AG tabs lawyers for state agencies department
By submitted, 01/8/17 7:36 AM
LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge named Olan “Butch” Reeves of Bryant as deputy attorney general for the State Agencies Department and Nga Mahfouz of Hot Springs as the senior assistant attorney general.
“Butch and Nga have been dedicated members of the State Agencies Department, and I am eager to have them take on leadership roles,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Both bring a wealth of experience in government and private practice, and I know that the department under their guidance will continue to provide top-notch legal counsel to the many agencies boards, commissions and two-year colleges across the State.”
Reeves re-joined the office in 2016 as an assistant attorney general in the State Agencies Department. Reeves served as chief counsel to Gov. Mike Huckabee from 1996-2003, chaired the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission from 2003-2009 and served on the Public Service Commission from 2009-2015. Before rejoining the Attorney General’s office, Reeves was legal counsel at the Arkansas Department of Revenue. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in religion from Ouachita Baptist University, he taught public school for eight years, then earned a master’s degree in curriculum from Henderson State University and juris doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law.
Mahfouz was most recently an assistant attorney general with the State Agencies Department, where she provided day-to-day legal counsel to various state agencies. Mahfouz transferred to the newly created State Agencies Department in 2015 from the Civil Department, where she primarily handled matters involving civil rights claims. Before joining the office, Mahfouz defended municipalities in employment, law enforcement and land use issues throughout the State and spent six years in private practice. She received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Scranton and a juris doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.
Attorneys in the State Agencies Department provide legal representation to the more than 200 State agencies, boards, commissions, two-year colleges and other entities. Agency attorneys provide counsel, as well as assist their client agencies with promulgating rules and regulations, complying with the Freedom of Information Act, resolving personnel disputes and interpreting laws passed by the Arkansas General Assembly.
