Gordon S. Rather,

Bet-the-Company Litigation

4.0 (1 reviews)

Little Rock, Arkansas

57+ years experience

Wright Lindsey Jennings

Updated: Dec 29, 2025

Contact Information

501-371-0808

https://wlj.com/attorney/gordon-s-rather-jr/

200 West Capitol Avenue, Suite 2300, Little Rock, AR 72201

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Bio

Gordon Rather has been engaged in active trial practice for more than 40 years. Year after year, he has been known as one of the state’s most effective trial lawyers. Clients have characterized him as a “great trial lawyer,” who is “in touch with every detail of a case” in addition to being “thorough and extremely good with juries.” His practice centers on litigation, including complex commercial issues, product liability defense, toxic torts, admiralty and maritime matters, class actions and insurance defense.Rather’s more recent experience includes:Lead trial counsel for the largest hospital system in Arkansas, defending an antitrust action brought by a group of physicians.Lead trial counsel for the state’s largest health insurer, defending a class action based on the made whole doctrine.Lead trial counsel for a major Arkansas oil company, defending oil field contamination and crude oil release claims.Lead trial counsel for a major U.S. chemical manufacturer defending product liability claims.Expert witness for the State of Arkansas testifying in support of an award of $180 million in attorneys’ fees on a $1.2 billion judgment.Rather has been nationally recognized for and involved in the advancement of effective trial advocacy. Notably, he served on the faculty of the ABA-ABOTA Trial Academy at the National Judicial College in 2007 and 2010. He also served on the faculty for the ABOTA Trial College conducted at Princeton in 2010 and on the faculty of the ABOTA Trial College conducted at Harvard Law School in 2012 and again in 2014. Gordon Rather has been engaged in active trial practice for more than 40 years. Year after year, he has been known as one of the state’s most effective trial lawyers. Clients have characterized him as a “great trial lawyer,” who is “in touch with every detail of a case” in addition to being “thorough and extremely good with juries.” His practice centers on litigation, including complex commercial issues, product liability defense, toxic torts, admiralty and maritime matters, class actions and insurance defense. Rather’s more recent experience includes:

Practice Areas

Bet-the-Company Litigation

Awards & Recognition

Lawyer of the Year: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, Little Rock (2018)
Lawyer of the Year: Bet-the-Company Litigation, Little Rock (2010)
Recognized: Bet-the-Company Litigation
Recognized: Commercial Litigation
Recognized: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Recognized: Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Recognized: Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Special Focus: Product Liability

Recognized in Best Lawyers since 1999

Education

Duke University, J.D., graduated 1968

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Reviews

Justin Cruz

3 weeks ago

Skilled Litigator with Decades of Experience

I recently had the privilege of working with Gordon S. Rather on a complex mass tort litigation case, and I was thoroughly impressed. His 57 years of experience were evident in every aspect of his approach—from his strategic thinking to his courtroom presence. Gordon's deep understanding of bet-the-company litigation, as recognized by his numerous accolades, including Lawyer of the Year honors, gave me confidence that I was in capable hands. His ability to simplify intricate legal concepts for me as a client was invaluable. The only small drawback was that his responses to my follow-up questions sometimes took a bit longer than expected, likely due to his busy schedule. However, his expertise and dedication more than made up for this minor inconvenience. If you're facing high-stakes litigation, Gordon is an outstanding choice.