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VietnameseGriffin: ‘Naming the building for Bob is a fitting way to honor his legacy’
LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement after a dedication ceremony was held at the newly renovated Bob R. Brooks Jr. Justice Building in downtown Little Rock:
“It was my great privilege today to dedicate our new building in honor of my best friend and former Chief Deputy, the late Bob R. Brooks Jr., and it was especially meaningful to have Bob’s sister, Sabra, nephew, Ryan, and many other family members and friends present for the dedication ceremony.
“Bob was a trusted advisor, a dedicated public servant, and a great Arkansan. He was instrumental in making the renovation of our beautiful building a reality. Naming the building for Bob is a fitting way to honor his legacy.”
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) completed its transition to the Brooks Building on June 2. The OAG occupies 11 of the building’s 12 stories, with a restaurant set to open on the first floor in early 2026.
Growing up in Fort Smith, Brooks graduated from Southside High School before attending the University of Arkansas and graduating from the Sam M. Walton School of Business. He then attended the University of Tulsa College of Law, where he served on the Tulsa Law Review for two years before graduating with a Juris Doctorate in 1987.
Brooks served as Chief of Staff for former Congressman Jay Dickey (AR-04) before returning to Arkansas to become the Director of the Arkansas Ethics Commission by the appointment of former Governor Mike Huckabee.
Brooks later served as Chief of Staff to Jim McCrery (LA-04), former Congressman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Ways and Means. He then became a partner at Capitol Counsel LLC, a Washington, D.C. lobbying and advocacy firm. He returned to Arkansas in 2020 to be closer to his family.
Griffin named Brooks as Chief Deputy Attorney General in January 2023. Brooks passed away unexpectedly on February 11, 2024.
The Bob R. Brooks Jr. Justice Building, formerly the Boyle Building, was built in 1909 as the “State Bank Building” and was the state’s tallest building at completion. It was designed by one of Arkansas’s premier architects, George Richard Mann, who also designed the State Capitol. Real estate tycoon Johnny Boyle purchased the building in 1916, and the company he started owned it for more than 80 years. The building, located at the intersection of Capitol Avenue and Main Street—the symbolic center of Little Rock—had been vacant for almost 26 years.
The 12-floor, 91,000-square-foot building was redeveloped by Moses Tucker Partners. The OAG is occupying the building under a 20-year lease, with the state having the option to purchase the building after the fifth year.
To watch a video of today’s dedication ceremony, click here.
To download a PDF of this release, click here.
About Attorney General Tim Griffin
Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.
Griffin is currently an officer in the Arkansas Army National Guard and holds the rank of colonel. Griffin served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 28 years. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.
His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.
Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.
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