Russell Elected Chairman of Friday Firm

J. Shepherd Russell III has been elected chairman of Friday, Eldredge & Clark, and Price C. Gardner has been elected vice chairman.

As chairman, Russell will serve as the managing partner for the 90-lawyer firm, which has offices in Little Rock, Fayetteville and Rogers.

Russell, who previously served as the firm’s vice chairman, will continue to head up

Friday’s public finance practice. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and the University of Arkansas School of Law. Russell, who joined the firm in 1978, is treasurer for Fifty for the Future and is on the board of the Arkansas Arts Center.

A native of Little Rock, Gardner graduated from Arkansas State University, where he was a member of the football team. He has law degrees from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and the Frederic Levin College of Law at the University of Florida. He has been a member of the firm since 1989.

Gardner, whose practice focuses on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate, heads the firm’s Health Care Practice Group. He is a licensed certified public accountant and is involved with several professional and civic organizations.

Both Russell and Gardner are members of the Arkansas and Pulaski County Bar Associations and have been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Chambers U.S.A.