Mr. Crane was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He was admitted to the Arkansas Bar in 1978, after obtaining his Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas School of Law at Fayetteville in 1978. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Crane moved to Magnolia, AR and began practicing at the firm of Woodward & Kinard, P.A.
He has gone on to hold many rolls in and around Columbia County, including, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, 13 Judicial District, Columbia County, Arkansas, 1978-2019; County Attorney, Columbia County, 1978-1991; City Attorney, Waldo, 1984-1995; Appointed District Judge for Columbia and Ouachita Couties, 2024. In addition, Mr. Crane is affiliated with many associations, which include, Arkansas and American Bar Associations; Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association; American Association for Justice; Arkansas Prosecuting Attorneys Association; Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association; and National District Attorneys Association. He is a JCI Senator and was selected as an outstanding young man from the State of Arkansas. Mr. Crane has also previously served on the Supreme Court of Arkansas Professional Conduct Committee. Mr. Crane is married to Sheila and they have one daughter, Whitney. You will find him cheering on his grandchildren at many of their school sporting events.
Joel was born and raised in Magnolia, Arkansas, and attended Southern Arkansas University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in History in 2013. After college, Joel worked for three years as a title insurance agent with Title Guaranty of Columbia County, Inc., where he acquired his interest in property law. He next attended the University of Arkansas School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate in 2019.
After law school, Joel moved back to his hometown and worked as an associate for Bell & Boyd, PLLC, for the next four and a half years. Simultaneously, Joel served as the Deputy City Attorney for Magnolia. He opened his own firm on June 1, 2024, with a practice that focuses mainly on probate administration, estate planning, and issues related to real estate.
Joel is a Deputy Prosecutor for Columbia County, and is a member of the Columbia County Bar Association, Bethel Church of Magnolia, and the Calhoun Community Club.
Amy Freedman is a veteran attorney with over 25 years of legal experience. She has extensive practice in all areas of Arkansas Court, including civil, domestic relations, juvenile and probate. Early in her career, Amy worked in a boutique insurance defense firm representing five major insurance companies in multimillion dollar class action litigation. Furthermore, Amy has worked over 1000 cases of child abuse and neglect. For 15 years, she was a Public Defender. Amy was the first nationally certified child welfare specialist in the state of Arkansas. As a Prosecutor Amy has handled all levels of felonies, including Y level felonies of rape, arson, and murder. Among her victories, Amy obtained a conviction and 150 year sentence on a child rapist although the case had no physical or DNA evidence.
Amy was previously named an outstanding alumni award winner for Southern Arkansas University. She has also served as President of the SAU Alumni Board. She is a past president of the Texarkana Kiwanis club and is currently the third vice president of the Arkansas Federation of Republican Women. Amy has served in leadership for the Arkansas Bar Association for over 20 years and is the currently the Co-Chair of the 2027 Arkansas Bar Association Annual Meeting.
Amy Freedman graduated with honors from Southern Arkansas University and the University of Arkansas Law School where she was chosen to serve on the first amendment traveling team and studied law abroad at Cambridge University.
Amy is happily married to Clint Hanna, a media producer and Christian filmmaker who is on staff at First Baptist Church, Texarkana, Texas under Pastor Jeff Schreve. They enjoy serving in the church, traveling and watching movies. They are parents to four very spoiled (feline) children.