As a state district judge, Mark Leverett helps those who are outcasts and overlooked

Author: Madison Herring

Mark Leverett knew as a kid that he better find a way to stay out of trouble — and get paid for it.

Leverett, a state district judge in Little Rock who has worked in the environmental court, was first elected in 2008. He hears city code violations, animal neglect cases, curfew cases, cases involving youth, small claims cases and some circuit court cases such as child support and domestic abuse cases.

“I’ve always been quick with my mind and my mouth, and that has often gotten me in trouble growing up, so I figured early on if I’m going to argue a lot, I probably should try to find a way to get paid for it,” he says.

In Leverett’s office, a sense of family and productivity is central.

“Really the first thing I do when I get in is I’m checking on the office, seeing if everyone’s OK today, if we have anyone missing. Those guys are my family,” he says. “That’s one of the things I love about our work environment. It’s joyful and productive.”

Amy Sinks, Leverett’s court administrator, says Leverett creates an enjoyable work environment for everyone on his team. She says it is a true “honor” to be his administrator for the last eight years.

“We work hard but have a lot of fun,” she says. “He’s built a great team who are loyal and grateful to work alongside him every day. We all know he is the first one to provide support in difficult situations. I know I can count on him to be a great listener and hold me accountable when a decision is made.”

Leverett’s court operations are different each day, but his passion for youth allows him to change the lives of individuals daily.

“What I try to use the position for is to help those who are looked over, outcasts,” he says. “I have youth who are as young as 11 to 17, and with curfew cases, they’re skipping school or out too late on the weekends. And there are many young people who I know have potential, but are just acting out.”

“On the bench, (Leverett) is compassionate about helping our youth who may be going down the wrong path and guide them to get back onto the right one. He treats each defendant with respect and dignity,” Sinks says.

TAKING OFF THE ROBE

Leverett’s approach to youth cases includes showing them he is a regular person just like they are in order to get them the help they need. He aims to step down and show them he’s human, just like they are.

“I’ll take them back to my chamber, unzip my robe and show them I’m just a regular guy, and we just talk. Most of them start crying because they just don’t have hope. They can’t see past where they are next week. So I challenge them to create a sort of vision for themselves going forward,” he says.

Most conversations include a discussion of what steps are needed to graduate from high school, then look ahead to college or what other path lies ahead for the youth in his chamber.

“If you can see yourself in the future, you make better decisions now. If you can’t see yourself at 25, then what difference does it make what you do now?” he says. “Unfortunately a lot of kids don’t have a lot of hope, and I’m trying to instill that in them and let them know you don’t have to be at the top of your class to be successful.”

People of all ages come through Leverett’s courtroom, and he applies that same empathy to older individuals who come before him.

“My parents are the best people I know, so when I see older people coming into court who have limited means, that’s what I’m thinking about. I’m thinking that this could be my mom or dad in court. They need someone to exhibit some grace, and that’s where I tell them ‘we’re going to work with you.’ And that’s how I try to conduct my court day in and day out,” he says.

Leverett has also practiced as a private lawyer for 10 years and has spent three years in the prosecutor’s office. He has seen what he says are “good and bad judges,” and he tries to take his cues from the best judges he has come across.

“The ones that are compassionate, follow the law, but have discretion, and the ones that use their discretion to benefit other people, that’s me,” he says.

Above all, Leverett’s faith is the guiding force behind every one of his cases and the platform he holds.

“I see this as a platform for me to show people what Jesus would look like if he were a judge. And I try to remain humble, even though there’s a lot of power that comes with (the job),” he says. “This position hasn’t changed me.”

OSCAR WASHINGTON JR.

Leverett’s additional passion allows him to change the lives of youth outside the courtroom. He assists in creating a brighter future for students through the Oscar Washington Jr. Educational Fund, in which he serves as chairman.

The fund was created by family and friends of the late Oscar Washington Jr. to honor his legacy after his passing from complications after a heart attack in 2017.

“Oscar was my best friend,” Leverett says. “Our daughters grew up together, we went on family vacations, concerts, we served as deacons together. He built our house in west Little Rock. We were going to build our retirement homes together, but unfortunately we didn’t get the chance to finish that.”

After his passing, Leverett and the Washington family knew they needed to create something to honor his memory.

“His widow and I, who is like a sister to me and my wife, got together and found two things he loved, youth and education,” he says.

At first, the path going forward for the fund wasn’t exactly clear. Leverett and the Washingtons held their first event, a gala, and donated $1,000 each to four high school seniors.

“His idea started from a difficult place but has grown into one of the most beautiful memories of a lifetime,” Washington’s wife Doris Washington, president of the Oscar Washington Jr. Educational Fund, says of when she and Leverett first began brainstorming for the fund’s events.

“We had a beautiful banquet, and everything turned out so well. So I turned to (Oscar’s) wife and I said, ‘This might be bigger than we think,'” Leverett says.

“Mark’s love for Oscar and his dedication to ensuring that Oscar’s legacy lives on through the fund truly encapsulate his character. His passion for education and his unwavering commitment to empowering the next generation reflect not only his professional accomplishments but also the kindness and generosity that define who he is — always with an eye toward enriching the lives of others,” Kim, Leverett’s wife, says. “I am so proud to stand by his side, sharing in his successes and cherishing every moment of our journey together.”

STANDING ROOM ONLY

The next year, he and the team decided to make the move to the Clinton Presidential Center. Tickets for the event sold out 45 days beforehand, according to Leverett.

“When covid hit, we switched to a virtual event and donations went up. The number of students we were giving scholarships to went up, and we were only up to our third year,” he says.

This year, the fund will grant 16 scholarships to students seeking to further their education.

“It has evolved into something absolutely incredible,” he says. “We’ve taken the approach to deal with the whole person, so we’re not just giving a check. And that’s what makes our organization so unique.”

“Working with Mark is always an adventure,” Washington says. “His mind is constantly on the move thinking about how to improve the lives of others. Any given day he will share at least of couple of ideas … to enable us to give more to the scholars in support of them reaching their educational goals.”

Students also receive workshops on college readiness, financial literacy, workplace etiquette, résumé writing and interviewing along with their scholarship completely free, Leverett says.

“We also encourage them to stay in touch with us. We have a portal where they can upload their résumé to if they are seeking summer internships, and we assist them on getting those internships,” he says. “We are trying to be a bridge not only from high school to college, but from their college to career.”

Washington describes Leverett’s work for the educational fund as “therapy.”

“There is so much that one can do to help others in this world and the work that Mark has done and continues to do is nothing less than phenomenal,” she says. “Under Mark’s leadership, as the president of OWJEF since its inception, the state of Arkansas has been touched and blessed with a glimpse of the friendship he shared with with my late husband, Oscar Washington Jr. Finding ways to honor his friendship with Oscar and considering it to be moments of ‘therapy’ keeps OWJEF moving forward and giving more resources to students across the state of Arkansas.”

CHOSEN CHILD

Wherever a client or student is in life, financially and emotionally, Leverett and his team meet them where they are, becoming advocates for them. As an adopted child, he also aims to be an advocate for those who share the same life experiences as he does.

When Leverett was born, his mother was a senior in high school. Having two previous children and being raised by her grandparents who could not support a third child, she was left with no other choice but to put him up for adoption.

“My (adoptive) mom came from a big family. She always wanted kids but couldn’t have them. And then you’ve got this mom in West Helena who had too many kids,” he says.

He remained in the state’s custody for about six months before his adoptive mother contacted the state and asked if they had any children available to adopt.

“And lo and behold, they had me,” he says.

Leverett and his family were met with some pushback at the time of his adoption in 1969. While it was not uncommon for a family to take in a niece or nephew, blind adoptions were not as common.

“My dad’s mom wouldn’t even babysit me because I was adopted,” he says. “When I was 10 or 11, I had a cousin at the time who, out of spite, said ‘You know that’s not your real mom and dad, right?’ And until then, I really just hadn’t picked up on it.”

Leverett’s parents then sat him down and discussed his adoption with him.

“They told me ‘We got to choose you.’ That was how they told me,” he says. “And they told me when I was 18, if I wanted to, they would try to help me find my mother.”

After a decadeslong search, Leverett finally located his biological mother in 2011.

“I can’t tell you how that conversation went because it gets teary-eyed real quick,” he says.

When he met his biological mother, he found that she had married an apostolic pastor, but she didn’t know who his father was. She gave him the name of who she thought he might be, but it wasn’t the right man.

“It went sour real quick,” he says. “So I just thought I’d never meet him. And through a strange set of circumstances, a year later, I confirmed who my father was over Father’s Day weekend.”

CHANCE ENCOUNTERS

Leverett and his biological father now play golf together and have a close relationship. What they didn’t realize, however, was that they had crossed paths multiple times at the golf course.

“When I found out who he was, I was like ‘I’ve seen that guy before. He’s given me tips on my golf swing,'” he says. “We look alike, sound alike. It’s the weirdest thing.”

Leverett’s adoptive and biological parents were able to meet soon after, and according to him, it was a huge “love fest.”

“Before my biological mom passed away, she was so grateful to my mother and told her she’d raised a good gentleman,” he says.

Even though neither of his parents was a college graduate, Leverett says his passion for education and youth undoubtedly comes from his mother.

“It was never a question of whether or not I was going to college, it was just where, and what I was going to major in.”

Leverett has been the recipient of many awards across his career, including the 2015 Jerry Jewel Government Leadership award.

“It was quite an honor to be recognized in that way,” he says. “Honestly, I try to keep a very short memory of things like that because I don’t want that to be something I rest in or take pride in.”

Looking forward, Leverett aims to achieve the permanent endowment of scholarships within the educational fund. He also hopes to continue the development of the internships offered through the educational fund and allow students to enter into their career fields early on. He aims to use these internships to give students a running start on developing their chosen career path and honing their skills.

“That scholarship could change the life of a first generation student to allow them to get out of school and have no debt, and to start life without being saddled with 10 years of college debt,” he says.

“It’s getting statewide attention, which is great, but I think there’s more we can do.”