J. Cotten Cunningham
Before joining the Laser Law Firm, Cotten represented the Arkansas Health Care Association and the nursing home industry during the 83rd Arkansas General Assembly in 2001. During the Session he actively lobbied for the “Quality Assurance Fee,” which enabled the state of Arkansas to increase its Medicaid reimbursement rate to a level comparable to that of other surrounding states, and tort reform legislation to protect the nursing home industry from runaway jury verdicts and the ever-increasing costs of insurance premiums for liability coverage.

Prior to his tenure as a lobbyist for the nursing home industry, Cotten served as an Assistant Attorney General within the Environmental/Utilities Division of the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office for approximately two years. He earned a master of laws degree in environmental law from The George Washington University School of Law in Washington, D.C., and served an internship with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Annapolis, Maryland, before joining the Attorney General’s Office in late January of 1999. During his period in Washington, he also worked on the staff of Congressman Marion Berry of Arkansas.

Cotten received his juris doctorate in 1997 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law. He completed his undergraduate studies in 1993 at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where he received a bachelor of science in business administration and majored in finance and insurance.

At the Laser Law Firm, Cotten practices primarily in the areas of insurance law, environmental law, professional malpractice, employment discrimination, personal injury, products liability, and legislative/governmental affairs. He is a member of the Pulaski County, Arkansas, and American Bar Associations and a member of the Defense Research Institute (DRI) and the Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel. He also serves on the Arkansas Continuing Legal Education Board, and is a member of the Henry Woods Inn of Court.