Kayla Hiett

Kayla joined Oliver Law Firm in October of 2020 as a Special Projects Manager for the CAT team. Her primary focus is creating visuals and video presentations for litigation that help tell our clients’ stories in an impactful way. When she is not sifting through evidence for buried treasures, she enjoys creating customized commissioned paintings for special occasions, writing poetry, and making crafts with her children.

Kayla moved to NWA in 2004 and worked as a Financial Advisors’ Executive Assistant for Clement Financial Services. There, she developed a deep passion for “making a difference in the lives of people” which was the companies’ core goal. Seeing the positive impact and level of care provided to their clients inspired her to strive towards using her more artistic gifts to make an impact that extended beyond finances.

After nearly six years in the financial services business, Kayla moved on to pursue more creative endeavors. In 2014, she achieved her childhood dream of writing a book when Divine Detours was published. As a contributing writer and editor, she was proud to be a part of the memoir of her friend and mentor, Roxanne Clement, who lost her battle with cancer in 2012. Roxanne’s incredible story and legacy of ministry now brings hope to Benton County inmates through Divine Detours Ministries.

Special projects help Kayla Hiett ease her pain by helping others

Kayla Hiett’s personal pain and professional passions crossed paths in an unexpected way in 2020 after she noticed a posting for a job opening at the Oliver Law Firm and mentioned it to her husband.

“Oh, I know Sach Oliver,” Kayla’s husband said of the law firm’s CEO and namesake. “I sold him a truck a few years ago.”

Kayla wasn’t looking for a job in the legal field, but her husband quoted something funny that Sach had said when they were negotiating over the truck. It prompted Kayla to look more closely at the Oliver Law Firm’s website, and that led to a job as a special projects manager. Now she’s tapping into her professional passions in a role that helps people who are experiencing the type of pain she went through as a child. 

“I saw some of the things they do and read some of the testimonials,” Kayla said, “I really got the sense that these people have the same heart as me, and they are really doing this for the right reasons. I wanted to work where I could make a difference in other people’s lives. And I just thought this is a place that I can take that pain and that hurt that I experienced as a child, and even still experience today, and I can be a help to people who are in similar situations.”

The pain resulted from a traumatic experience Kayla’s family endured when her mother had surgery that went horribly wrong.  During her recovery, Kayla’s mom fought for her life losing all her hair in the process. She recovered after a long stay in the hospital but had and continues to have significant health issues related to the surgery. 

“My father was a pastor, and my parents did not believe in suing people,” said Kayla. “They felt that that was wrong, so they made the decision not to sue this doctor.” 

They came to regret that decision after learning about the outcomes of two other patients who used the same surgeon. One, a nine-year-old boy who was a friend of their family, died on the operating table, and the other lived but was left with permanent paralysis. 

The Oliver Firm seldom handles medical malpractice lawsuits, but it routinely helps clients who have suffered other types of catastrophic events in their lives or the lives of family members. So working for that type of firm deeply appeals to Kayla.

“As a child, there was nothing I could do other than be there for my mom – try to help her around the house and be an encouragement to her,” she said. “I couldn’t fix the physical problems. I couldn’t make the financial struggles over medical bills end. I didn’t want anybody else to be in that type of situation. I knew from looking at the website, this law firm is the type of place that fixes those kinds of situations. And I wanted to be a part of the solution.”

As the special projects manager, Kayla applies her investigative skills by reviewing records to uncover how defendants failed to follow state, federal, or company policies. Then she uses what she and other members of the firm learn to make creative visuals and video presentations used for depositions and trials. 

“I’ve always had an interest in investigations and police work,” she said. “My mother and I used to watch shows like Unsolved Mysteries, CSI, & Law & Order to try and see who could solve or come up with the best possible explanation for the crime first.  We were always fascinated by the “why.”  I didn’t want to be a police officer or a private investigator, but I wanted to do investigative work without the usual risks of personal injury. I wanted to be creative with how I was doing it, because I’ve always enjoyed doing any kind of creative, artistic work.”

“So this allows me to focus on the two strongest parts of myself. One is making connections. I’m good at looking at a body of documents or evidence and making connections. And the other is being able to illustrate those connections in a way that simplifies it into a visually palatable storyline for the jury. I’m very passionate about visual storytelling.”

Kayla often interacts with clients during meetings about their case, during depositions, and when the firm records interviews with family, friends, and coworkers of clients for video documentaries used to support the case. But her most memorable client interaction came after a settlement in a case against a logging truck company. 

The Oliver Law Firm represented a young girl who suffered a broken neck, and after the settlement, everybody who had been a part of the case got the chance to congratulate her and share words of encouragement. 

“It was a really sweet time,” Kayla recalled. “It meant the world to everybody on the team just to see her little smiling face, doing well and being taken care of and having the medical attention that she needs. Now she has a much brighter future than she ever would have had if they not come to the Oliver Law Firm.” For Kayla, seeing the relief and joy on clients’ faces after a win is a truly priceless form of justice.