Shane M. Kerr joined the Howerton Law Firm, a general practice law firm in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in June of 2009. Kerr received his bachelor of science degree from Louisiana Tech and completed law school at the University of Arkansas School of Law. Arkansas attorney Shane Kerr worked as the Carrol County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and as a Washington County Deputy Public Defender prior to joining Howerton Law Firm. Kerr brings to Howerton Law Firm a deep understanding and practice of Arkansas criminal law, Arkansas real estate law, Arkansas personal injury, Arkansas business law, and Arkansas family law.
While studying accounting for his undergraduate degree, Kerr knew that he was a natural fit for becoming a lawyer in Arkansas. “People said I argued well,” said Kerr. “My parents always told me I could argue with a fence post and win. I’ve always enjoyed debating, and growing up I took interest in movies and television shows that had to do with lawyers and felt it was something I could be good at.”
Negotiations and debate are obviously a significant aspect to practicing law. Kerr thrives on working with all sides of a situation to come to the best conclusion.
“To me, it’s the adversarial side, the working against another person to come to what both feel is a reasonable outcome,” said Kerr. “I’m more of a people lawyer than a paper lawyer. It’s more about negotiating with people and working with the client; working with multiple people for the outcome. I work well with others. I have the privilege of having the experience of being on both sides of the criminal law. I can work well with both sides to get a good outcome.”
Shane Kerr also recognized that being an attorney was more than just debating in court. Whether as a prosecutor or defender, Kerr realized that helping people was something that the legal profession could satisfy in his heart. “I do try to put myself in positions to help people as much as possible,” said Kerr. “It makes me feel that I’m doing good in this world. As a prosecutor, I felt like I was protecting the people, but on the other hand, I tried to help out the defendants too. My thought was what punishment could I give them (the defendants) to get the message that the crime is bad and not to commit a crime again.”
Kerr feels that one of his greatest attributes as an Arkansas attorney is his ability to get along with the prosecution side for criminal cases. The ability to get along with prosecutors, judges, and other defense attorneys has enabled Kerr to reach favorable conclusions for his clients. Getting along with all sides of a situation requires solid character, and Kerr hopes that people will reflect on his solid character at the end of his career. “My goal is that at the end of it all that I have people say that I was a great attorney,” said Kerr. “That my colleagues, whether on the same side or the opposing side, trusted me, that I have credibility with them, and that they respected me as an attorney.”
Kerr is really sympathetic to his clients that have unfortunately experience unfair justice from law enforcement. Kerr recognizes that most law enforcement personnel do a great job, but the few enforcement officers that do not follow the law, really bothers him. “When cops abuse their power, that gets me fired up,” Kerr said. “Those cops abuse their authority over people to unfairly arrest them and take advantage of people’s willingness to submit to their authority. A lot of people assume that submission to enforcement is following the law, and end up getting arrested because of it. While it’s everyone’s responsibility to follow the law, people still have rights that are also protected by the law.”
In response to the question of what makes a perfect lawyer, Shane Kerr answered that there is no such thing as a perfect attorney.
“As far as society would say, it’s someone who always acts in their client’s best interest and within the ethical guidelines,” Kerr said about the perfect attorney. “A client would say one that gets them what they want. But getting what you want doesn’t always happen. To me, I wouldn’t consider anyone to be the perfect attorney. Everyone has faults, and every situation has its limitations. All you can do is the best job you can, do what’s best for the client. Although I don’t believe in the concept of a perfect lawyer, I would say it would be devoting the time and attention to your clients to get the best outcome that you can while still acting within the ethical guidelines and also doing it in a way that keeps your character in tact and building a level of trust and respect among your colleagues. In the long run, the way to become close to a perfect attorney is by being known as a credible and trustworthy attorney in your community.”
By practicing law in Arkansas with honesty, credibility, and respect, Kerr hopes that he can make a difference to change stereotypes about lawyers and the legal profession. “I think ultimately I would like to say that I convinced people along the way that some of the negative stereotypes about lawyers is not true,” said Kerr. “I would like to convince people that they will have a positive experience with attorneys because of their experience with me. I would also like to help change some of the issues within criminal law. But, one person cannot save the world. I think that if I can just have as many positive impacts on the lives of my clients, in the long run I would have made a big difference.”
