Rebecca D. Hattabaugh

Member  •  rhattabaugh@lcahlaw.com

"My passion is for litigation & the focus of my practice is defending doctors, nurses & other medical professionals in malpractice cases."

Although I especially enjoy trial work, particularly cross-examining expert witnesses, I am also a bit of a closet law nerd. I have a real appreciation for motion practice and particularly how to win cases without going to trial. I have also handled a number of cases at the appellate level before the Arkansas Supreme Court and Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. While defending medical malpractice cases is the majority of my practice, I also handle other types of civil litigation including insurance defense and employment law.

I am a native Arkansan, tracing my roots to the rural community of Elm Park where I was raised. I attended college and law school at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. When it came time to choose where I would practice, I knew it would be Fort Smith. In fact, I refused to interview elsewhere over my Dean’s objections. Fort Smith is close enough to family to attend Sunday dinner and a great place to live and work.

When I am not working, I enjoy spending time at Lake Ouachita with my family, playing with my goldendoodles, reading a book and cooking. On a good weekend, you will find me at the lake with my husband and our teenage children. When we are not on the water, I will be cooking brunch and dinner for the band of teenagers that roams the area, as well as chocolate chip cookies, upon request.

Curriculum Vitae

Ms. Hattabaugh was born in Booneville, Arkansas on September 13, 1972.

She attended University of Arkansas where she was a Fulbright Scholar, and she was accepted in the advanced placement program for law school.  She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Arkansas in 1994 and her Juris Doctorate with high honors from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1995.  She served as an Associate Editor of the Arkansas Law review and earned the highest score on the February 1996 bar exam. She has been practicing with this firm since her admission to the bar.

Since 1996, Ms. Hattabaugh has been involved primarily in medical malpractice defense, nursing home defense, insurance defense, employment law and appellate practice.  She is a past president of the Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel and past president of the Sebastian County Bar Association.  She has been named Best Lawyers in America in Medical Malpractice Defense since 2018. Ms. Hattabaugh was selected to Super Lawyers in 2022.

Ms. Hattabaugh is also the treasurer of the Western Arkansas Trial Practice Committee and serves on the Continuing Legal Education Board having been appointed by the Arkansas Supreme Court to serve on that committee.  She is a member of the Board of the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce and a graduate of the Leadership Fort Smith program as well as the Leadership Arkansas program created and sponsored by the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce.

Areas of Practice:

  • Medical Malpractice Defense
  • Nursing Home Defense
  • Employment Law
  • Insurance Defense
  • Appellate Practice

Bar Admissions:

  • Arkansas, 1996
  • U.S. District Courts, Arkansas, 1996
  • Oklahoma, 1996
  • Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, 1996

Education:

  • University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, B.A. cum laude, 1994
  • University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, J.D., with high honors, 1995

Professional Associations and Organizations:

  • Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel, President
  • Defense Research Institute (DRI)
  • Arkansas CLE Board
  • Arkansas Bar Association
  • Sebastian County Bar Association (President, 2013-2014)
  • W.B. Putnam Inns of Court

Community Volunteer Work:

  • River Valley Volunteer Attorney Project
  • Muscular Dystrophy Association
  • Grace Community Church, Youth Leader
  • Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors