Grace Keegan Johnson

Special Counsel

Hall Estill's Northwest Arkansas office has a Spanish interpreter onsite.

Grace joined Hall Estill as Special Counsel in 2019. She has been practicing law in Northwest Arkansas for more than 10 years, serving clients in various industries, including hospitality, construction, agriculture, trucking, medical, retail, food and beverage, alternative/renewable energy, and assorted service industries, as well as serving individuals in the community.

Grace’s areas of practice include Intellectual Property issues, particularly, Trademark and Copyright law; Employment law; Appellate Practice; Contract disputes and drafting; and Business and Commercial law; as well as Estate Planning and Probate. In addition, her practice includes litigation, as well as transactional projects.

Grace spent 20 years in the hospitality industry prior to embarking on her law career in 2009. She brings to her practice and to her clients, the benefit of experience in a service industry and addressing legal issues, such as employment, liability and ADA issues, as well as contract drafting and negotiation, from the business manager and business owner’s perspective.

Grace’s specific experience includes:

Worked with Defense Counsel and drafted appeals to affirm a defense verdict in two large exposure medical malpractice cases, both affirmed upon review by the Arkansas Supreme Court.
Represented International Company and North American affiliate in prosecuting a trademark infringement, copyright infringement and deceptive trade practices action.
Worked with Defense Counsel and drafted appeal of first impression issue regarding statutory credit for payments in EEOC claims toward related workers compensation claim.
Successfully argued appeal to 8^th Circuit to affirm denial of Motion to Compel Arbitration in intellectual property infringement action.
Worked with Defense Counsel and drafted appeal with complex constitutional challenges regarding affirmation of workers compensation claim denial.
Worked with Defense Counsel in litigating discovery issue regarding protected patient information pursuant to the Federal Patient Safety Act and Arkansas Peer Review statutes.
Drafted company documents, policies and procedures and prepared company handbooks.
Drafted, reviewed, consulted and negotiated Business contracts and agreements.
Drafted and negotiated Intellectual Property Cease and Desist demands.
Drafted and negotiated employment agreements, including non-compete, confidentiality, intellectual property assignments, and trade secrets agreements.
Litigation of complex contract disputes in construction, employment, intellectual property, insurance, and independent contractor agreements.
Litigation of liability in civil rights, insurance, product liability, trucking, healthcare, deceptive trade practices, intellectual property issues.