Dustin McDaniel

Co-Chair, State Attorneys General

Little Rock

(501) 404-4010

(501) 404-4001

Recent Publication:

Will AG-Elect Stick To NC Dems' Playbook, Or Take New Path?

In Law360 State AG Group co-chair Dustin McDaniel reflects on the mark of a successful attorney general and how to keep the people’s faith.

Dustin works with some of America’s largest corporations and law firms to assist with state attorneys general-related issues arising from both sides of the aisle. He served as Arkansas’s 55th Attorney General (AG) from 2007-2015 before departing the office due to constitutional term limits and served as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2005-2007 before being elected AG. As AG, Dustin served as the southern region chairman of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) (2009-2011), co-chair of the NAAG Tobacco Project (2009-2011), and co-chair of the NAAG Energy and the Environment Committee (2013-2014). He co-chaired the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) from 2009 – 2011, and currently serves as the national co-chair of the Society of Attorneys General Emeritus (SAGE). Before joining Cozen O’Connor, he was a founding partner of the Little Rock law firm of McDaniel Wolff, PLLC.

Dustin helps clients manage AG investigations, consumer protection and administrative law issues, multistate litigation, antitrust, tobacco, Medicaid fraud, digital privacy laws, and more. 

Dustin is currently listed among the best government relations attorneys in Arkansas by Best Lawyers in America and is active in a number of professional, public service, and charitable organizations. He graduated cum laude from the William H. Bowen University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law, where he now serves on the dean’s Advisory Council and as an adjunct professor of law. He is a graduate of the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas and served on the national board of directors for the University of Arkansas Alumni Association. Dustin is a member of 50 For the Future and is a member of the board of trustees for the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS). He also serves as a volunteer sheriff’s deputy and legal counsel to the sheriff of Poinsett County, Arkansas.

Dustin and his wife Bobbi have three children. Bobbi is the director of development at Camp Aldersgate, which has served special needs individuals in Arkansas since 1947.

 

News

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in its Best Lawyers in America 2025 Edition

August 15, 2024

Best Lawyers selected 242 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.

Cozen O’Connor’s State Attorneys General Group Adds Former Arkansas AG Dustin McDaniel as Co-Chair

July 01, 2024

McDaniel served as Arkansas’s attorney general (AG) from 2007 to 2015 after serving a term in the state’s House of Representatives.

Publications

Will AG-Elect Stick To NC Dems' Playbook, Or Take New Path?

November 18, 2024

In Law360 State AG Group co-chair Dustin McDaniel reflects on the mark of a successful attorney general and how to keep the people’s faith.

Navigating Complex Regulatory Terrain Amid State AG Races

October 09, 2024

In Law360 Ketan Bhirud and Dustin McDaniel analyze the candidates in the 2024 state AG elections and suggest ways businesses can mitigate risk as AGs transition.

Attorneys General Seek Permission From SCOTUS To Sue Other States

September 06, 2024

Dustin McDaniel predicts uptick in attorney general investigations and litigation of all types in 2025.

Education

  • University of Arkansas School of Law, J.D.
  • University of Arkansas, B.A.

Awards & Honors

Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Arkansas at Little Rock - William H. Bowen School of Law, 2019

Young Alumnus Award, University of Arkansas at Little Rock - William H. Bowen School of Law, 2002

Best Lawyers in America®: Government Relations Practice (2025); Lawyer of the Year: Government Relations Practice in Little Rock (2025)

Arkansas Money & Politics’ Legal Elite 2024

  • Arkansas
  • District of Columbia

South Dakota

  • U.S. District Court -- Eastern District of Arkansas
  • U.S. District Court -- Western District of Arkansas
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • National Association of Attorneys General's Energy and Environment Committee
  • National Association of Attorneys General's Public Safety and Health Committee
  • National Association of Attorneys General’s Southern Region
  • National Association of Attorneys General’s Tobacco Committee 
  • Democratic Attorneys General Association
  • Society of Attorneys General Emeritus 
  • Arkansas House of Representatives 
  • University of Arkansas Alumni Association