R. Scott Zuerker

Member  •  rsz@lcahlaw.com

"I eat, sleep and breathe workers’ compensation law."

While I handle all types of litigation matters, I focus primarily on advising and defending insurance carriers and self-insured employers in workers’ compensation cases. As an adjunct professor, I teach Workers’ Compensation at the University of Arkansas Law School. I am an active member of the National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network, the Arkansas Self-Insurers Association, DRI Workers’ Compensation Committee and the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce Workers’ Compensation Committee.  Mr. Zuerker was recently selected for induction as a fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.

I was born in Texas, raised in Colorado and found my home in Arkansas. I met my wife, who now sits as a Circuit Judge for Sebastian County, while attending law school in Fayetteville more than 25 years ago and knew that, moving forward, Colorado would be nothing more than a vacation destination. Upon graduation, we chose to raise our family and build our careers in Fort Smith.

Every lawyer needs to unwind, and I do so by spending time in the outdoors with family and friends. My wife would say that I am obsessed with bow hunting, bird hunting, fly fishing and kayaking. I would say I am well rounded. If I wasn’t a lawyer, I would probably be a photographer. Feel free to check out my photo galleries.

Curriculum Vitae

Mr. Zuerker was born in Lubbock, Texas on October 24, 1966. He received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Metropolitan State College of Denver in 1990 and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1994.

Mr. Zuerker is a member of and has served as President of both the Sebastian County Bar Association and the W.B. Putman Inn of Court. He is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association where he has served on the House of Delegates, the Executive Council, the Legal Education Committee, the President's Special Task Force on Lawyer Admission and Discipline and the Professionalism Task Force.

Mr. Zuerker also served as Chair of the Board of Governors, Workers' Compensation Committee and Young Lawyer Section of the Arkansas Bar Association. He is a member of the Arkansas Self-Insurers Association, the Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel, Defense Research Institute, and the Trucking Industry Defense Association. In addition, Mr. Zuerker serves on the Arkansas Supreme Court Professional Practicum Faculty and acts as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, teaching Workers' Compensation. He has been named Best Lawyers in America in Workers' Compensation Law since 2012.

Since 1994, Mr. Zuerker's practice has primarily focused on providing legal representation to individuals, professionals and businesses, along with their insurance carriers in litigation matters involving insurance defense, products liability, employment law, motor carrier liability and workers' compensation.

Areas of Practice:

  • Insurance Defense
  • Transportation Law and Motor Carrier Liability
  • Employment Law
  • Workers' Compensation

Bar Admissions:

  • Arkansas, 1994
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas 1994
  • Oklahoma, 2005

Education:

  • Colorado State University
  • Metropolitan State College of Denver, B.S., 1990
  • University of Arkansas School of Law, J.D, 1994

Professional Associations & Organizations:

  • Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, teaching Workers' Compensation
  • National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network
  • Arkansas Self-Insurers Association (Board Member)
  • Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel
  • Defense Research Institute (DRI)
  • Emeritus member of the W.B. Putman Inn of Court (President 2007-2008)
  • Arkansas Supreme Court Professional Practicum Faculty
  • Arkansas Bar Association (Board of Governors Chair 2015-2016; Workers' Compensation Section Chair, 2004-2005; Young Lawyers Section Chair 2000-2001; Past Member: House of Delegates, Executive Council, Legal Education Committee, President's Special Task Force on Lawyer Admission and Discipline; Membership Development Committee, and Professionalism Task Force)
  • Sebastian County Bar Association (President, 2006-2007)
  • River Valley Volunteer Attorneys

Community Volunteer Work:

  • Good Samaritan Clinic, Board of Directors (Chair 2022)
  • U.S. Marshals Museum, Board of Directors
  • Past Board of Director, Western Arkansas Legal Services

Publications:

  • Co-Author: "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Under Act 796," The Arkansas Lawyer, Vol. 32, No. 1, Winter 1997
  • Author: "Mean What You Say and Say What You Mean: Is Independent Intervening Cause Dead In Arkansas?" Compensation Courier, Summer 2000 (Defense Research Institute Publication)

Honors:

  • Best Lawyers in America in Workers' Compensation Law, Since 2012