Hiring a Medical Malpractice Lawyer in Arkansas
The deadline to sue for medical malpractice in Arkansas, any limits on damages, how lawyers usually charge (contingency fees), how to check a lawyer's license, and free help. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Arkansas: fee rules
| If a lawyer takes your money | Arkansas has a Client Security Fund overseen by the Arkansas Supreme Court's Client Security Fund Committee, whose members are appointed by the Court; the Administrative Office of the Courts (625 Marshall Street, Little Rock; 501-682-9400) is the listed contact. |
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Arkansas rules to know first
| Deadline to sue for medical malpractice | Medical injury claims must be filed within two years after the wrongful act, which is when the claim accrues (not when it is discovered). If a foreign object left in the body could not reasonably have been discovered within two years, the claim may be filed within one year after it was or should have been discovered. If the patient was 9 or younger, the deadline is the later of the child's 11th birthday or two years after the act; if the injury could not reasonably have been discovered before age 11, the claim may be filed within two years after discovery, but no later than the child's 19th birthday. Read on a FindLaw mirror of the Arkansas Code. Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 16-114-203 (secondary source: public copy of the state code; check the official code) |
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Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The Arkansas Bar Association runs ArkansasFindALawyer, an online directory you can search by name, firm, city, postal code (within a set distance) or area of practice. The bar's page does not describe it as a referral service and states no consultation fee. The bar's general line is 501-375-4606. |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Arkansas Judiciary's online Attorney Search lets you look up lawyers by last name, first name, city, ZIP code or bar number; attorney rosters are also posted. The site says its information is not the official record kept by the Clerk of the Courts and directs users to the Clerk's Office at (501) 682-6849 to verify. Rosters: https://attorneyinfo.aoc.arkansas.gov/roster |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints about Arkansas lawyers are handled by the Office of Professional Conduct of the Arkansas Supreme Court (Administrative Office of the Courts), One Capitol Mall, Suite 3D-101, Little Rock, AR 72201-1049; phone 501-376-0313 or toll-free 800-506-6631. File using the office's grievance form (printable for mailing or fillable for emailing). Disciplinary decisions are posted online, and paper copies are available from the Clerk of the Courts at $0.50 per page. |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Legal Aid of Arkansas is the LSC-funded legal aid organization for Arkansas and provides free civil legal help to eligible low-income people. The Arkansas Bar Association also points people to Arkansas Access to Justice (arkansasjustice.org), Arkansas Free Legal Answers (ar.freelegalanswers.org) and Arkansas Law Help (arlawhelp.org) for free legal information and help. Bar legal assistance page: https://www.arkbar.com/?pg=LegalAssistance |
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All legal help in Arkansas · Background guide
Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026.
How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.