News

M. Christine Dillard has been named winner of one of this year's Access to Justice Awards. Christine is recognized for her commitment to pro bono services in Arkansas. She is a believer of serving those in need of legal services and works countless hours making sure justice is available to all.

PPGMR Law, PLLC is proud to announce PPGMR lawyers are listed in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® and are named in the “Lawyer of the Year” recognitions. PPGMR lawyers are also listed in the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™. The awards are found online at: https://www.bestlawyers.com.

On Monday, January 24, 2022, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to answer one question: whether the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals used the proper test to determine if wetlands are “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act (“CWA”). The case first began in Idaho when two landowners were told to obtain a CWA permit from the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) before building a house on their property. The landowners argued the lot they wanted to build a house on lacks a surface water connection to any body of water and therefore should not be subject to CWA permit requirements. After much litigation, a Ninth Circuit panel of judges ruled for the EPA and applied Justice Anthony Kennedy’s test from Rapanos v. United States that casts a wider net on jurisdictional waters under the CWA. The SCOTUS review will pit Justice Kennedy’s broader jurisdictional view against Justice Antonin Scalia’s narrower plurality opinion from Rapanos. The Supreme Court decision is expected to address which test governs wetlands and whether the Sackett’s property is subject to federal regulation under the CWA. The case is Michael Sackett et al. v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency et al., Case No. 21-454, in the Supreme Court of the United States.

PPGMR Law is proud of its Top 50 Arkansas honorees, Mid-South Super Lawyers, and Mid-South Rising Stars who were included in Super Lawyers® Magazine for being top attorneys within their respective practice areas in 2021.

10 of PPGMR's practice areas have been recognized as best in their metro class in the 2022 "Best Law Firms" list by U.S. News. The list features law firms with impressive client and peer ratings and highlights the important combination of quality law practice and legal experience.