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VietnameseGriffin: ‘[T]his is a fitting and lasting memorial to the work he did for Arkansans and the law’
LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement announcing that the downtown Little Rock building to which his office will move will be renamed the Bob R. Brooks, Jr. Justice Building in honor of the former Chief Deputy Attorney General of Arkansas who passed away unexpectedly in February:
“The plan was to rename the Boyle Building as part of its redevelopment. With the recent and unexpected passing of Chief Deputy Attorney General Bob Brooks, it became clear that the best way to honor his legacy was to name the building after him. Bob was one of the chief proponents of moving to the Boyle Building because of its import to downtown Little Rock, its history and the benefit to Arkansas taxpayers, and he was a key driver in making the move a reality.
“Given his long record of public service, this is a fitting and lasting memorial to the work he did for Arkansans and the law.”
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 Congressmen 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.
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 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—has been vacant for almost 26 years.
The 12-floor, 91,000-square-foot building is being redeveloped by Moses Tucker Partners. Once renovations are complete, the Office of the Attorney General will occupy the building under a 20-year lease, with the state having the option to purchase the building after the fifth year.
“Bob was both a delightful person and a force to be reckoned with,” said Jimmy Moses, Chairman of the Board of Moses Tucker Partners. “He was totally dedicated to the redevelopment of the Boyle Building, and naming the building for him is appropriate and a wonderful way to honor him.”
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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 has served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 27 years and currently holds the rank of colonel. 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.
He is currently serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana. His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Liberty (née 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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