Judge Morgan “Chip” Welch is the 16th Division Circuit Judge for the 6th Judicial Circuit which consists of Pulaski and Perry Counties.

While in private practice, prior to taking the Bench, he participated in over 125 jury trials. He has appeared before the Arkansas Court of Appeals, the Arkansas Supreme Court, the United States Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, the U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals and the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. He is also licensed in the US Supreme Court.

Welch has been recognized by his peers on many different occasions. In addition to being named one of the State’s Best Lawyers by the Arkansas Times, Mid-South Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America, he has received the Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award, the Roxanne Wilson Trial Advocacy Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arkansas Trial Lawyers’ Association.

He was president of the Arkansas Trial Lawyers’ Association in 1990-91 and was a member of the Board of Governors of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) for 16 years. (1996-2012).

In addition, the Judge was also President of the William Overton Inn of Court and served for six years on the Supreme Court Committee on Model Jury Instructions (Civil). He served 3 years as a member of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association. He is a member of ABOTA.

Judge Chip Welch was appointed by Chief Justice Kemp to chair the Supreme Court Sub-Committee on Complex Litigation 2017-19.

In 2015, he received the “Trial Judge of the Year” award from the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association. Welch was named “Circuit Judge of the Year” by the Pulaski County Bar in 2021.

He is a member of the State Judicial Council where he served 3 years as Parliamentarian. He is active in the Bowen Law School’s Law Student Mentoring program. In 2017 Judge Welch was named the Bowen “Professional Mentor of the Year”.

A 1968 Hall High graduate, Chip Welch received his bachelor’s degree from Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. in 1972, and his juris doctorate from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1975. The Judge attended both the Fayetteville and Little Rock law campuses, graduating at Little Rock from the then Little Rock night campus of UAF. He attended the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada.

Judge Welch and his wife, Cheryl, have been married 40 years. They have two children, Ashley Hudson and husband, Cliff and Rick Martin, and four grandchildren, Lucy, Sadie, C.J. and Abby. They are members of Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock.

He is a former active member of Rotary 99 and has served on the Presbyterian Village Foundation Board. He has volunteered time to the North Little Rock Teen Court and was a sponsor of the North Little Rock Police Athletic League. He is past President of the North Little Rock Jaycees.

-And- the Welches have a rescue terrier named “Frankie”, who has one blue eye!