In re Proposed Arkansas Discovery Rule Amendments

On March 31, 2026, WLF joined leading civil-justice and defense-bar groups on a formal comment urging the Arkansas Supreme Court to harmonize the State’s civil rules with 2015 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, including the federal proportionality approach. The comment urges the Court to go further by adding explicit authority for courts to allocate discovery costs in protective orders under Rule 26(c) to further align state and federal practice. Overall, these tweaks would streamline litigation, reduce abuse, and eliminate inconsistencies—especially around electronic discovery—while drawing on a decade of successful federal experience.