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Little Rock Criminal Defense Lawyer
Overview
John Wesley Hall is an accomplished criminal defense lawyer. His practice has concentrated on criminal cases since 1973, and he has literally tried every type of case from street crime to white collar crime to war crimes for mass murder in violation of the Geneva Convention. He has tried about 350 jury trials and handled over 350 appeals. His name and work appear over 800 times on Lexis in cases and law reviews.
A student of the Fourth Amendment (www.FourthAmendment.com) and law of legal ethics in criminal defense practice and prosecutorial misconduct for over 43 years, he has argued twice in the U.S. Supreme Court (Wilson v. Arkansas (1995) and Lockhart v. Nelson (1988)). He has authored numerous merits and amicus briefs in the Supreme Court for NACDL and others, and he has argued in five federal circuit courts and three other state high courts. He has made approximately 180 CLE presentations in 38 states, Canada and The Hague.
Legal Experience And Licenses
He was the 50th President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2008-09). He received NACDL's 22d Annual Robert D. Heeney Award for distinguished service to the criminal defense bar in 2002.
Hall is the author of four law treatises on criminal law and procedure and trial practice, among them: SEARCH AND SEIZURE (5th ed. 2013, Lexis), TRIAL HANDBOOK FOR ARKANSAS LAWYERS (5th ed. 2006, Thomson West) and PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN CRIMINAL DEFENSE PRACTICE (3d ed. 2005, Thomson West).
He is a fellow in the invitation-only American Board of Criminal Lawyers, peer review rated in The Best Lawyers in America (criminal defense and white collar criminal defense), AV rated* by Martindale-Hubbell and has been selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers. His Fourth Amendment blog, fourthamendment.com, was recognized in 2015 as one of the American Bar Association's top 100 legal blogs.
Before becoming a criminal defense lawyer, he was a deputy prosecuting attorney in Little Rock in the 1970s.
He is licensed in Arkansas (1973), the District of Columbia (1975), Tennessee (1988), Nevada (1993) and New York (1996). He is also licensed in the U.S. Supreme Court, five federal circuits, and numerous federal district courts. He has argued orally in four federal circuits, three other state high courts and twice in the U.S. Supreme Court.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review RatingTM fall into two categories - legal ability and general ethical standards.
About John Wesley Hall
Current Employment Position(s)
- Attorney
Practice Areas
- Criminal Defense
- Appeals & Post-Conviction Issues
- Constitutional Law
- Drug Crimes
- Internet Crimes
- National Security & Terrorism
- Search & Seizure
- Sex Offenses
- Violent Crimes
- Weapons Crimes
- White Collar Crimes
Representative Cases
- Wilson v. Arkansas (1995)
- Lockhart v. Nelson (1988)
Qualifications
Bar Admissions
- Arkansas, 1973
- District of Columbia, 1975
- Tennessee, 1988
- Nevada, 1993
- New York, 1996
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Arkansas, 1973
- U.S. District Court Western District of Arkansas, 1973
- U.S. District Court Western District of Tennessee, 1987
- U.S. District Court District of Arizona, 1999
- U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 1999
- U.S. District Court District of Nevada, 2000
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas, 2003
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas, 2008
- U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, 1999
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1975
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 1991
- U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 1973
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1995
- U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit, 1975
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 1984
- U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit, 1988
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1976
Other Affiliations
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 1990 - Present (Life Member)
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 1983 - Present (Member)
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2003 - 2004 (Secretary)
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2004 - 2005 (Treasurer)
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2005 - 2006 (Second Vice-President)
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2006 - 2007 (First Vice-President)
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2007 - 2008 (President-Elect)
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2008 - 2009 (Past President)
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Board of Directors, 1989-1995 & 1997-2003)
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 1994 - 1997 (Lawyers Assistance Strike Force)
- International Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, 2002 - 2005 (Board of Directors)
- International Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys (Co-Draftsman, International Criminal Court Ethics Rules)
- International Criminal Bar, 2002 - Present
- International Criminal Bar (Co-draftsman, International Criminal Court ethics rules)
- American Board of Criminal Lawyers, 1983 - Present
- Arkansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 1987 - 1989 (President)
- Arkansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Charter Member)
- Arkansas Bar Association, 1976 - 1979 (House of Delegates)
- International Society for the Reform of the Criminal Law
Classes and Seminars
- Speaker, Legal Ethics and Search and Seizure, Continuing Legal Education /Over 170 presentations in approx. 35 states, Canada, and The Hague, 1983 - Present
- Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Arkansas School of Law, Little Rock; 1985 and 1988
- Lecturer, University of Arkansas Little Rock, Graduate School of Criminal Justice, 1991
Past Positions
- Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Little Rock, Arkansas, Career Criminal Division Chief, 1973 - 1979
- Arkansas Supreme Court, Associate Justice Conley Byrd, Law Clerk, 1974
Education
- University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Leflar Law Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 1973
J.D. - Hendrix College, Conway, Arkansas, 1970
B.A.
Major: English
Fees
Accepts Credit Cards
Articles
Published Works
- Search and Seizure, First Edition, LCP, 1982; Second Edition, Vol. 1, 1991; Vol. 2, 1993: Third Edition, 2000; Fourth Edition, 2011; Fifth Edition, 2013, Lexis Law Publishing (Annual Supplement), supplemented at www.FourthAmendment.com
- Symposium, 5K1.1 to be Obtained by Perjury--What do, What to Do?, 7 Ohio St. J. Crim. L. 667, 2010
- Professional Responsibility of the Criminal Lawyer, First Edition, LCP, 1987; Second Edition, Clark Boardman Callaghan (West Group), 1996 (Annual Supplement); Third Edition (West Group), 2005
- Trial Handbook for Arkansas Lawyers, LCP; First Edition, 1986; Second Edition, 1993; Third Edition (West Group), 1998; Fourth Edition (West Group) 1999; Fifth Edition, 2006
- Arkansas Guide to Executive Clemency, 2010
- DNA, Understanding, Controlling and Defeating the New Evidence of the 90s (3 Volumes, Approx. 4,200 Pages), Co-Compiler and Co-Editor with B. Scheck and P. Neufeld, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 1990
- Arkansas Extradition Manual, Arkansas Prosecuting Attorneys Association, 1978
- Arkansas Prosecutors Trial Manual, Arkansas Prosecuting Attorneys Association, (Editor and Chapter Author), 1977
- Shining the Light in the Darkness of Guantanamo: the U.S. Criminal Defense Bar Takes on the Un-American Military Commissions, Quebec J. Int'l L., 2010
- Essay, Government Surveillance of Attorney-Client Communications: Invoked in the Name of Fighting Terrorism, Geo. J. Legal Ethics, Vol. 17 No. 1, 2003
- Handling Client Perjury After Nix v. Whiteside, A Criminal Defense Lawyers View, 42 Mercer Law Review 769 (symposium piece), 1991
- Defensive Defense Lawyering or Defending the Criminal Defense Lawyer From the Client, 11 University of Arkansas Little Rock Law Journal 329 (1989) (reprinted in at least six publications, including 2 Criminal Practice Law Review 281 (1990) and on WESTLAW) (Best Article Award)
- In Defense of the Fourth Amendment Exclusionary Rule-A Reply to Attorney General Smith, 6 University of Arkansas Little Rock Law Journal 227 (Best Contributor Award), 1984
- The Prosecutors Subpoena Power, 33 Arkansas Law Review 122, 1979
- Official Misconduct Under the Arkansas Criminal Code, 30 Arkansas Law Review 160, 1976
- The Bounds of Prosecutorial Summation in Arkansas, 28 Arkansas Law Review 55, 1974
- Occasional Columnist, Ethics and Criminal Practice Issues, The Champion, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Since 1990
- Professional Responsibility in Criminal Defense Practice (3d ed. 2005, Thomson West)
- Trial Handbook for Arkansas Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 4th ed., 2018
- Professional Responsibility for Criminal Defense Practice , Thomson Reuters, 3d ed. 2005; 4th ed. 2022
- Search and Seizure , Lexis Law Publishing, 5th ed., 2013
Office Information
Address
523 W. Third St. Little Rock, AR 72201 - 2228
Phone
Fax
- 501-378-0888
Achievements
Other Sources of Feedback About John Wesley Hall
Included on the 2024 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2023 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2018 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2017 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2016 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2015 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2014 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2013 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2012 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2011 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2010 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2009 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2008 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2007 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2006 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
Honors
- Mid-South Super Lawyer, 2006 - 2015
- NACDL's 22nd Annual Robert C. Heeney Memorial Award for Service to NACDL and the Criminal Defense Bar, 2002
- Champion of Justice Award, Arkansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2003
- Best Article, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Journal, 1989
- Best of CLE Award, Arkansas Bar Association, 1997
- Outstanding Contributor Award, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Journal, 1984
- Best Lawyers in America , 2000 - 2015
- AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Selected to Super Lawyers: 2006 - 2021
- American Bar Association's Top 100 Legal Blogs, 2015 - Present
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