Meet the Buckleys
The Buckley Firm has evolved over the years to become a boutique-style law firm that provides clients with personal, attentive service. We are not and never try to be a large advertising personal injury firm that takes more case than it can handle. Our clients should never feel ignored or forgotten when they are going through one of the toughest times in their lives. Many people who come to us have never experienced the legal system or filed an injury claim before. We are always mindful of that and work hard to make sure our clients understand what is happening each step of the way.
We treat our clients like family and work hard for them, just like family.
How We Met
Ashleigh
William and I first met in 2009 while we were both law students at the University of Arkansas and members of two separate mock trial teams. While having a stand-off over who should get to use the school’s best courtroom for their team practice, I ultimately told William that he could have it - but only if he took me to dinner. I’ve always suspected that he later asked me to marry him, in part, so that he would never have to go against me in court.
How We Do It
William
People ask us a lot: ‘How do you work with your spouse and still stay married?’ We laugh because it's not something we ever really thought about doing, until one day it just made sense. The truth is, we are just doing the thing that brought us together in the first place. We love working together and have found that our work styles and courtroom presentation complement one another. Our firm has become a central part of our relationship and family because it gives us a shared purpose to help others when they need it the most.
Community Involvement
William and Ashleigh are committed to serving their community outside of work.
Ashleigh is a founding member of the Fort Kids Children’s Museum Board of Directors and current Vice President. After visiting children’s museums in other cities while on trips and vacations, Ashleigh saw the value of what a children’s museum could bring to our community here in the River Valley. A children’s museum is more than just a fun place for children to play, it is an active resource that allows for families to play and grow together. Ashleigh and her fellow founding board members have been working to build Fort Kids Children’s Museum to be a space that accomplishes all of these goals and bridge all divides in the River Valley. Their mission is for Fort Kids to provide an environment rich with experiences that create a sense of belonging and fun for all.
Ashleigh is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Fort Smith and served as President as an active member during the 2018-2019 year. She is passionate about the League's mission to develop and empower women to build better communities. She has also served on the Board of Directors as Vice President for Community Impact and as chair for League project committees. In 2018, Ashleigh proposed the Junior League of Fort Smith Scholarship, which was approved by the League and continues to provide needed funding for foster youth to attend college. The women of the Junior League volunteer year-round to provide important services to children in foster care in Sebastian County and surrounding areas. JLFS provides monthly life skills class taught to youth ages 14-21 who are in foster care. The classes include such topics as health and personal hygiene, how to find housing, obtaining a job, basic financial skills, vehicle maintenance, etc. Each month JLFS presents the assigned topic and may have speakers relevant to that topic present to the youth, and allow the youth to ask questions and learn more.
William and Ashleigh are both proud graduates of the University of Arkansas and members of the Alumni Association. Ashleigh served as a member of the National Board of Directors for the Alumni Association from 2019 - 2022. Beginning with its founding in 1878, the Association has played a significant role in campus growth, marshaling financial support, establishing scholarships, providing inclusive alumni programs and encompassing students as future alumni. Each Spring, Ashleigh enjoys volunteering and being a part of the process to review scholarship applications for incoming freshman applying with scholarships with the Alumni Association.
University of Arkansas - Fort Smith
Ashleigh was an adjunct faculty member at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith from Fall 2019 through Fall of 2020. She taught Legal Ethics, Legal Research & Writing I, and Legal Research & Writing II to pre-law and paralegal students in the undergraduate program.
Immaculate Conception Church
William, Ashleigh, and their sons are active members of their parish home at IC Church in Fort Smith. Ashleigh serves as a lector and eucharistic minister during mass. In an effort to address the growing needs of the homeless community and the low-income families, the three Catholic churches – St. Boniface, Christ the King and Immaculate Conception- founded the St. Anne’s Society Assistance Program. This program provides assistance with utility bills and housing
Community Services Clearinghouse
Ashleigh served as a Board member with The Community Services Clearinghouse, Inc. from 2017 – 2019. Since 1979, this organization has provided assistance to cancer and hospice patients, the elderly, the disabled, and children as well as working families. The Clearinghouse is perhaps best known in the area as the provider of the MEALS FOR KIDS Backpack Program. Each week the Clearinghouse prepares and distributes over 2,800 backpacks of food to children in the area schools so they have food for the weekend. This program alone costs about $400,000 a year to operate. The Clearinghouse serves five counties in Arkansas and two in Oklahoma. They are Crawford, Sebastian, Logan, Scott and Franklin in Arkansas and Leflore and Sequoyah in Oklahoma. They have a food pantry of both non-perishable and fresh or frozen foods for the same population.
Big Brothers Big Sisters
When William first moved to Memphis to begin his legal career, he signed up to be a mentor with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mid-South. Big Brothers Big Sisters was founded for the purpose of enriching the lives of children and helping them achieve their full potential through professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships. William and his little brother were paired up in 2009 and immediately became family. William is forever thankful to the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for bringing his little brother into his life, even though he is not so little anymore and is now a twenty-two year old college graduate.