James “Lamar” Porter was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but he grew up in Little Rock. He attended Little Rock’s Catholic High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and is a 1978 honor graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville, where he was the associate editor of the Arkansas Law Review. Lamar was named after a great uncle who was memorialized by his family with land and money donated to build “Lamar Porter Field.” The baseball field was completed in 1936 and at one time was the only baseball field in Arkansas to have electric lights. Lamar proudly remembers Hall of Fame star Brooks Robinson started his career at Lamar Porter Field. Lamar is presently a trustee for the field.

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In his over forty years of legal experience, he has handled all aspects of personal injury litigation (motor vehicle, trucking, defective products, and catastrophic injury cases). For the last twenty-five years, Lamar has focused primarily on medical malpractice litigation, representing patients and their families in cases against medical providers who have caused serious injury or death. Mr. Porter heads the medical malpractice and litigation section of the law firm and has been closely involved in the firm’s drug and medical device cases. He has extensive experience in handling birth injury cases (obstetrical malpractice). Although only a handful of malpractice verdicts have ever been handed down against an Arkansas physician, Lamar won a one of the few obstetrical malpractice verdicts ever awarded in the state, and has negotiated hundreds of settlements in favor of his clients over his many years of practice. He was recognized by Soirée Magazine as the Best Environmental Law Attorney in 2014.

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In 2009, Lamar’s wife, Debbie was hospitalized for six months after she developed surgical complications from a colon resection. She was on a ventilator for four months, and required numerous surgeries. Debbie came close to death, but eventually recovered. This experience left lasting effects on the two of them. From this ordeal, Lamar has gained tremendous insight and understanding as to what families experience during a medical crisis.