Law graduate and Miss Arkansas USA: Olivia Halsey’s dual triumph

Little Rock, AR — (Contributed) — May 15, 2025 — After balancing law school, clerkships, and public service, Olivia Halsey is graduating with a Juris Doctor – and a new title: Miss Arkansas USA 2025.

Halsey, who grew up in Jonesboro, has lived in Little Rock for the past three years and plans to stay. She knew early on that her path would lead to the legal field.

“I am someone who was fortunate enough to know what she wanted to do at a young age,” she said. “I don’t remember a moment where it wasn’t in my plan to attend law school, specifically Bowen.”

Halsey credits her grandmother with inspiring her journey.

“I grew up around the legal field. My grandmother graduated from Bowen in 1987. I grew up watching her dominate the legal field and break barriers and knew that was what I wanted to do,” she explained. “I want to make a difference in this world and serve my state and my community, and the legal field provides me with the opportunity to do that.”

This May, Halsey will earn her Juris Doctor from the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. She previously completed a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in history at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

While at Bowen, Halsey has built an impressive resume through real-world experiences in the legal field.

“In the first term of summer 2023, I clerked at Quattlebaum, Grooms, & Tull where I was able to expand my knowledge of property and transactional law,” she said. “I grew up around the real estate industry as well, so seeing property law in practice was a full-circle moment for me.”

After her summer at the firm, Halsey moved to a clerkship at the Governor’s office and stayed on.

“Clerking at the Governor’s office has provided me with the opportunity to see topics and issues in every area of law, including property, constitutional, criminal, and Arkansas law,” she said. “It has also provided me with the opportunity to see how state laws are made firsthand during a legislative session.”

Her work with the Governor’s office actually began earlier, during the campaign.

“I started working for the governor on her campaign in June of 2021 where I remained until I started law school in August of 2021,” Halsey said. “After my first year of law school, I came back to work in the Governor’s office in July of 2023 until April of 2025. I will be taking off this summer to study for the bar exam.”

Halsey said balancing full-time classes and working in government taught her critical skills for success.

“I am so fortunate to have professors who have cared about my success as a student, specifically Professor Silverstein and Professor Geiselhart,” she said. “I also learned pretty quickly that time management skills and dedication are a must for success in law school.”

Outside of the classroom, Halsey pursued another longtime dream: earning her real estate license, which she achieved in July 2024.

“My dad has a real estate company in Jonesboro with an office in Benton,” she said. “I grew up around the real estate industry as well.”

But Halsey’s ambitions extended even further. During law school, she decided to compete in the Miss Arkansas USA pageant.

“I never competed in pageants at this level, but it was always a dream of mine,” she said. “In the spring of my 2L year, I competed for the first time. I came home with second runner-up and the People’s Choice Award.”

Determined to try again, Halsey returned to the competition in February 2025.

“I competed for the title of Miss Arkansas USA 2025 on the weekend of April 12 and 13 and won,” she said, adding that she will represent Arkansas at the Miss USA pageant later this year.

In addition to being crowned Miss Arkansas USA 2025, Halsey earned the Overall Interview Award and the Mentor Award.

At Bowen, she stayed actively involved, serving as Senior Bowen Fellow her 3L year and Bowen Fellow her 2L year. She was also president of the Bowen Chapter of The Federalist Society and vice dean of Delta Theta Phi Legal Fraternity.

Mentorship has played an important role in Halsey’s journey.

“I have always looked up to my grandma. She is a big part of the reason I chose to go to law school,” she said. “Along with her, Judge Cindy Thyer on the Arkansas Court of Appeals became a mentor and role model for me. My grandma and her used to be law partners, so I had the honor to always have her in my life. In the past few years, she has become a mentor to me as I navigate law school and enter the legal field.”

This summer, Halsey will split her focus between studying for the bar exam and preparing for Miss USA.

“I will continue to represent the state of Arkansas as Miss Arkansas USA for the next year,” she said. “After I take the bar exam, I hope to continue working in the Governor’s office.”

Halsey described her law school experience as “nothing short of amazing.”

“It wasn’t without its ups and downs, but it was a place where I found myself. I will forever cherish my time at Bowen,” she said. “My advice to future students is that you get out of Bowen what you put into it. If you put the effort in to be involved with student organizations and get to know your professors, Bowen will pour that effort back into you.”

With about 9,000 students and 100 programs, UA Little Rock offers learning, research, service, social and career opportunities that can only be found at a metropolitan university located in Arkansas’s capital city.