PHILIP KAPLAN,

age 85 passed away peacefully on June 23, 2023, surrounded by his immediate family having valiantly fought protracted complications associated with a hemorrhagic stroke. Born in Lynn, Mass., he is preceded in death by both his parents Myer and Marion Kaplan as well as his younger brother Gary. Phil experienced the opportunities and challenges facing first and second-generation Jewish families who immigrated to the United States from Eastern Europe which shaped his Jewish identity and moral convictions. A lifelong learner and educator, Phil graduated from Harvard College in 1959 as well as University of Michigan Law School and taught both law school and friends as a teacher and student through his affiliation with LifeQuest of Arkansas. Originally licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, he and his family moved to St. Louis for a brief period as a field attorney for the National Labor Relations Bureau. Following his true calling as a civil rights attorney and social activist, the family moved to Little Rock in 1967 where he founded the State’s first integrated law firm with partners Richard Mays and John Walker. He later founded Kaplan, Brewer & Maxey with partners and friends Joann Maxey and Silas Brewer.

Over the course of his career as a litigator, he successfully tried several landmark lawsuits, the most notable being representing the inmate population of the Arkansas prison system as well as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) which challenged a law requiring equal treatment for creationism any time evolution was taught in the classroom. Phil was recognized as one of the state’s best trial attorneys as documented by a front cover story in Super Lawyers magazine and was a honored member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers.

A proud and committed Arkansas and Little Rock resident for over 55-years, Phil was a civic leader that understood the importance of giving back to his community. He proudly served on many civic, religious and philanthropic boards, which included The Jewish Federation, Temple B’nai Israel, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Arkansas PBS, KUAR Public Radio and served as the Chairperson of the Arkansas