HBS Legal Trends: Burt Hicks, Encore Bank
On this edition of HBS Legal Trends, Burt Hicks of Encore Bank joined the show to share how Encore Bank has achieved such rapid growth since its inception. Burt discussed the company’s operating philosophy, how it chooses new markets and the banking professionals who lead them, their focus on the latest in financial technology, their employee retention strategies, and much more. Burt was joined on the show by Baxter Drennon, Partner at Hall Booth Smith.
HBS Legal Trends is sponsored by Hall, Booth, Smith, PC and is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.
Encore Bank is a private, boutique bank with a commercial focus that couples highly experienced and talented bankers with innovative technology to offer unprecedented levels of personal service and experiences to its clients through a hospitality-inspired concierge approach.
Encore provides a full suite of financial products and services to businesses, business owners, professionals, their families and contacts with purpose, passion, and precision.
Company Website |LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter
Burt Hicks is one of three co-founders of Encore Bank, the fastest-growing bank in the country. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, where he majored in Finance.
After graduation, Burt worked for Merrill Lynch, and later Bank of America in New York as an investment banking analyst in the Financial Institutions Group. After later working for Simmons Bank, Burt completed the concurrent degree program at the UALR Bowen School of Law and the Clinton School of Public Service.
He subsequently returned to Simmons to hold various roles with Simmons Bank and its holding company, Simmons First National Corporation, including Chief of Staff to the Chairman & CEO, Director of Mergers and Acquisitions, Investor Relations Officer, Corporate Secretary, President & CEO of Simmons First Investment Group and Insurance Services and as head of the Bank’s mortgage line of business.
Hall Booth Smith, P.C.
Established in 1989, Hall Booth Smith, P.C. (HBS) is a full-service law firm with six regional offices strategically located throughout Georgia, as well as offices in Birmingham, AL; Little Rock and Rogers, AR; Denver, CO; Jacksonville, Miami, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, Tampa, and West Palm Beach, FL; Missoula, MT; Asheville and Charlotte, NC; Saddle Brook, NJ; New York, NY; Oklahoma City, OK; Charleston, SC; and Memphis and Nashville, TN.
Experienced across a wide range of legal disciplines, HBS prides itself on providing knowledgeable, proactive, client-specific counsel to individuals, domestic and international corporations, state and federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
At HBS they possess the legal knowledge, skill, and experience to meet our clients’ needs wherever they do business. HBS maintains the highest commitment to serve clients ethically and professionally by providing the highest quality legal representation.
Company Website | LinkedIn | Facebook
Baxter Drennon, Partner, Hall Booth Smith, P.C.
Baxter D. Drennon is a Partner at the Hall Booth Smith office in Little Rock, Arkansas, and he has more than a decade of legal experience. He is a seasoned trial attorney who protects the rights of clients in complex litigation involving products liability, professional liability, and automobile accidents.
Known for his work in high-exposure cases such as catastrophic personal injury and complex business disputes, Baxter has served as lead counsel in hundreds of cases and as trial counsel in over a dozen cases — most of which resulted in complete defense verdicts.
He works closely with each client’s leadership team to ensure the legal strategy aligns with broader business goals while resolving each matter effectively and efficiently. Baxter represents clients across manufacturing lines, including companies in the aerospace, automotive, heating and cooling, electrical component, and vertical transportation industries.
In addition to products liability defense, Baxter often advises businesses on commercial disputes and other day-to-day business and operational matters. He also represents several municipal water and wastewater entities and was honored to serve as legal counsel in the first privatization of a water utility on a military installation in the state of Arkansas. Also, Baxter is the City Attorney for Benton, Arkansas.
Baxter earned a Juris Doctorate degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Arkansas. He also completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Considered a leader among his peers, Baxter has been actively involved in the Defense Research Institute (DRI) since 2010, and previously served as the Chair of the Young Lawyers Committee. In 2019, Baxter was elected to the DRI Board of Directors in 2019 – the first young lawyer elected to the Board. Baxter is also a Future Leader in the Products Liability Advisory Council. He has been repeatedly named a “Rising Star” by Mid-South Super Lawyers.
