PRACTICE AREAS
Cristy L. Park
After thirteen years working in mental health and substance use disorders, Cristy Park began her legal career protecting the civil rights of Arkansans with disabilities as a staff attorney with Disability Rights Arkansas. At Disability Rights Arkansas, Cristy handled a variety of civil rights issues, including ensuring school districts provided proper services to students who qualified for special education and Section 504 plans, restoring dignity and autonomy of individuals with disabilities by removing unnecessary guardianships, and collaborating with state and national civil and human rights organizations to address systemic civil rights violations.
Cristy later began working for Arkansas’s Department of Education, serving as the primary legal counsel for the Office of Special Education, the Arkansas School for the Deaf, the Arkansas School for the Blind, and the Child Nutrition Unit. Through this position, Cristy continued to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities, while developing skills in labor and employment law, policy drafting, drafting and negotiating contracts, and state and federal government procurement.
Building on her experience with contracts and procurement, Cristy went on to join the United States Army Corps of Engineers as the primary litigation attorney for Little Rock District’s contracts team. In this role, Cristy ensured compliance with federal law throughout the procurement of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts, including construction of international military projects, defended the Government against bid protests, handled contract disputes, represented the Government in administrative appeals, and worked with the Department of Justice to prosecute trespasses and encroachments on public lands. Additionally, Cristy served as an ethics officer, providing training and real-time advice on ethical matters.
At the Bardwell Firm, Cristy combines her experience to provide a variety of legal services, including legal counsel in the areas of contract disputes, civil litigation, real estate and business transactions, and education and employment law.
