defense Research Institute
    • Board of Directors, National Director, 2019-2022
    • National Membership Committee, Chair, 2021-2022
    • Young Lawyers Committee, Chair, 2018-2019
  • Products Liability Advisory Council (PLAC), Future Leader

Recognition

  • Richard H. Krochock Award, Defense Research Institute (DRI), 2022
  • The Best Lawyers in America® – Personal Injury Defense Litigation; Best Lawyers®; 2021, 2023
  • Mid-South Rising Star, Super Lawyers®, 2013-2023

Presentations

  • Luddite or Technophile: Stark Warnings of Technology Competency
    Products Liability Advisory Council (PLAC) 2023 Fall Conference; October 5. 2023
  • Modern Day Litigation: Using Multiple Media to Appeal to Jurors of All Ages
    DRI, 2021 Annual Meeting, October 2021
  • Lessons from the Trenches: Civil Jury Trials During COVID & Beyond
    Products Liability Advisory Council, 2021 Fall Conference, September 2021
  • Luddite or Technophile: Stark Warnings of Technology Competency Requirements
    2021 Texas Association of Defense Counsel Annual Meeting, September 2021
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  • Defusing the Nuclear Verdict
    Products Liability Advisory Council, September 2021
  • Technology Competency Requirements in Tennessee and Nationwide
    Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association, Virtual Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation, September 2020
  • Annual Case Law Update
    DRI Product Liability Committee Meeting, November 2019
  • Legal Hot Topics
    Arkansas Water and Wastewater Managers Association, 2018
  • The Ethical Pitfalls of Representing Friends and Family
    Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel, Tennessee Association of Defense Counsel, Kentucky Defense Counsel, and Nebraska Association of Defense Counsel; April 2018
  • Luddite or Technophile: Start Warnings of Technology Competency Requirements
    Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel, September 2017
  • The Ethical Pitfalls of Representing Friends and Family
    DRI Lawyers’ Professionalism and Ethics and Young Lawyers Committees, June 2016
  • Ethical Pitfalls of Representing Friends and Family
    Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel, Tennessee Association of Defense Counsel, Kentucky Association of Defense Counsel, and Nebraska Association of Defense Counsel; June 2016
  • Ethics in Negotiations and Mediations
    DRI Young Lawyers Seminar, June 2015

In the Press

55 Hall Booth Smith Lawyers Recognized as 2024 Best Lawyers® Award Recipients

Hall Booth Smith is pleased to announce that 55 lawyers have been included in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. “For more than 40 years, the rigorous methodology of Best Lawyers® has ensured the
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American City & County: Baxter Drennon on ARPA Funds, Their Impact for Municipalities

In an article published on January 27, 2023, by American City & County magazine, Little Rock, Arkansas, partner Baxter D. Drennon offers guidance to municipalities surrounding the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 and its economic impact. The $1.9 trillion package, which includes funding for states, local governments, and tribal nations in response to
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Non-Criminal Acts / Aiding and Abetting – Further Expansion of the Exceptions to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act?

Written by: Baxter Drennon, Esq. The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, 15 U.S.C. § 7901, protects licensed firearm and ammunition manufacturers and dealers from civil liability resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm or ammunition. There are six enumerated exceptions to the immunity created under the Act, including actions related to: (1)
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Hall Booth Smith Attorneys Honored by The Best Lawyers In America 2023

Hall Booth Smith, P.C. (HBS) is pleased to announce 47 lawyers from the firm were honored in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This award is based on an evaluation process that includes a collection of client and lawyer evaluations and peer reviews from attorneys in the same field. These HBS attorneys
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