May/June 2007 issue
New Bankruptcy Judge for Arkansas: Ben T. Barry
On Thursday, April 26,
2007, Ben T. Barry was
sworn in as a federal
bankruptcy judge for the
Eastern and Western
Districts of Arkansas. Barry was appointed by
Chief Judge Loken of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court
of Appeals. His investiture ceremony took place
on May 4th.
Ben T. Barry was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas
in 1946. He received his undergraduate degree
from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in
1969 and his law degree from the University of
Arkansas School of Law in 1973.
He has been a partner in the Fort Smith law firm
Pryor, Robertson & Barry, PLLC and its
predecessor firms since 1975. He was appointed
as a federal bankruptcy trustee in 1977 and has
served as a Chapter 7 trustee until this judicial
appointment.
He served as a business law instructor from
1973 to 1983 at Westark Community College
(now the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith)
and has lectured on bankruptcy law at the UA
Law School. He has been a mediator and
arbitrator for the American Arbitration
Association and the National Arbitration Forum.
Barry also served as a city prosecutor for Fort
Smith in the 1970s and city attorney for Barling
in the 1980s.
He was a recent past recipient of the
Outstanding Pro Bono Award from Arkansas
Volunteer Lawyers for the Elderly. In 2006, he
was one of two Arkansas bankruptcy attorneys
selected for inclusion in Arkansas Super
Lawyers and Mid-South Super Lawyers.
Judge Barry will handle cases in the Fort Smith,
Fayetteville, Harrison and Hot Springs
divisions. He will occupy offices in Fayetteville
being vacated by Judge Richard D. Taylor, who
transferred to Little Rock. Congratulations,
Judge Barry!