Will Bond (born April 8, 1970) is an attorney and Democratic politician from

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

. Born in Jacksonville, Bond studied political science at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

before earning a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

at the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1995. Working as an attorney in Central Arkansas, Bond represented the Jacksonville area in the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the ...

from 2003 to 2008. He was elected chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas in 2011, serving until 2013. Bond served in the Arkansas Senate from 2016 to 2021. He lives in

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

with his wife Gabriel and their three children.

Background

Born April 8, 1970, in Jacksonville, Bond is the son of former State Representative Pat Bond and Tommy Bond. He has two sisters, Melissa Bond and Kelly Bond Emerson. Will Bond graduated from Jacksonville High School. He attended

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, receiving a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

in 1992, and graduating from the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

School of Law in Fayetteville in 1995. He worked as an associate at Friday, Eldredge & Clark in

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

until 1996. Bond joined Pulaski County Clerk Pat O'Brien in creating the Bond & O'Brien law firm, which would change to Bond & Chamberlin when Neil Chamberlin joined the firm in 2002. Bond succeeded his mother, Pat, in representing the 44th District of the

from 2003 to 2008. Representative Bond's service in the House earned him recognition in Arkansas Business's "40 under 40" list in 2005. Arkansas's state house and senate offices are part-time positions, and Bond continued legal work during his service in the Arkansas House. Bond joined McMath Woods, P.A., a plaintiff's firm specializing in injury law, as a

partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

in 2006. He is admitted to practice law in all state and federal courts in Arkansas, the

Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts: * Eastern District of Arkansas * Western Distr ...

, and the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. Bond and his wife Gabriel live in

with their three children.

Democratic Party of Arkansas

On February 12, 2011, Bond was elected to serve as the

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

of the Democratic Party of Arkansas. Bond remained in the position until resigning on July 31, 2013. It was speculated Bond was resigning to pursue elected office, including the Arkansas 2nd or Arkansas Attorney General, but he chose not to run. Bond was replaced at the DPA by Vincent Insalaco.

Political career

State House

During his time in the

(2003-2008), Bond held numerous positions including Chairman of the city, County and Local Affairs Committee and served on the Joint Budget Committee, including being Chair of the Special Language subcommittee.

Arkansas Business Arkansas Business Publishing Group is a magazine and newspaper publisher based in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. The company produces a variety of annual, biannual, monthly and weekly publications for various niche audiences in the state, i ...

awarded Bond with the ''Top 40 Under 40 Award'' for his legislative work on school consolidation, health savings accounts, efforts to reduce recidivism in the state's Department of Correction and identity theft prevention.

State Senate

On June 18, 2015, Bond announced he would run for the Arkansas State Senate. The 32nd District is a strong Democratic district, located in an affluent section of Little Rock including the Arkansas State Capitol, Colony West,

Leawood Leawood is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 33,902. History 19th century After the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the area ...

, Cammack Village, Pleasant Valley, and parts of Chenal Valley. The incumbent, David Johnson, chose to run for Jacksonville/Maumelle District Judge. Initially believed to be a crowded Democratic field, Bond won the Democratic nomination unopposed. Bond defeated Jacob Mosier of the

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties * Outline of libertarianism ...

, 75% to 25%, on November 8, 2016, to win the seat (the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

did not field a candidate). He was assigned to the city, County and Local Affairs and Judiciary committees. Bond was the primary sponsor of 21 bills in the 91st General Assembly, with four minor bills becoming law. He co-sponsored the Teacher's Classroom Investment Deduction, an up-to $250 tax credit for teachers who buy school supplies out-of-pocket.

References

External links

*
McMath Woods P.A.

Member Profile 86th General Assembly

Member Profile 85th General Assembly

Member Profile 84th General Assembly

Member Profile 91st General Assembly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Will Living people Arkansas lawyers Arkansas Democrats Pulaski County, Arkansas Jacksonville High School (Arkansas) alumni Vanderbilt University alumni University of Arkansas alumni 1970 births American United Methodists 21st-century American politicians