Erin Beatty Joins U of A Office of General Counsel

By Russell Cothren

Erin Beatty

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Erin L. Beatty has joined the University of Arkansas Office of the General Counsel on the Fayetteville campus. She is one of five attorneys assigned to the campus, which currently serves over 27,000 students.

“We conducted a national search and were pleased to have a number of strong applicants, but Erin stood out for her recent experience dealing with Student Affairs matters while serving a peer institution,” said JoAnn Maxey, general counsel for the U of A System. “Erin is very familiar with the range of issues faced by a state university with a large and diverse student population. She has worked in both public and private practice, and also has experience in compliance-related work. We think she will be a wonderful asset to our office and to the campus moving forward.”

Beatty will be assuming advising responsibilities previously handled by Tamla Lewis, who is now serving as associate dean for the University of Arkansas School of Law.

Beatty joins the UA General Counsel’s Office from the Office of the General Counsel with the University of Connecticut. While at UConn, she was responsible for drafting and evaluating university policies, conducting training, and representing the institution in federal and state compliance matters. She provided training and advice relating to Title IX and student conduct matters, emergency management, and protection of minors, and also reviewed university agreements.

Immediately prior to UConn, Beatty was in private practice with a firm in Rochester, New York, where her practice focused on higher education and K-12 education law, including representing institutions in matters before the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, as well as labor and employment law. She has also worked with the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission in Washington, D.C., where her practice focused on workplace safety and health matters, including serving as attorney-advisor to the chief administrative law judge for the commission.

Beatty has a B.A. from St. Michael’s College in Vermont and a J.D. from the Syracuse University College of Law. At Syracuse, Beatty served in editorial roles for the Syracuse Law Review and The Labor Lawyer.

Beatty is currently admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut, and she will soon seek admission to the Arkansas Bar, as well.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.