Mitchell Williams has enjoyed substantial growth in its 60-year history. The beginnings of our firm are strongly rooted in the values, ambitions and tradition of excellence of firm founder H. Maurice Mitchell — a business leader who was one of Arkansas’ most distinguished attorneys and philanthropists.
Maurice Mitchell earned his juris doctorate from the law school at Washington and Lee University in 1948.
Mitchell’s budding legal career was soon interrupted when, while studying for the bar, he was informed that his previously-filed application with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Unit of the Internal Revenue Service had been accepted. Mitchell accepted the job as an agent with the IRS.
After chasing down bootleggers in the Ozark Mountains for only a short period of time, Mitchell left his position with the IRS to return to his passion for practicing law. Mitchell was appointed to the position of assistant attorney for the Arkansas Revenue Department by then Governor Sid McMath (1949-51). He was admitted to the state bar in 1949 and entered the private practice of law in Little Rock in 1951.
On April 1, 1951, Mitchell opened his own office in the Pyramid Building in downtown Little Rock — a place where most lawyers who were actively engaged in the full-time practice of law were located. In 1952, Little Rock visionary Rodney Parham and his son invited Mitchell to share offices with them, which allowed him the luxury of a part-time secretary. After being elected to the Chancery Court, Parham then arranged for a more experienced lawyer to share an office with his son, but, at the same time, arranged for Mitchell to share offices with local attorney Henry Spitzberg.